NRF RISE Up credential can boost Big Lots customer service skills

NRF Foundation’s RISE Up Customer Service & Sales credential is built to travel with a Big Lots associate, so the skills that show up every day on the sales floor can also show up in interviews, internal competitions, and the next job.

Why the credential matters on a Big Lots floor

RISE Up is portable. The program is designed to build employability skills for retail and beyond, and NRF says more than 500,000 people have earned RISE Up credentials. In a chain like Big Lots, workers may be explaining merchandise, calming a frustrated shopper, keeping transactions moving, and helping the store stay organized through heavy traffic and changing priorities.

Big Lots sells a wide mix of goods, from furniture and home décor to groceries, apparel, electronics, seasonal items, and more. That kind of assortment pushes customer-facing employees to switch constantly between service, merchandising, inventory awareness, and problem-solving. A credential tied to those tasks can help an associate show more than general experience. It gives a concrete signal that the worker can handle the customer side of the job and communicate value quickly.

The payoff is not limited to one role. NRF lists more than 120 possible next-step roles for retail sales associate work. For a Big Lots employee trying to move into a stronger shift, a different department, or a higher-responsibility job, that kind of recognition can turn everyday performance into a visible career asset.

What the Customer Service & Sales course actually covers

Customer Service & Sales is the intermediate RISE Up course for customer-facing roles. It was developed with more than 20 notable retailers, which is one reason employers tend to treat it as practical rather than abstract. The course is self-paced online training, and NRF says it takes 14 hours to complete.

Core skills in the course

The curriculum covers:

• the customer life cycle
• strategies to engage customers
• assessing customer needs
• closing sales
• resume building
• job-search navigation

That mix is useful for retail workers because it connects the in-store job to the next step outside the store. A Big Lots associate can use the same course to strengthen a floor conversation, sharpen a sales pitch, and build the tools needed to apply for the next role.

RISE Up is an industry-recognized program. A line on a resume can be easy to overlook. A recognized credential gives that line more weight, especially when a manager is comparing candidates who all say they have customer service experience.

Why it fits the way Big Lots work actually happens

RISE Up is useful at Big Lots because it speaks to the work that often goes unseen. A busy shift can involve answering questions, explaining product differences, managing a line, checking stock, and keeping the floor presentable while customers keep coming. Those tasks rarely fit neatly into a single job description, but they all rely on the same habits: reliability, communication, and calm under pressure.

A portable credential gives workers a way to document the skills they already use every day, rather than waiting for a promotion title to prove they can do more. In practice, that can matter when hours fluctuate, when a location reorganizes, or when employees compete for limited openings inside the company.

The credential can also help in performance reviews. Instead of saying only that you have customer service experience, an associate can point to training that covers the customer life cycle, engagement strategies, and closing sales. That is a more concrete way to show why the person can handle a front-line role in a fast-moving discount store.

The broader workforce context around Big Lots

Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 9, 2024, the company said on its restructuring site. The company had about $4.7 billion in 2023 revenue, 1,392 stores at the beginning of 2024, and more than 27,000 employees.

Big Lots later moved into a restructuring process that involved plans to close hundreds of stores, and that is the kind of shift that can force workers to look for another job quickly. A portable credential can help someone move from one store to another employer without starting from zero.

The company’s online store locator still listed 219 locations in the latest snapshot provided.

How RISE Up has expanded beyond the original launch

RISE Up launched in January 2017 as a joint effort by dozens of retailers and nonprofits aimed at helping people of any background gain the skills needed for retail jobs and advancement.

A 2018 NRF release announced a collaboration with the Maine Department of Adult Education and the Retail Association of Maine, including a Kittery pilot meant to help local adults start retail careers. More recently, NRF and the PepsiCo Foundation announced a Retail Training Initiative on February 26, 2026, to expand access to retail skills training and credentials.