History of Retail Industry Essay Example for Free

History of Retail Industry Essay department stores were gradually introduced which gave customers a chance to choose between bell ringers and products at one location. From JC Penney founded in 1902, to Piggly Wiggly in 1916 who was the first to offer checkout lines and self service. In 1961, Tar win was founded with Wal-Mart in 1962 and Kohls right behind them in 1963. It wasnt long and Best Buy, Kmart, TJ Maxx, Costco, and legion(predicate) much sell stores opened their doors to the labor of shopping. It didnt reserve long for the retail sedulousness to teach off and attract consumers of all kinds with the convenience of shopping and with it ame an determine as well. From department stores to grocery stores they transformed their ways of selling to gives customers not only the products they want hardly the atmosphere that was appealing. With Wal-Mart opening its doors in 1962 it made the 1960s the revolution in the world of retail. Today, retail industry is booming, yes with the recession it hurt around of the smaller tradinges but for the most part they pitch stayed afloat. We did lose some big retail concernes in 2008 much(prenominal) as Linens N Things, Mervyns and Circuit City.With this being said, the retail industry needs to make s shoot downholders understand the role in the industry to table service protect and improve their repute as well as build the confidence in consumers. Corporate stakeholders start out to be much than a moral responsibility to the order. They need to be a part of much more from how much consumers spend to supporting key policy issues and in the end will change the sh arholder value. Social, Economic, and political Setting The retail industry does a lot for the social and economic setting. Wal-Mart alone does a massive deal for the communities where their stores atomic number 18 located. Not only do they provide jobs for around 1. 5 million people, they as well as have competitive pricing to help lo cal economies. Their competitive pricing brings in more than 312 gazillion dollars.So not only is Wal-Mart a thriving company they believe in a family earn culture as well as supporting their local communities. Many retail stores leave a big footprint in their communities and worldwide. They rally around charities and do their part to put a cast on the map. On the other hand, most in the retail industry try to keep business and politics separate which seems to be the safest position to take. Some retail businesses like Wal-Mart and Coca Cola are open to their affiliation with the Republi merchant ship Party and seems to help their image with the traditional consumers but most do not want to take a chance of offending their customer base. Domestic and International ethicsStarbucks who opened their doors in 1971 to forty-one year later they have become a spherical company with more than 19,000 stores in 60 different countries. They have made the Ethicsphere Institutes World most Ethical Company List for six straight years. They introduced the Ethical Coffee sourcing program in 2001 to help farms in Central and South America improve their crops while remaining surroundally aware. They helped local nurseries arrange over 200,000 seedlings to restore natural forest cover as well as decreasing the work of herbicides and chemical fertilizers with farmers. They also helped train farmers to help digest the habituate of deoxycytidine monophosphate by replacing more than 200,000 trees. Ecological and Natural ResourcesThe retail industry has regulations made by the Environmental Protection Agency that they have to comply by to meet regulatory obligations as well as helping reduce environmental impacts such as dissipation management, product selection and construction of new facilities. Retail businesses may have state regulations to comply by as well as Federal regulations. Many in the retail industry are taking great strides to help impact the environment. The re are four areas that super impact the environment. One is the choice of raw materials for clothing has big impacts on the environment. Cotton is cognise for its mean use of water and pesticides and the so called natural dyes that rely on the harvest of millions of insects to reach the naturalcolor.The hour is manufacturing. Textile dyeing and finishing mills can be high producers of water pollution and carbon dioxide emissions and by improving their mills to reduce water, energy and chemical use can really reduce the footprint of their global supply chain. The third is transportation which unfortunately manufacturers and retailers are on other ends of the earthly concern which any mode of transportation sends some sort of pollution into the environment. The last impact is consumer care which many consumers may not even be aware of how a few simple steps can help reduce environmental impacts tremendously. One is washing in cold water and air drying if possible. teetotal cleani ng is another risk to the environment due to the chemical that is used to clean the clothes called perchloroethylene which has been known to cause many health effects with exposure to this in high levels. So it is not bonnie the retail businesses that can help make changes to better our environment it also falls on the shoulders of designers to use fabrics that dont require dry cleaning and to the consumers that purchase to make choices that help the environment. Clean by Design launched their program in 2009 to help reduce the environmental impacts by using buying antecedent of multinational corporations by improving processes in the environment to reducing emissions and waste.It is astonishing to see by 2011 that Target, Wal-Mart, Gap, Levis, HampM, Nike and Li amp Fung are all participating in this program and hopefully they corporations will continue to get in board and the list will continue to grow. Social Issues In todays full of life and unstable business world of retail industry they are ever so faced with social issues such as customer choices, brutal competitors, complex global economy and the use of the internet. Retailers are constantly seek to find new ways to make their business more profitable and ways to get more shoppers through their doors. Retail industry has caught on to engaging with society and the consumers on a personal level. They are adapting and changing to the environment around them and constantly developing new ways to serve their customers with trust and brand loyalty.Just like forest Company did in 2008 by making a nutrition commemorate on their shoe box to show the environmental impact it has from beginning to de operatery of the shoe. The company did this in hopes of giving consumers the information they need to make environmentally smart decisions on buying. Not only did Timberland Company do this they also comprised their shoe box that is made up of 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste fiber, no chemical glues an d only soy-based inks to print labels. Timberland is just one of many retail stores that take a stand on social issues. Target is another big business in the business industry that comes to mind.From opening its doors in 1988, Target has always tried to be a step supra in the industry with the competitive edge logos to their reputation for low prices and offering organic foods in their superstores. They always try to maintain their mission statement which reads, to make Target your preferred shopping endpoint in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. brand promise. They not only cater to the consumers they are extremely heterogeneous with schools and the communities that surround them. They are partnered with St. Jude which is a huge plus for them and provide disaster relief and are always raising funds for our countrys children.Another company that has taking grea t strides to make their view in this economy just as their mission statement says to Inspire and nurture the human olfactory sensation one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Rating of the industrys general social responsiveness I believe the retail industry for the most part is trying to take the right steps to make a difference in the economy and help insure the environment is first priority. Over the years we have seen so many big corporations leave footprints in the global economy as well as making the appropriate changes to better the community and environment we live in. References Retail. (2010). Retrieved from http//www. ceres. org/roadmap-assessment/sector-analyses/retail Wal-Mart. (2012, December 9).History timeline. Retrieved from http//corporate. walmart. com/our-story/heritage/history-timeline https//corporate. target. com/about/history/Target-through-the-years (2012, March). In Starbucks Ethical Coffee Sourcing and husbandman Report. Retrieved Novembe r 8, 2012, from http//assets. starbucks. com/assets/6e52b26a7602471dbff32c9e66e685e3. pdf Clean by design. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http//www. nrdc. org/international/cleanbydesign The evolution of retailing. (2009, 12). Retrieved from http//www. kpmg. com/CN/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/Evolution-retailing-o-200912. pdf Ken, A. (2012, March 31). Wal-mart company.