Career summary

Details for First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers


Description

Directly supervise sales workers in a retail establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

Tasks

  • Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
  • Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.
  • Assign employees to specific duties.
  • Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
  • Inventory stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level.
  • Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
  • Enforce safety, health, and security rules.
  • Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to assess the condition of each product or item.
  • Hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.
  • Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
  • Establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for the department.
  • Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
  • Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
  • Estimate consumer demand and determine the types and amounts of goods to be sold.
  • Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
  • Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards.
  • Review inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments.
  • Plan and coordinate advertising campaigns and sales promotions and prepare merchandise displays and advertising copy.
  • Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.
  • Establish credit policies and operating procedures.
  • Plan budgets and authorize payments and merchandise returns.

Interests

  • Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
  • Training - Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • Experience - Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Knowledge

  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics -Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Computers and Electronics -Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Education and Training -Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Administration and Management -Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal Service -Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

None found.

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