The manager of a retail store, whether the store is large or small, has one goal—to operate the store at a profit. To this end the manager applies years of accumulated training and experience.
Retailing is one of few remaining fields where talented and hardworking people can still advance all the way to the top regardless of education. Several career paths are possible including sales work, merchandise and fashion buying, advertising, accounting, and personnel relations. Those who reach the level of store manager usually have experience in several of these areas.
Four major tasks are involved in the operation of a retail store: merchandising (buying and selling), store operations (staffing, shipping, and receiving), accounting, and advertising. In a small store, the manager handles all of these. The manager of a large store might handle one or two of these areas personally and assign assistant managers to supervise the others. In some stores, the manager provides overall supervision and policy making while employing four or more division heads to oversee specific functions. In chain stores, centralized buying and accounting relieves the individual store managers of these two responsibilities.
Related jobs are retail buyer, purchasing agent, wholesaler, advertising manager, and personnel manager.
Places of Employment and Working Conditions
This is a highly competitive field, and the store manager is under constant pressure to increase the store's sales volume. Many managers work 50 or more hours a week.
Managers employed by chain stores may be required to move frequently, especially during their early years with the company.
Qualifications, Education, and Training
Good judgment, tact, administrative ability, a feeling for what the public wants to buy, good communication skills, and the ability to deal with all types of people are necessary for a store manager.
High school should include mathematics, English, and social sciences; distributive education programs, where available, provide an excellent background. Part-time or summer jobs in retail stores are good experience.
Education requirements in this field vary greatly. Some large stores and many chain stores will accept high school graduates into the management training programs. Many large employers require a college degree in liberal arts, marketing, accounting, or business administration. Top positions in some stores require a master's degree in business administration.
Potential and Advancement
Growth in retailing is expected to accompany the growth in population, creating substantial job opportunities through the years to come. Positions in large independent stores will be the most competitive, but entry-level jobs in retailing will be numerous. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the field will grow by 7 percent between 2014 and 2024.
Regardless of educational background and career path within retailing, advancement to the top positions requires years of experience and a record of success at each level. When the store manager level is achieved, sales volume figures become the deciding factor in the manager's career. Increased sales can mean promotion to field manager or transfer to a more desirable store in a chain store operation or the opportunity to work for a larger independent store.
Income
The median annual salary for retail store managers in 2015 was, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
