At the cash register, behind the counter and on the sales floor, the 21st century retail workforce, like the general workforce, is becoming increasingly multigenerational. Thus, a retailer's future success will depend on engaging and communicating effectively with a demographically diverse workforce. Today, it is common to find four distinct generations working together:
• Traditionalists — generally defined as those born between 1922 and 1945
• Baby boomers — those born from 1946 to 1964
• Generation X — those born from 1965 to 1980
• Generation Y (also called "Millennials") — those born from 1981 to 2000
According to recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, traditionalists represent 17 percent of the U.S. population (48.7 million); baby boomers, 28 ercent (78.3 million); Gen-Xers, 23 percent (63.3 million); and Gen-Yers, 29 percent (80.4 million).
