A seasonal crunch meets a labor shortage
Back-to-school sales have always driven heavy traffic. This year, the pressure is compounded by a shrinking pool of student workers. As high school and college students return to class, stores lose a significant slice of their part-time workforce, often with little time to backfill. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are nearly two job openings for every unemployed person, and retail is among the hardest-hit sectors. Frontline turnover is notoriously high. Retail turnover averages around 60%, with some subsectors nearing 80% annually according to a report from Total Retail.
It’s a recurring stressor for store managers, who are suddenly left scrambling to handle rising foot traffic with fewer people on the floor.
Even grocery stores, once considered separate from traditional school-shopping destinations, now carry full assortments of school supplies, apparel, and lunchbox-ready foods, meaning they're pulled into the same back-to-school crunch.
Why back-to-school is a stress test
Back-to-school isn’t just sales — it’s a test in execution. Parents spent over $31 billion in 2024, with totals forecast to grow to nearly $190 billion by 2028 (Forbes). With foot traffic surging and consumer expectations higher than ever, consistent execution matters: real-time restocks, clean displays, accurate signage, and smooth checkout processes. But without enough staff, and with high turnover and disengagement, the risk of stockouts, customer frustration and task slippage skyrockets, impacting both sales and brand sentiment.
Staffing creatively
It’s not just about how many people you have — it’s how quickly your team can respond when the pace picks up. The stores that thrive during back-to-school season aren’t necessarily those with the biggest teams, but those with the smartest systems.
Here’s what’s working:
1. Rethink the frontline toolkit
Enter Zello Kiosk: a self-service voice station that empowers shoppers to get help, ask questions, or pick up orders, without needing a team member nearby. Placed in high-traffic areas, it bridges staffing gaps by directing customers to the right support channel instantly.
2. Use AI to surface what matters
With fewer hands and more noise, it's easy for important problems like signage issues, tech failures, or delayed restocks to be missed. Zello’s AI Digests highlight recurring issues from team conversations so store leaders can act fast and stay ahead.
Zello AI Assistant Ella makes it easy for staff to get the info they need without slowing down, like how to troubleshoot a POS system or restock key SKUs.
These tools act as an operational multiplier, reducing response times, workload, and stress on understaffed teams. Back-to-school is more than a busy season — it’s a test of operational resilience. With traditional staffing harder to secure, retailers need smarter strategies.
Smart Tech = Stronger Stores
Every retailer faces back-to-school pressure. But with tools like the Zello Kiosk and AI-powered features, store leaders don’t need to stretch thinner, they can work smarter.
Want to explore how Zello can support your back-to-school strategy? Let’s talk.