Retail in America Podcast Por Ron Thurston arte de portada

Retail in America

Retail in America

De: Ron Thurston
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Retail is changing faster than most leaders can keep up. Retail in America is the show for the people navigating that change — the leaders, the operators, and the builders who refuse to leave the human experience behind. Hosted by Ron Thurston — two-time #1 bestselling author of Retail Pride and HUMAN PRIDE, and a 30-year retail executive — the show explores what it actually takes to lead at the intersection of people, technology, and the future of work. Season 1 traveled 30 states in an Airstream to capture the heartbeat of frontline retail. Season 2 looks ahead — at AI, automation, and the leaders choosing to keep humans at the center of it all. Featuring conversations with technology innovators and frontline leaders, including partners like Microsoft and IBM. If you lead people, build for retail, or care about the future of work — this is your show. The future is already on the sales floor.Copyright 2026 Ron Thurston Economía Exito Profesional Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo
Episodios
  • Young People Are Lonely. Your Frontline Team Is the Answer.

    Young People Are Lonely. Your Frontline Team Is the Answer.
    Apr 7 2026

    Episode 15: The Happiness Report & Retail

    The World Happiness Report 2026 was just published. 136 countries. Hundreds of thousands of respondents. Decades of data.

    And buried inside it is something every retail executive needs to sit with.

    In the United States, young people are dramatically less happy than they were fifteen years ago. The primary driver? The same platforms your customers used to find your store.

    In this episode, Ron explores three human truths — about retail, technology, and the people caught in between — and makes the case that your frontline team may be one of the most important forces in the wellbeing of a generation.

    Reports & Sources Referenced:

    • 📊 World Happiness Report 2026 — Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford / Gallup / UN SDSN
    • 🛍️ Gen Z Purchases 62% In-Store — WSJ / Circana data, via PYMNTS
    • 🏬 42% of Mall Visits Are Social in Nature — Westfield / Advertising Week

    Books Mentioned:

    • Retail Pride by Ron Thurston — ronthurston.com
    • Human Pride by Ron Thurston — ronthurston.com
    • Subscribe at ronthurston.com to get every episode delivered to your inbox, twice a week.
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    7 m
  • The Three Things Your Hiring Process Isn't Testing For.

