On a busier Monday morning, the till rings and somebody familiar is behind the counter. Not a new face hired through an agency, not a part-timer still learning the ropes, but the owner. That shift swap tells a bigger storey about how staffing costs have reshaped retail this year.
Retailers are facing rising labour expenses that bite into already thin margins. In 2025, staffing costs for businesses with ten or more employees climbed sharply, with 77 per cent reporting increases in wages, bonuses and national insurance contributions compared with earlier in the year — a jump of 41 percentage points compared with late winter.
Those extra costs are not small numbers. Analysis shows UK retailers will shoulder about £5.6 billion of additional costs in 2025 and 2026 compared with the previous year — the equivalent of nearly 200,000 full-time roles. Add to that rises in employer national insurance contributions and minimum wages, and it is no surprise so many businesses are rethinking how they staff their shops.
For many owners, stepping in themselves became a rational choice rather than a fallback. It avoids agency fees, reduces the risk of no-shows and guarantees standards. It also protects against unexpected wage pressure and tax hits coming through national policy. Retailers absorb what they can, but shift by shift, they hedge against uncertainty.
There is a human side to the numbers, too. Temporary staff often lack the product knowledge or customer rapport that regulars do. Customers notice the difference, and that matters when every sale counts. By covering shifts personally, owners safeguard customer experience and morale at a time when recruitment is tough and turnover is high.
The result is familiar if you walk down any high street: shop owners on the floor, not because they enjoy late nights or weekends, but because staffing costs and labour shortages have made it the most dependable choice. In an industry where costs can change overnight, this is one of the simplest ways to stay afloat while protecting quality and trust.
