In Store Roles
Find out what goes on behind the scenes
Store Manager
Don't worry manager aren't suppose to be scary (well most aren't), they are suppose to help and support you as you grow in the company. They have many responsibilities but here are a handful: > Recruiting, training, supervising and appraising staff (we brushed on this earlier)
>Managing Budget (you have to keep an eye on those pesky budgets)
> Planning (well that's a MUST!!)
>Dealing with customer queries(we like questions)and complaints
(we don't really like these)
As I said before this is just a small fraction of what store managers do,
Skills that make a good store manager.
- The ability to lead and motivate a team
- Excellent communication and 'people' skills
- A strong commitment to customer service
- The ability to work under pressure and handle challenging situations
- Confidence, drive and enthusiasm
- Decision-making ability and sense of responsibility
- The ability to understand and analyse sales figures
- Good business sense
- An understanding of retail laws, security and health and safety
Say hi to some retail store managers
Ricardo
Glenn
Erica Herbert
Sales assistants
What being a sales assistant is about
Skills of a good sales assistant
You would need to be:
- a good communicator
- able to get on well with people
- able to work as part of a team
- friendly, polite and helpful
- confident and tactful
- energetic
- reliable and responsible
- honest
You will also need to have basic maths skills.
How much do you get???
Lets compare salaries:
Sales assistant-
Full-time salaries can be between £11,000 and £15,000 a year.Many larger retail companies also offer benefits like staff discounts, extra pay depending on how much you sell (known as commission) and bonus schemes.
Managers-
Salaries are between £20,000 and £30,000 a year. With experience, earnings for larger store managers can rise to over £40,000 a year, possibly reaching £70,000.
You may also earn extra bonuses and commission for meeting sales targets.
While we're at it ............. lets compare hours.
In a full-time job they would normally work between 37 and 40 hours a week. Part-time work is often available. Their hours are likely to include weekends and possibly evenings, depending on the store's opening times.
They would divide your time between the sales area and your office in the store.
Sales assistant-
In a full-time job you would normally work between 35 and 40 hours a week, possibly including weekends and evenings. Part-time work is often available and you may work shifts.
You would spend a lot of time on your feet and may need to lift and carry items of stock. You would often wear a uniform.
What qualifications do I need???
You can become a retail manager in a number of ways. These include:
- Promotion from within a retail department
- A graduate trainee management scheme
- Amanagement apprenticeship scheme
- Moving from a management job in a related sector
- Promotion within a company is a common entry route, By building up your experience as a retail sales assistant and through training and development, you could move up to sales supervisor then departmental manager jobs.
For Sales assistants:
Good customer care skills are essential and when applying for jobs, it will be helpful if you already have some experience of working with the public. Good literacy and numeracy skills will also be useful, for example for when handling cash.
Many stores employ temporary staff at busy times such as Christmas, and this can be a good way of getting experience that can lead to a permanent job.
You may also be able to start this career through an Apprenticeship scheme. You will need to check which schemes run in your local area.