Workers manning printing presses, driving trucks, and staffing news stands have no role in online news distribution. The same could be true for retail as online sales begin to substitute for in-store sales. Today, a super store might be staffed by a few hundred employees. Warehouse personnel receive new merchandise into the store and keep the shelves and bins filled. Salespeople advise customers on product features, check availability of merchandise not found on the shop floor, and book special orders.
Cashiers ring up the sale and bag the goods.
Other workers keep the store and its grounds clean and well-maintained. A retail sale via the Internet does not require the presence of a physical store or the same intensity of staff in order to generate the sale. Virtual retailers will hire people with IT skills to develop and program software, and operate and maintain computer servers and networks. Whether a retailer handles the physical distribution of its own products or contracts with another company to perform that function, warehouse and distribution personnel will continue to be necessary to transport products from the manufacturer's site to the customer's home. Retailers with an existing store infrastructure are likely to position the online business as complementary to their traditional store business, at least in the near term.