Advice for Students

What advice would you give students wanting to pursue a retail career?

I encourage students to do an internship so they can see what retailing is like and if it is a field they would like to pursue. I also recommend that students prepare for interviewing by reading up on the industry and researching the company.
--Bart Weitz, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Retailing Education and Research
University of Florida

Retailing can be fun, exciting and filled with challenges. If you have strong leadership skills, interpersonal skills and an attention to detail, it is a great place to both start and end your career. You have the chance to see the results of your work almost instantly. There is a great variety of opportunities in retail that give you the chance to move laterally and vertically within an organization.
--Dr. David Szymanski
Director, Center of Retailing Studies
Department of Marketing
Texas A&M University

I suggest they get educated in the fundamental principles of business – accounting, business strategy and so on.
--Amanda Nicholson, Assistant Professor
Retailing Undergraduate Program Director
Retail Management and Design Technologies
Syracuse University