Mindy Jakubczak

A lot of my friends asked me “Why do you work in retail? You have college degree. You have a corporate background. You could do better!” Everyone has their own journey and life goals. I want to have my own business in the future. No other job can groom me like a retail job. That’s why I applied to be a cashier with my college degree and 10 years experience in Public Relations and Marketing but 0 years of Retail experience. Retail workers are tough! Being a retail manager is not for everyone. Everyday is a new day. You have to be creative to handle some situations with customers. Internal and external theft is another challenging part of the job in recent years. Hiring and firing sometimes can be emotional. Coaching and developing have to be your strong suit. Optimizing the team and leading the way have to be done together in a balanced way. I can go on and on for all the skills that retail managers have to have! If I can be a retail manager and run a multi-million dollar store successfully, why can’t I run my own business successfully? #retail #leadership #entrepreneur #dreambig

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Leave the interviewing to professionals… I once worked at a retail chain during an acquisition, where store employees from the acquired company conducted employee theft interviews. It was a dated practice, so we instituted a change so that loss prevention specialists conducted all employee interviews. A district manager mentioned to me that some employee interviews were scheduled, so I stepped in to conduct them and offered for her to come along. We had a tip that the employees in question were developing film for friends without charging them (something that would be caught with Exception-Based reporting today). It was my first time working with the new chain, and I had just moved to the state, so I knew nothing else about the case.     All I had was a plastic bag with some journal tape rolls. I devised an elaborate story about being part of the acquisition due diligence team and that I was conducting assessments to identify issues before the deal was closed. Both candidates admitted to thousands of dollars in theft. After the interview, the district manager said, “Wow, I didn’t realize you did all that stuff.” I not only convinced the problematic employee of my cover story, but I convinced the district manager, too. Meanwhile, I had made up the story on the fly. This was the “old school” way of doing things; the team at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates would not be pleased with this method today. Today, loss prevention professionals don’t fabricate detailed stories when interviewing. Instead, we speak in the generic, i.e “Some of the activities we do include ‘may’ include investigating stores for chain M&A.” The moral of the story here is that conducting interviews is an essential skill in loss prevention. Today, there are tests and certifications for forensic interviewing. The methodologies change over time, but trained professionals must conduct interviews. P.S. Professional interviewing skills come in handy as a parent. My kids try their best to fool me, but always fold like a cheap suit. 😂 #lossprevention #assetprotection

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𝗜𝘀 𝗞𝗼𝗵𝗹’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴? 🤔 Amidst a challenging year for department stores, Kohl's is navigating the storm by tightening its belt—the retailer’s focus on cost controls and leaner inventories has led to an increase in profit targets for the upcoming holiday season, despite a 31.7% decline in stock value this year. 🛍️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴? • Aggressive clearance events brought fresh styles to the floor just in time for spring. • SEPHORA's presence within Kohl’s stores continues to shine, balancing out the weaker performance in apparel and footwear. 📉 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁? • Despite a 9% inventory drop this quarter, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘆 𝟱.𝟭%—more than anticipated. • Kohl’s position in the market makes it vulnerable to changing consumer spending patterns, especially in a discount-driven landscape. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿: Kohl's isn’t alone. The promotional holiday shopping season will see a similar strategy from competitors like Macy's and Nordstrom. The question remains—can Kohl’s turn this strategy into a sustainable long-term growth model? 🌱 #RetailStrategy #InventoryManagement #RetailTrends #Ecommerce  https://lnkd.in/gjt-C9AV

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Leaders who have made a lasting impact on my life and career, Day 5. Shannon O'Brien. When you were Macy's Rosedale's Operations/Asset Protection manager, you were my manager as I went into a new area for myself. Having always been on the customer facing side of retail, going into my new position as Fulfillment OMNI Lead I was little out of my comfort zone. Something I learned about you right away is how strong of a leader you are. You tell someone to do something and they do it. You gain the respect of everyone working with you through strong command, but by also getting in there and doing the work yourself. You are not afraid to get your hands dirty and work right there with us. You would be out picking customer orders to ship, packing with us, and then running out to catch a shoplifter. After COVID you and I were some of the first people back into the store while the store stayed closed and we were only fulfilling orders to ship out. You made everyday great to be back at work. You have a great understanding of people. You keep a tight ship, but a friendly open door environment where everyone feels comfortable and confident in going to you for anything. There is no one I have worked with who has such a perfect balance of having a stern hard hitting conversation and displaying empathy, respect, and a safe place for colleagues as you. I'll always remember when mine and the receiving managers titles were changing from "Lead" to "Captain" and you ordered us each a captain hat to wear with our new titles 😂 You helped lead the store through so much change and you did it without it ever missing a beat. I admire you as a leader and as a human. Thank you, Shannon, for displaying strong integrity in everything you do. Thank you for leading through change. Thank you for being an amazing leader! #leadership #growth #career #motivation #inspiration

