Working In The Retail Industry

Answer 1

A career in the retail industry can be very rewarding for someone who likes to work with people, or who likes working with products and inventories. There are three broad types of retail jobs available. Storefront or counter jobs work directly with customer performing sales, management jobs oversee employees and help to keep the store running smoothly, and back office jobs deal with all of the details such as purchasing and accounting that keep the store in business.

Storefront or counter jobs take place primarily on the sales floor of a retail establishment. The position involves maintaining the order and cleanliness of the store, while also answering customer's questions and selling products that are on display. This also usually involves using a cash register or sales terminal to make the actual sales transaction, and can mean performing other duties on the sales floor like counting inventories, or restocking empty shelves. There are normally no educational requirements for a retail sales job, although previous experience is very valuable.

Retail management jobs can take place on the sales floor, but might also include responsibilities that encompass parts of back office jobs. Managers oversee employees, create work schedules, resolve disputes, and often stand in for workers when staff is low or sales volume is high. Retail managers can be responsible for an entire store, or can be assigned to only a specific area of a larger floor. In moderate to large companies, managers usually act as intermediaries between employees and other departments such as human resources or payroll. Depending on the company, managers might be required to hold a college degree.

Back office retail positions involve performing fairly standard office work and do not usually include interacting directly with customers. Areas such as payroll, accounting, benefits, and human resources are all common back office positions. Most retail stores also have purchasing agents that buy or replenish stocks of merchandise, and even marketing professionals or window dressers who attempt to create interest in products through visual promotions. Many positions in a back office require some experience as well as a degree or certification in the specific field of work.

Retail positions usually pay minimum wage or just above minimum wage as a starting salary. Management and back office positions are an exception and usually provide an average salary. Some retail sales positions also pay a commission based on sales that can enhance the hourly wage of a worker. In general, like many businesses, retail salaries increase with seniority and the amount of responsibility a work has, but do not increase enough to exceed the average median salary of a region in most cases.