In message , at 13:45:07 on
Tue, 11 Aug 2009, Recliner remarked:
My impression from a quick Google is that retail employment has been
increasing steadily at half to one percent per annum over the last
decade.

I would think that the jobs per sales pound are much lower in an Asda or
Tesco than the small shops they replace. Yes, you'll see shelf-stackers
and staff loading bins for on-line shoppers in the aisles, but the
average shopper will have much less human interaction with staff than in
an old-fashioned small shop.

But other retailers may be recruiting as well, as the increasingly
affluent population (OK, not necessarily this year) spends more in
retailers, buying stuff their predecessors simply couldn't buy (ie, it
simply didn't exist or they couldn't afford it).

Every "traditional" shop near where I live, be it a corner shop or in
one of the several parades, is still open as a shop. They aren't
generally selling groceries any more (apart from a few specialist
deli's) but they are selling something.
--
Roland Perry