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Whether they oversee small boutiques or department stores for large chains, store managers are essential to the retail world. These individuals have a lot of influence over store staff and the customer experience.��Let’s walk through what store managers do and what it takes to excel in this role.

Life as a store manager takes determination and grit. Every day brings unique challenges, and the seasonality of the business can sometimes mean long hours. But working in retail is also a versatile, valuable career experience for that can benefit from a business education.

Depending on the outlet, store managers have varying levels of responsibility. Many managers are responsible for overseeing employees, as well as financial management and customer service.

Aside from their greater responsibilities,��managers often perform a range of small but necessary duties��each day. These tasks often include opening the store, ensuring cash registers have the appropriate funds and replenishing merchandise. Managers may also often take closing shifts that require them to reconcile nightly deposits.

The major ongoing components of store management include the following responsibilities:

Financial management is a key part of successful business, and store managers must understand how to handle financial aspects such as:

• Monitoring expenses
• Monitoring market trends
• Conducting competitor analyses
• Analyzing financial reports
• Preparing and managing budgets
• Identifying areas for improvement
• Striving to achieve��profitability targets
• Making informed decisions to��optimize resources and minimize waste

Another part of this is analyzing sales data, identifying trends and developing strategies to drive sales. Sales data often influence payroll, as most stores need to optimize their teams to create the biggest benefit to the business. Finally, store managers collaborate with their teams to implement promotional campaigns, create attractive displays and optimize the store layout to maximize sales potential.��

Store managers understand that happy customers are vital to their business’s success. The manager and company strive to create an environment that fosters customer satisfaction from the moment someone steps through the door.

To do this, they must train and��motivate their employees��to deliver outstanding customer service. They provide guidance on how to:

• Engage with customers
• Actively listen to their needs
• Offer personalized assistance

Moreover, store managers are the ultimate problem-solvers regarding customer complaints or concerns. They need to have the skills to actively listen to customer grievances and find solutions that leave them feeling understood, valued and satisfied.

Creating a positive customer experience also means paying attention to details. Those who work in store management ensure the shop is well maintained and visually appealing by keeping shelves stocked, merchandise neatly displayed and aisles clear of clutter. They understand that a clean and well-organized store makes shopping more convenient and enhances the customer experience.

Inventory management is one of the most critical tasks of store management tasks, and includes:

• Manage stock levels
• Monitor inventory accuracy
• Order new products
• Ensure merchandise gets stocked
• Train employees on loss prevention strategies

They must stay on trend by learning what’s selling well and��adjusting orders accordingly��to avoid overstocking or understocking. Likewise, they ensure all products are correctly priced, labeled and displayed. Plus, they have to plan for seasonal changes.

Store managers are only as good as their teams. That’s why providing training and development opportunities for employees is important. Training responsibilities include:

• Hiring and supervising employees
• Onboarding new associates and developing leaders from within
• Coordinating on-the-job training
• Providing feedback and guidance (coaching)
• Conducting regular performance reviews

Likewise, finding��employee training solutions��can help increase productivity. For example, online courses and digital programs offer flexible learning for employees, allowing them to work on their skills independently. Training helps ensure that staff are up to date on policies, processes and procedures.

Finally, don’t forget about product knowledge. Taking the time to learn about new products and making sure the team understands their benefits can potentially help increase sales and improve employee buy-in.

Those in store management are also frequently called upon for unexpected challenges or emergencies. They must��make quick decisions��and take appropriate action to ensure overall safety and success of their employees, customers and store.

Thriving in this career requires a mixture of hard and soft skills. The level of understanding needed to run a store properly can vary. In some cases, corporate policies form the backbone of daily operations. At other times, a manager may need to adopt an “owner” mentality to accomplish goals.

• Financial management: Understanding budgeting, accounting and finance is crucial to effectively oversee the store’s financial health. This involves managing expenses, optimizing profits and ensuring the store operates within its financial means.
• Inventory management and stock control: The ability to manage inventory is essential. That includes ordering products, tracking stock levels, organizing stockrooms and implementing loss-prevention strategies.
• Proficiency in point-of-sale (POS) systems: Expert-level familiarity with POS systems is needed to process sales transactions and returns, manage customer data, track inventory and generate sales reports. They also need to be able to troubleshoot when issues arise during transactions.
• Retail sales analysis and reporting: Analyzing sales data to understand customers’ behavior is important because it enables the tracking of sales trends and making informed decisions about inventory and marketing strategy.
• Marketing: Knowing basic marketing principles can help promote products and attract customers. Marketing includes merchandising, disseminating promotional materials, leveraging social media platforms, and analyzing consumer behavior and purchasing trends.
• Retail management: Managers must have a strong background in operations, from logistics and supply chain management to store layout and customer flow. It ensures a store runs efficiently and reduces friction for customers.

• Leadership: Inspiring and motivating teams to achieve store goals, along with providing direction and vision, is critical to effective store management.
• Communication: Clear and effective communication, both verbal and nonverbal, with staff, customers and upper management is essential.
• Customer service: Providing excellent customer service and resolving customer issues professionally is key. Managers lead by example and deliver a high standard of service.
• Problem-solving: Resolving customer complaints, employee conflicts or operational issues all demand problem-solving skills.
• Time management: Managers must effectively manage their own time and that of their employees to ensure that tasks are accomplished on schedule and that operations run smoothly.
• Motivation and coaching: Keeping a store’s staff motivated in busy periods or challenging situations is an ongoing task, and it’s key to maintaining high morale and productivity.
• Attention to detail: A keen eye for detail helps optimize visual merchandising, inventory management and store presentation.
• Organizational skills: Good store management means always being well organized. From scheduling staff shifts to keeping the backroom navigable, excellent organizational skills ensure everything runs smoothly.

Management roles in retail impart leadership experience, hone supervision skills, develop management style and teach how to motivate others. There are other benefits as well:

• The chance to influence people’s lives: By fostering a positive culture and investing in employee development, managers can help your team members grow both personally and professionally.
• Opportunities for career growth: Managers may have the chance to move up to regional or district management positions, oversee multiple stores or explore options in other industries where leadership and operational skills may be desirable.

Overall, those in retail management positions have the potential to make a lasting, positive impression on customers and colleagues.

Pathways to a store management career can vary based on the industry. Retail companies typically look at management candidates from two perspectives. Many stores, for example, promote managers from within. It’s not uncommon for employees to start as part-time or full-time sales associates and work their way up. Other retailers prefer their managers to have obtained a bachelor’s degree at minimum.

Earning a bachelor’s degree offers other benefits aside from potential employability. A career-relevant degree can teach skills that directly affect a manager’s performance on the job, such as sales analysis, marketing and leadership.��

At a minimum, becoming a store manager requires a��. However, some employers may prefer or require a college degree. Having a college degree, such as a��bachelor’s degree in management, can provide a comprehensive understanding of business fundamentals and management principles. Along with education, experience may also be important to employers.

However, while degrees provide valuable knowledge and skills, they don’t guarantee job outcomes. Success relies on a combination of knowledge, experience and the application of learned skills in real-world situations.

As of May 2024, first-line supervisors of retail sales workers earned , with a median wage of $46,730, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It’s important to keep in mind that this role and its annual salary can vary, especially by city, state, years with a company or experience in general, among other factors.

Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of ���۴�ý. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. ���۴�ý does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.

What is a store manager's choice when it comes to getting a degree? ���۴�ý offers a variety of online business programs to consider:

• Online bachelor's business
• Online bachelor's in business management��
• Online bachelor's in business (operations management certificate)
• Online master's management��
• Online MBA program

Contact ���۴�ý for more information.