Brazilian retail prepares for one of the most relevant changes in its work organization in recent decades.

The Constitutional Amendment No. 141, promulgated on October 16, 2026, established the transition to the end of the 6x1 shift, guaranteeing two days of paid rest per week and the gradual reduction of the maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours, without a salary reduction.

The change represents an advance in workers' rest conditions, but it also brings significant challenges for sectors that depend on continuous operation, extended hours, and high consumer concentration on certain days of the week.

This is the case for retail.

Business entities have already requested the Supreme Federal Court (STF) for more time and flexibility to implement the new rules.

The discussion, however, reveals a challenge that goes beyond labor legislation: how to maintain store availability, preserve the consumer experience, and ensure economic sustainability with a new structure of work hours?

What changes with the 5x2 shift?

The new rule establishes a progressive reduction of the maximum weekly working hours, accompanied by two days of paid rest.

The calendar originally provided in the legislation establishes:

The reduction occurs without a salary decrease.

The new model does not necessarily mean that commercial establishments will have to operate only five days a week.

Stores may continue to operate on different days and hours, as long as they organize their teams respecting legal limits, rest periods, and collective bargaining possibilities.

This distinction is particularly relevant for supermarkets, shopping centers, pharmacies, and other segments with extended hours.

Why does retail request more time?

The National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services, and Tourism (CNC) has approached the STF requesting a review of the implementation deadlines.

The entity argues that the first phase, originally scheduled for December 2026, should be moved to October 2027, while the 40-hour workweek would take effect in October 2028.

The main argument is that the initial deadline of approximately 60 days would be insufficient for structural adaptation.

Among the challenges presented are the need to reorganize shifts, hire professionals, review contracts, and renegotiate collective instruments.

For retail, there is an additional aggravating factor: the first phase of the transition is scheduled precisely for December, one of the busiest commercial periods of the year.

In this context, the discussion about deadlines involves not only administrative issues.

It is also related to the ability to keep operations running properly during one of the most important sales seasons.

The numbers show the scale of the challenge

The projections presented by retail entities help to gauge the potential economic impact of the change.

The São Paulo Supermarket Association (Apas) estimates that the transition could lead to an increase of approximately 15% in the sector's payroll, accompanied by the need to expand the workforce by about 12%.

According to the association, São Paulo supermarkets are already facing hiring difficulties, with approximately 35,000 job openings.

The entity assesses that another 100,000 hires may be necessary to meet the demands of operating under the new work schedule.

In shopping centers, the Brazilian Association of Shopping Satellite Retailers (Ablos) warns of a particularly sensitive situation.

Small establishments and franchises often operate with teams of four to eight professionals. For these businesses, reorganizing shifts may require additional hires or changes in operating hours.

The association projects that personnel costs could increase by up to 20% in certain establishments.

These percentages represent estimates from business entities, not confirmed impacts for the entire retail sector. The actual effects will depend on the size, productivity, hours, and operational structure of each company.

Still, the numbers point to the need for careful planning.

The issue is not just hiring more people

An immediate response to the reduction of working hours would be to increase the number of employees.

However, this solution will not always be sufficient or economically viable.

Large retail operations exhibit significant variations in movement throughout the day, week, and month.

Consumer behavior can change depending on location, store profile, seasonality, promotional campaigns, and regional habits.

This means that the need for professionals is not uniform.

A store may experience low traffic during certain hours and face intense peaks at other times.

Therefore, the transition to the 5x2 shift will also require a deeper analysis of how teams are sized and distributed throughout the operation.

The challenge becomes aligning personnel availability, consumer demand, and operational productivity.

Productivity gains new importance

The reduction of working hours may increase the importance of productivity per hour worked.

But productivity in retail does not simply mean demanding that professionals perform more tasks in less time.

It means identifying opportunities to reduce waste, eliminate unnecessary tasks, and improve the processes that sustain the operation.

In many stores, professionals still dedicate a significant part of their time to activities such as manual checks, availability inquiries, information reconciliation, and execution of repetitive processes.

