Shaffer, Harold

Harold Shaffer was born in 1910 in Brooklyn, New York, where his family operated a grocery store. In 1911 they emigrated to Canada and his father established a clothing store in Ottawa. Harold Shaffer graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1932. He worked for a year in an accountant's office, then travelled in Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. He returned to Ottawa in 1934 and opened a ladies' accessory shop. He also worked part-time in his father's business, Shaffer's Limited, where in 1944 he began working full-time as comptroller and general manager. In 1955, Shaffer left the family business to become an instructor of retail merchandising at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. In 1963, he became the director of the Sir George Williams School of Retailing, which had opened in 1953 to teach selling skills and retail management. (The School of Retailing closed in 1975.) Harold Shaffer was named assistant professor in the Faculty of Commerce in 1965. He retired in 1975 and died in 1979 at the age of 68.

Shaffer was active as a retail consultant. He participated in seminars and gave addresses and courses. Between 1957 and 1979 he published more than 100 articles, and 10 training manuals and books, including How To Be a Successful Retailer in Canada.

Created 2015-06-05