enge that which isn’t? Here are some of the noteworthy changes that have occurred in retail over the last 25 years: Retail 1991 → 2016 Range → Price: The drawcard was once diversification and range of product, whereas in essence the focus today is bargain, discount and volume. Customer service → Self service: In the 80s customer service was a bare minimum expectation with all sectors of the shop-floor covered to ensure every need was addressed. Now it is possible not to encounter a single employee while shopping – from electronic greeter to the self-service checkout. Specialist → Diversification: The birth of the specialist retailer, which has devastated the bygone ‘Are You Being Served’ departmental operator. Why are the same specialists seeking and introducing commodities outside their niche? Loyalty → Profit: There was a tactile allegiance to customer, community and employee when returns on investment, shareholders and bankers were the silent benefactor and beneficiary. Is there too much interference today? Should retail be left to the retailer? Dependable → Variation: Products were selected for longevity and trustworthiness to reassure customers’ return and affiliation. Current tendencies lean towards, innovation, trend and contemporary obsolescence. Is swiping a card for a paltry reward really loyalty? Career → Flexile: A lifetime in retail was commonplace. Hours have improved, but what effect is there on indeterminate, unsocial and vulnerable hours? Are we also paying the price of centralising HR as a support office function? Barcode → Label: The bane of many of a shopping experience. A vital piece of modern retail with a nasty twist if it is relied upon to be the sole communicator to the public. Perhaps the individual price label still has a role? Chip → Memory: Gone are the count and scribe team of stocktakes. Is the convenience of technology decreasing our intimacy of stockroom, location and product performance? If you don’t know what’s coming through the back door, you have little idea what’s selling out the front. What hasn’t changed, despite attempts to camouflage and over-complicate, is the distinction between leadership and management. Leaders mentor self-development of personal brands within corporate imprints, understanding both are crucial by encouraging entrepreneurial behaviours within well-defined parameters. Chosen and empowered by the people. Managers administer inflexible mechanisms and enforce compliance with little regard to diversity. Chosen and imposed by authority. Dave Farrell is a retailer with three decades of experience on three continents. He can be reached at alliance@vodafone.co.nz. Access exclusive analysis, locked news and reports with Inside Retail Weekly. Subscribe today and get our premium print publication delivered to your door every week.