When these activities are simplified or automated, teams can devote more time to customer service, organizing merchandise, and activities that truly generate value.

The advancement of technology can also enable more accurate decisions regarding product replenishment, inventory movements, and execution of operational tasks.

In this context, efficiency should not be measured solely by the reduction of hours, but by the value generated during the available time.

Technology can help stores operate better

The digital transformation of retail is often associated with the shopping experience, e-commerce, and digital channels.

However, the change in working hours highlights another important dimension: technology applied to the productivity of physical operations.

Integrated solutions for managing stores, inventory, and sales can help reduce manual activities and improve team utilization.

Among the opportunities are:

• Greater visibility of inventories, reducing the time spent locating products.
• More efficient processes for receiving, moving, and replenishing stock.
• Integration between stores and corporate systems.
• Automation of administrative and operational activities.
• Better use of data to identify peak demand periods.
• Simplification of sales, exchange, and return processes.

Artificial intelligence can also contribute, especially in demand analysis, identification of operational patterns, and support for planning.

However, none of these technologies eliminate the need for proper team management or guarantee, in isolation, full compensation for the costs of the new work schedule.

The opportunity lies in the combination of people, processes, data, and systems.

Opportunity to rethink store operations

The new shift may also stimulate a broader review of operational models.

Instead of simply reproducing the current structure with more professionals, retailers may evaluate which activities truly need to be performed in stores and which can be simplified, centralized, or automated.

The integration between physical and digital channels can also contribute.

Processes for pickup, return, order management, and inventory movement need to be organized to avoid rework and unnecessary overload on teams.

Another important aspect is the management of operating hours.

In certain commercial formats, it will be necessary to assess whether the service structure remains adequate to the distribution of demand, respecting contracts, regulations, and commitments to consumers.

These decisions need to consider not only the immediate cost but also their effects on sales, service quality, and the experience of professionals.

The benefit for workers also matters

The discussion about economic impacts should not overlook the objectives of the change.

The expansion of weekly rest seeks to offer better conditions for personal life, physical and mental recovery, and family coexistence.

These benefits can also produce positive effects for organizations.

Teams with better working conditions may exhibit greater satisfaction, engagement, and concentration capacity.

Reductions in absenteeism, leave, and turnover are also potential benefits associated with improved working conditions, although they depend on specific factors of each company.

Therefore, the analysis of the 5x2 shift should not consider exclusively the immediate increase in costs.

It is also important to observe the possible medium- and long-term gains associated with well-being, talent retention, and the quality of the work experience.

The sustainability of the change will depend on the ability to balance these different factors.

What is being discussed in the STF?

On November 10, 2026, the Supreme Federal Court held a conciliation hearing involving representatives of companies, workers, and the government.

Minister Flávio Dino, the rapporteur of the actions, limited the discussion to the aspects of implementing the new work schedule.

During the hearing, he indicated the possibility of maintaining the transition schedule while evaluating alternatives for flexibility in its application.

As of the closing of this analysis, no definitive decision had been confirmed that altered the dates originally established in Constitutional Amendment No. 141/2026.

Thus, companies need to monitor the legal and regulatory developments, without assuming that requests for postponement have already produced changes in the calendar.

The future of stores will require a new equation of efficiency

The transition to the 5x2 shift places retail in front of a strategic question.

How to preserve the consumer experience, maintain product availability, and protect the financial sustainability of the operation while expanding the rest conditions for professionals?

There is no single answer.

Different segments and commercial formats will face distinct challenges, according to their hours, cost structures, processes, and levels of technological maturity.

But there is an important direction.

The ability to integrate people, technology, and processes will be increasingly relevant to sustain efficient operations.

Companies that can reduce repetitive tasks, improve decision quality, and use their resources intelligently will be better prepared to respond to changes.

The 5x2 shift does not merely represent a new distribution of work and rest days. It can become an incentive to rethink productivity and the very operational model of retail.