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#podcast #retailleadership #retailgrowth Welcome to "From Store Assistant to Store Manager: Mastering Retail Leadership," your ultimate guide to climbing the retail career ladder. Whether you're starting as a store assistant or aiming for a management position, this podcast is designed to help you succeed at every level. We'll dive deep into the essential skills and competencies required for each role, from providing exceptional customer service and mastering communication as a store assistant to strategic planning and financial management as a store manager. Join us as we explore actionable insights and practical advice for career advancement. Learn how to demonstrate leadership, handle complex customer issues, and develop your team. Hear from an industry expert and successful retail professional who shares their experiences and tips on what it takes to excel and move up in the retail world. Tune in to discover how to navigate your retail career, gain the necessary skills, and unlock new opportunities. Whether you're looking to enhance your current role or ready to take the next step, this podcast equips you with the knowledge and confidence to achieve your career goals in the dynamic world of retail. https://lnkd.in/eqND6RJq

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The rules of store design have changed. While some retailers have begun to revamp how they serve shoppers and profit margins, the majority of the industry is still struggling with old baggage. Ulta Beauty has proactively embraced some great strategies: Target partnership, Madison Reed shop-in-shops and a loyalty program with more active members than even Starbucks. Now it's time to add more flexibility to their store layout. These make-up chairs look nice, but take up a lot of space and sit empty the majority of the time. Empty chairs won't generate revenue, but will send the same negative signals to a customer as a broken display or dark digital screen. There are lots of solutions -- help store managers reach local stylists to keep these chairs busy, design a convertible display, or replace with a seating lounge that won't feel sad when not in use. Customers are evolving more quickly than ever, your stores will need to work faster to keep pace. #topretailexpert AAG Consulting Group

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Retail leaders can do anything 💪🏼

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Our store managers are the best-of-the-best in retail! As a people led, tech powered omnichannel company - our store leadership are constantly innovating, leveraging tools and empowering their associates to take care of the customers and community they serve.   We recently announced significant changes to our store manager compensation package to help show the value we place on their leadership and expertise. But it’s not just about the money, we’ve also invested in innovative technology that’s helping associates simplify tasks that were tedious and time consuming.   Checkout this Bloomberg article which highlights how the role of a store manager has evolved and the innovative technology we are using in stores. 👇   https://lnkd.in/gkKUh-Mg

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Masonville Leadership Opportunity Alert Hello future leaders, Do you believe that people are the heart of any organization, and that fostering a positive workplace culture is paramount? Do you prioritize the development of individuals under your guidance, recognizing that investing in people yields long-term success? Do you lead by example, setting high standards and inspiring those around you to reach their full potential? Do you believe that transparency is key to nurturing growth and trust within teams? Do you believe that with dedication and perseverance, anything is possible? If these beliefs resonate with you and you're interested in joining our Yonge and Bloor leadership team, I invite you to apply using the link below and share this post with potential leaders you may know. Just Do It!

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Kmart used to be the Retail King! Sadly, the crown hasn’t been theirs for quite some time. K-mart's fall from grace can be linked to (but not limited to): ▶️A failure of to innovate in the face of competition from the likes of Wal-Mart (although this is not just restricted to K-mart only, department stores in general are laggards when it comes to innovation). ▶️Second, poor standards of product assortments and visual merchandising. ▶️Finally, a merger with Sears where the only value that K-mart brought to the table was its real estate footprint - there was no desire for those in charge to do well as a retail brand. Put these, and other factors, together and the end result is a once iconic brand goes and bites the dust. Is all hope lost for this retailer? Definitely. It's not worth the time, effort or expense to even try. The K-mart brand has been devalued because of years of leadership level ineptness and reviving it will have limited nostalgic benefit....if that. Thank you Nicole Kirichanskaya and Inside Retail US for including my POV on the story alongside my friend Neil Saunders of GlobalData Retail. #retailnews #retail #stores #innovation #merchandising #kmart #TRE

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