To be sure, many retailers are still known for minting top talent, notably Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Macy's. Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette, for instance, joined the company in 1983, starting as an executive trainee, before taking assignments in different markets and functions on the way to becoming president in 2014 and CEO four years later. His career path is a textbook case of succession planning. Walmart's Doug McMillon followed a similar upward trajectory.