She has seen your retail tech pitch deck. And every single time, you have insulted the store on slide two.
*Kit Campoy* spent 25 years running retail stores. She managed store teams at PacSun, Lucky Brand, Anthropologie, Tilly's, Old Navy, and Buckle. Today she is the _Voice of the Frontline_ in retail and the author of _The Retail Leader's Field Guide._ She helps retail tech and SaaS companies actually speak to the people running stores instead of past them.
In this episode of Retail Transformers, Kit joins *Ricardo Belmar* and *Casey Golden* to break down the HQ-to-store disconnect that is quietly costing retailers millions. The rollouts that work in a slide deck and break on the sales floor. The metrics that have store managers ducking under counters and yelling at their own families to protect a store conversion number. The 80% retail turnover that companies act surprised by but actually built themselves. The store manager pay math that no longer covers rent.
If you build retail tech, lead a retail brand, sell into retail, or just want to understand what is really happening on the frontline and the challenges in fostering a positive workplace culture, this is the conversation for you.
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*The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers S2:E5*
*Released on May 6, 2026*
*Guest info*
*Kit Campoy,* https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-campoy-you-got-this/
https://kitcampoy.com
*Author,* _The Retail Leader's Field Guide_ https://a.co/d/0cEHP1Xv
*Substack.* _The Voice of the Frontline_ https://kitcampoy.substack.com
Kit Campoy spent 25 years on a retail floor, then wrote the book, The Retail Leader's Field Guide. She now publishes The Voice of the Frontline on Substack. Her key message: frontline teams are the most undervalued assets in retail. Her work gives store operators the language and respect they deserve.
*Chapters*
00:00 Teaser
01:01 Show Intro
05:44 Welcome Kit Campoy!
07:14 Kit's Retail Journey
10:31 Corporate Blind Spots
14:58 What Managers Fear Saying
21:23 Bad HQ Decisions
27:14 Metrics Gone Wrong
33:33 Store Manager Many Hats
38:54 Empathy Builds Teams
42:17 Gaming Payroll To Survive
46:55 Turnover Never Lets Up
49:52 Pay And Talent Retention
55:45 Why Great Managers Leave
59:57 Gen Z Sees Through Brands
01:02:16 Reality Check And Thanks
01:05:35 Show Close
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