This article will teach you about the store manager job description, as well as the skills you need and the hours that you will work at the job. Store managers are the head of a management team in a retail setting, and work directly below district managers.
They oversee the work that cashiers and other employees do, set the schedule for the week, ensure that checks are accurate, and handle other tasks on the job. Store managers can work their way up, or go to college and work in management positions after they graduate.
Job Overview: What Does a Store Manager Do?
Store managers can work swing shifts, opening shifts, closing shifts, or a combination of shifts. They handle duties like setting the schedule for employees and handling complaints from customers. Managers often split their time between working in a back office and working on the sales floor, but they may work other positions around the shop to fill in as needed.
Store Manager Job Duties
- Provide service to customers and find solutions to some of their complaints or any problems they experienced.
- Create new schedules in advance for the coming week, which include time off requests.
- Lead sales staff meetings to go over some of the techniques that workers can use on the sales floor.
- Train new employees to ensure they understand all the duties of their jobs.
- Share information with district managers and other heads of the shop.
- Keep track of trends to learn more about pricing and what shoppers want.
- Clean the shop as needed to give shoppers a good impression.
- Effectively manage and maintain all assets in the shop.
- Work with loss prevention to cut down on thefts.
- Maintain inventory records and order new products as needed.
Store Manager Job Essential Skills
Problem solving skills. Store managers must have strong problem solving skills and the ability to look at a problem and find an effective solution that won’t cost the shop a lot of money.
Leadership. You cannot work as a store manager unless you know how to lead and inspire people. If workers feel like managers are bullies, they might quit and look for a job elsewhere.
Organizational skills. Those working as store managers need to keep track of the time off that employees request days and weeks in advance. They also maintain records relating to the profits and losses of the shop and inventory records.
Becoming a Store Manager
Not all store managers have an advanced degree, because some work their way up after spending some time as a cashier or a clerk. However, some of the most effective store managers are those who have a bachelor’s degree and some retail experience. That experience helps them learn what management techniques work best and what employees go through daily.
Qualifications and Training
Two of the more important qualifications in a store manager job description is customer service experience and a college degree. Those who do not go to college risk managers overlooking them and offering these jobs to others with a degree. A basic bachelor’s degree in a business program gives workers the opportunity to study different aspects of business, such as human resources management, business ethics, business law, and leadership. Many colleges offer internships that allow students to work for major retailers before they begin looking for full-time jobs.
In addition to a degree, most shops require that managers go through some basic training. They work under the supervision of a manager for a few weeks or longer, until they understand how to accomplish daily tasks. It’s possible for managers to make the transition from working in a restaurant or the food industry to the retail side as well. Those without a college degree need years of customer service experience and a strong work ethic to take on a management role.
Work Experience
It’s very difficult to see a store manager job description without some management experience. Recent college graduates can use their experiences in college on their resumes, including the volunteer work they accomplished, and the activities they did and clubs they joined in college. Those who have no management experience will need to show that they have a lot of customer service experience and that they worked as leaders in the past.
Many managers with a college degree gained experience as leaders in college clubs and via internships. Even those with a college degree will need customer service experience.
Working Hours
Shops generally offer standard shifts like an opening shift that runs from the morning to later in the day and a closing shift that starts later in the day. Stores that have closing hours need managers capable of coming in and setting up the store for the day, as well as those who can efficiently shut down the store at the end of the shfift. Swing shift managers work in the middle of the day. There are also 24-hour stores that need managers who can work overnight shifts.
Unlike the employees working the registers, who get overtime pay for working more than 40 hours, store managers usually receive a set salary, no matter how much they work.
Job Outlook and Advancement Opportunities
A store manager is generally the highest position available within a shop. Many retail stores have supervisors who oversee the work that employees do and department heads who are responsible for individual departments inside the shop. The store manager job description also focuses on the task of overseeing all the workers in the entire shop.
Those who perform well at their jobs have the chance to move into other management positions like a district manager. District managers oversee all the shops in a specific district. There are also regional managers and other higher positions that shop managers can eventually reach.
The average annual salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $43,910 for shop managers. Though some might think this is on the low end, the BLS also found that the top 10% of store managers make more than $66,000 a year. Clothing and grocery stores pay the highest salaries, but jewelry, shoe and other types of stores need managers too.
Conclusion
Store managers are responsible for overseeing the needs of customers as well as any employees working in that shop. They schedule shifts for the week, take over duties when they are short staffed, order new products, and interact with customers. The store manager job description requires a combination of customer service/retail experience and a college degree.
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