Don't undersell the value of retail.

• Position: READERSWRITE - Letter to the editor

After reading "Minding The Store" (cover story, February), I was disappointed that while organized labor and the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity were permitted to make their points, the retail industry was not provided a similar opportunity. As you mentioned, the retail industry is the largest private employer in the state, employing more than 600,000 North Carolinians. Albeit many of these are entry-level jobs, people often lose sight of the fact that North Carolina is also home to numerous retail corporate headquarters and distribution centers that create well-paying jobs and fuel the state economy.

There is no question North Carolina has been in transition from an agriculture and manufacturing economy to a service-based one. During the recession, the retail industry kept many folks in rural counties afloat by providing jobs where other industries were absent. North Carolina retailers compete with retailers worldwide while continuing to support communities where they have brick-and-mortar stores. Visit the neighborhoods, hotels and restaurants next to the headquarters of Lowe's in Mooresville, Belk in Charlotte, Food Lion in Salisbury or Harris Teeter and Family Dollar in Matthews and you will discover an economy built on servicing and selling to these companies. Or tour MDI's distribution center in Hickory or those of Lowe's in Garysburg, Kerr Drug in Henderson, Food Lion in Dunn or Wal-Mart in Cleveland County or Spring Lake and ask the people there if they value their jobs. Many are displaced workers from now-shuttered mills who may not have the skill set to work in an industry such as biotechnology, but they can drive a forklift or assist in the supply chain.

Associate Editor Erin Dunn's account of working at Kroger during high school (Up Front, February) showed a flexible employer willing to let her pursue extracurricular activities while learning valuable work skills. Her mother was able to secure gainful employment when unable to find a job in another field. Unlike other industries, retail provides jobs with great flexibility at any stage of a person's career. The industry is unique in that it is willing and able to employ workers who are in school, who have...