    The Three Things Your Hiring Process Isn't Testing For.
    Mar 31 2026
    Gen Z is walking into your stores on purpose. They came for connection, community, and a human experience they can’t get from a screen. The question is whether the people you hired are ready to meet them.Most retail job descriptions were written for a store that no longer exists. In this episode, Ron Thurston explores what the experience economy actually demands from your frontline — and what the retailers winning with Gen Z are doing differently.The Three Human Truths1. Retail — You’re Hiring for Transactions. Gen Z Needs an Experience.When Gen Z walks into a physical store, they’re not evaluating it on product selection or price. They’re evaluating it on atmosphere, energy, and the quality of human interaction. Most retail job descriptions are still built around transaction efficiency — POS operation, schedule flexibility, product folding. They were written for a store that no longer exists. The experience economy demands something different: empathy, curiosity, and focus. Those qualities don’t appear on a resume. But they determine every customer interaction.2. Technology — Onboarding for Compliance Is Failing the Experience Economy.McKinsey research shows it takes roughly six to eight weeks for a new frontline hire to reach full productivity. The question is what retailers are teaching during that time. UKG’s global frontline study found that 47% of frontline workers feel there are two separate cultures in their organization — one for the floor, one for everyone else. Nowhere is that gap more visible than in onboarding. Retailers give new associates the operational layer. They rarely give them the experiential layer: what does it actually feel like to work here, and what does it mean to make a customer’s day?3. People — The Retailers Winning With Gen Z Are Rewriting the Role.The best operators have changed three things: what they select for (emotional intelligence, genuine curiosity about people), how they define success on the floor (dwell time, return visit rate, social engagement — not just conversion rate), and how they invest in the manager who develops the frontline team. Because you can hire the right person and onboard them intentionally — and then put them under a manager who doesn’t have the time, training, or support to develop them. And everything you invested in the first two steps evaporates within 90 days.Research Sources — Full Links62% of Gen Z purchases happen in physical stores Deloitte 2025 US Retail Industry Outlook — https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/retail-distribution-industry-outlook/2025.html52% of Gen Z shoppers share photos or videos during a mall visit Advertising Week — Gen Z and the Mall, 2025 — https://www.advertisingweek.com/gen-z-and-the-mall-202547% of frontline workers feel there are two separate cultures in their organization — one for frontline employees and one for everyone else UKG Global Frontline Study 2026 — More Perspectives from the Frontline Workforce (8,200 workers, 10 countries) — https://www.ukg.com/company/newsroom/global-study-reveals-flexibility-and-financial-wellness-are-top-2026-priorities-frontline-workers32% of all first jobs are in retail — one in four American teenagers works in this industry RETAIL PRIDE — Ron Thurston (referenced in episode) — https://a.co/d/0j4SaAbMGen Z is evaluating physical retail destinations on atmosphere, energy, and quality of human interaction — not product selection or price ICSC — The Rise of Third Places: Becoming Your Community’s Social Experience Hub, 2025 — https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/the-rise-of-third-places-becoming-your-communitys-social-experience-hub-in-202597% of Gen Z shop at brick-and-mortar stores — driven by immediacy, touch, and social experience ICSC — Rise of the Gen Z Consumer Report, 2023 — https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/the-rise-of-the-gen-z-consumerMcKinsey: ~6–8 weeks for a new frontline hire to reach full productivity McKinsey — How Retailers Can Build and Retain a Strong Frontline Workforce, 2024 — https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/how-retailers-can-build-and-retain-a-strong-frontline-workforce-in-2024Books ReferencedRETAIL PRIDE by Ron Thurston — #1 Bestseller https://a.co/d/0j4SaAbMHUMAN PRIDE by Ron Thurston https://geni.us/humanprideConnect With RonWebsite: ronthurston.com https://ronthurston.comLinkedIn (Ron): linkedin.com/in/rthurston/ https://linkedin.com/in/rthurston/LinkedIn (Retail in America): linkedin.com/company/retail-in-america/ https://linkedin.com/company/retail-in-america/Subscribe — Episodes to your inbox: ronthurston.com https://ronthurston.com
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    16 m
  • You Don't Understand Why Gen Z Loves Physical Retail

    You Don't Understand Why Gen Z Loves Physical Retail
    Mar 27 2026

    62% of Gen Z shops in physical stores — more than any generation before them. They came for community, connection, and a human moment. And the industry’s response is to automate the experience that brought them there.

    This episode examines why Gen Z is choosing physical retail, what they actually need when they walk in, and what winning retailers are doing to meet them there.

    THE THREE HUMAN TRUTHS

    1. RETAIL — Gen Z didn’t come for the product. They came for the person.

    42% cite social activity as their primary reason for shopping in person. They’re seeking belonging, not just a transaction.

    2. TECHNOLOGY — AI is entering the store at exactly the wrong moment.

    Only 14% of consumers trust AI to purchase for them — yet 68% of retailers are deploying AI-powered customer interactions. That’s not a technology failure. That’s a strategy failure.

    3. PEOPLE — The associate who greets Gen Z isn’t just a frontline worker. They’re the brand.

    Retailers winning with Gen Z have invested in their associates as experience creators. They’ve given them time, training, and permission to build relationships.

    SOURCES

    •Advertising Week — Gen Z’s Surprising Love Affair with the Mall (2025)

    •ICSC — The Rise of Third Places: Becoming Your Community’s Social Experience Hub (2025)

    •Salesforce — State of the Connected Customer Report

    •McKinsey — The State of AI in 2025

    •Edelman — Trust Barometer Flash Poll: Trust and Artificial Intelligence at a Crossroads (2025)

    BOOKS BY RON THURSTON

    RETAIL PRIDE and HUMAN PRIDE — available at ronthurston.com and wherever books are sold.

    CLOSING PULL QUOTE

    • “The brands winning with Gen Z are the brands that still believe in the human moment.”
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    13 m
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