This Black Friday, we did something big.

Right in the heart of Times Square, surrounded by flashing lights, endless crowds, and all the energy you’d expect from the busiest shopping day of the year, we put up a billboard. But not just any billboard—one with a message that couldn’t be clearer: 

“STORES DON’T SUCK.”

Why? Because store employees deserve better.

What “Stores Don’t Suck” really means

At Zipline, we know nobody shows up for work wanting to do a bad job. And yet – too many retail leaders have these ideas in the back of their minds: 

Stores won’t do what we tell them to do. 

Stores need three, four, or five reminders before they’ll actually “do the thing.”

Stores don’t need to know the same stuff HQ employees need to know. 

Stores don’t ever read what we send them.

Sure – studies show that the industry average for store execution hovers around 29%. That’s… not great. But here’s what we’ve always believed: 

It’s not stores’ fault.

Nobody who works in stores or in support of stores – from frontline associates to district managers – wants to do a bad job. They just aren’t set up for success! With the help of technology – and the right best practices – every store can achieve its potential. Every team can operate like a well-oiled machine.

In fact, Zipline’s co-founders, Melissa Wong and Jeremy Baker, believe this so strongly that they wrote a book about it. (If you’re a retailer, shoot us a message and we’ll send you a FREE copy. ✨)

Why Black Friday?

Despite an ongoing shift to online shopping and a compressed holiday season that’s caused many retailers to jumpstart sales as early as October, Black Friday remains the busiest day for retail foot traffic in the U.S.

Think about that from a store manager’s perspective for a minute: One day, you’ve closed up shop for the Thanksgiving holiday. The very next day, you’re opening your doors to a massive influx of customers. Talk about whiplash.

For store employees, Black Friday is one of the toughest days of the year. The long hours. The non-stop crowds. The endless list of tasks. Those infamous customer interactions that make you wonder if people know how lines work.

That’s why we chose Black Friday to share this message. We wanted store teams to know they’re not alone. That someone out there sees their hard work and has their back.

What’s next?

This year marks Zipline’s 10th anniversary, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate. Over the past decade, we’ve grown to work with more than 130 global retail brands—brands like Sephora, American Eagle, and Warby Parker. Together, we’ve helped bridge the gap between HQ and stores, raising execution rates to over 90%.

And we’re not stopping.

If you’re in New York City this week, take a moment to look up at Times Square. (We’ll wait while you grab your phone for a selfie.) And then, take a moment to think of the employees who make retail magic happen every single day.

And if you’re heading to the National Retail Federation’s 2025 Big Show in January, swing by booth #5157 to chat with us about how we’re making stores better—for employees, for customers, for everyone.

Stores don’t suck. Systems do. And we’re here to fix that.

Learn more about our billboard!