The number of electronic and mail order retail establishments – your exclusively online shopping stops — tripled between 2001 and 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Only tripled?
Over the same period, in most retail sectors, the number of establishments declined, in keeping with the conventional brick & mortar doom & gloom narrative. Book stores and news dealers fell the most, with 65 percent fewer establishments, and about the same percentage drop in employment. Florists also took a big hit — there were half as many in 2017 as in 2001 (personal note: This is sad to hear for those of us who grew up in a flower shop).
Meantime, the number of establishments — and employment — increased in a few retail sectors, most notably “health and personal care stores,” clothing stores and grocery stores.
While retail is undergoing structural transitions, frequent media reports of its death may be premature. About 10 percent of the U.S. workforce was in retail in 2016, a ratio the BLS projects will hold through 2026. Retail has long been the second largest employment sector in Nevada, after “accommodation and food service.”
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