The Supercenter Spiral in Retail – Georgia's retailers have eliminated more than 26,000 jobs since 2000 — nearly 6 percent of total retail employment. That kind of job loss in retail is unprecedented in Georgia and also seems contradictory to the robust growth in consumer spending during the same period. Benson offered his explanation: Retailers are rolling out "supercenter" store formats that combine the traditional grocery store and discount department store under one roof, which require fewer employees than two stores operated separately. And they've proven to be immensely popular with consumers. "The success of supercenters in Georgia helps to explain the loss of at least 15,000 grocery store jobs," Benson said. "You can expect WalMart — and others, such as Target — to put even more emphasis on developing supercenters. As a result, we do not expect to see any net job creation in the retail sector in 2006."