1.1 What We Mean by Retail Management?
Retail management specifically
deals with working in a store of some kind and for it to qualify it means that
the store has products and items to purchase. However, we should stress that it
does not matter what the products are because the main point to be made is that
they are there on the shelves and displays whereby members of the public can
enter, browse at their own pace, and then go ahead and make that purchase.What
we are talking about here are stores ranging from supermarkets, to shoe shops,
clothes, DIY, home décor, baby items, arts & crafts; the list is endless
but they all have one thing in common and that thing is the way in which the
products are there on display and ready to buy.
So, what is your role as the
manager?
Well, basically retail management
is where you are responsible for the day to day running of the store and making
sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. For this, it means you have
to deal with staff, complaints from the public, making sure that the shelves
are stocked and that the deliveries to replenish stock are running smoothly.
Furthermore, you have to also deal with making sure that money is handled
correctly, that the store is safe and secure at night, that it is clean; the
list really is endless which is why it is important that you have a good
understanding of exactly what to do before you get involved in retail
management.
It is important to remember where you are within
the actual set up of the entire company when you are the manager of a retail
store.
Yes, you are the top individual for that store at this moment in time, but at the same time you are also going to be subservient to those
above you in the chain of command. This means that there are pressures from both sides that you must be
capable of dealing with or else it is all too easy for you to feel overwhelmed and that is hardly a good
position for any manager to be in.
responsible for orders from head office to be
implemented whether that be changing prices, arranging the store,
putting different products on display
that are on special offer, advertising products within the store, and also
coping with the implementation of the
ways in which head office wants the store to be run.
leeway of your own, but that is something that tends to come when those above you begin to get more confidence in your ability
to drive the store
forward and reach all of those targets.
that being a manager in a retail environment is going to require you to have a number of different skills as
there are various things that you are going
to have to contend with at various times. However, we will mention some of
those later on in this module and
then pay even more attention to them further on in the course itself.
Being involved in retail management is actually a rather exciting and
interesting industry for most people.
No two days are ever the same thanks to the range
of customers you have to deal with, the problems that can arise
at various times,
and even just the way in which
your members of staff will come to you with their own issues that can
have a major implication on the way in which they are able to operate.
Retail management is a career where you can really
get your hands dirty and yet it can also be rewarding
due to the way it can develop and evolve to such an extent that it is easy for
you to change your place of work on a regular basis and interact with different people at various times.
However, you do need to be absolutely certain that
this is the industry for you as the last thing that you want is to work your way through the lower rungs to then
feel that you have had a change of heart.
Getting into retail management is not something
that happens just over night. It takes time and dedication for you to learn the different aspects of the job and
to feel confident enough to take charge of your own store and get it performing to the absolute
best of your ability.
However, throughout this course you will not only
learn more about the job itself, but also learn more about whether or not this really is the role for you.
1.2 How to Get Involved in the Industry
Next, we need to look at how you get involved in
the industry because there are so many potential doors that are open to you
that this is going to be a lot easier than you may have initially thought.
You see, being in retail
management does not have to mean that you can only work as the boss of a major
supermarket or department store as that only accounts for a small percentage of
the jobs that are out there. In addition, the individuals that do find
themselves in those kinds of positions have spent countless years, or even well
over a decade or two, working to get to that position. They have worked their
way up the career ladder, but that is something that we will cover in the next
part of this module.
However, as of right now we are looking at the ways
in which you can get involved in the industry
because if you feel that this could be something that is above you, then
we are here to tell you that this is not the
case.
The first thing to know is that
you do not require a business degree or anything else of that sort to get
started. Yes, some may argue that it can help you to get there quicker, but as
long as you have various other strengths, which we will discuss later, then
that does not have to be the case.
Instead, having that basic
experience within a retail setting can make life so much easier for you as it
provides you with the grounding you need in order to get anywhere in this
industry. Indeed, it could be argued that getting this experience will help you
determine if this is an area that you do want to work within the industry.
You will often discover that a number of large scale retail companies
will then provide those employees that have an interest in moving into
management with the opportunity to do so.
Indeed, there are several that have their own
management programmes and this may very well be a wonderful way to have those doors opened for you, although it
does restrict your ability to further your career by working with only one
company for a period of time.
Now, if you do have the opportunity to go on a
management programme, then you also have to remember
that you will be taught how to manage within that one industry or environment.
This may very well give you a general grounding in management, but it does
limit your ability to go elsewhere in your career
simply because you are only generally aware of how to operate within say a
supermarket environment.
However, perhaps one of the most important points
to mention when it comes to getting into this particular type of job is a
willingness to start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder by
continually wanting to improve and further yourself. Do not fool yourself into
thinking that you can shoot to the top of retail management
in a short period of time because that is not the case. It takes
a lot of hard work to make the progress that you are hoping for.
Getting your foot in the door when it comes to
retail management is easy as there are various
opportunities constantly presenting themselves to you. However, it is up
to you to be willing to grab one of
those opportunities and to stick with your career plan to make something of yourself.
FACT
The retail Industry is the largest private sector
employer in the UK, employing over 11% of the entire workforce.
Source: southwales.ac.uk
1.3 How Your Career can Progress
in Retail Management
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We mentioned earlier
the fact that your career
can develop until you reach the
point that you are managing vast stores, but that does take time and clearly
you need to really understand the role of the manager before you get to that
level.
Generally speaking, the way in which your career is
able to progress within this environment is very easy to understand. First,
it will make life easier
for you if you have had some kind of retail
experience on the shop floor. This gives you some significant insight into the
way in which customers and shop assistants interact with one another and you
also get a better understanding of the issues that both
sides face.
However, things get a bit different
when you decide to venture into the management side of things.
Now, with this you have several options available
to you and it is important that you are honest with yourself as to how long it
could take to work your way up to senior positions.In most instances, it is best for individuals to
move from a shop assistant position into a supervisory role as this provides
you with more responsibility and at the same time you will get a better
understanding about the actual running of a store, without too much pressure
being applied to your shoulders.
department where the actual
manager provides you with additional roles and additional responsibilities, but
once again, without too much resting
on your shoulders.
into the management side of things and with this you are looking at either an
assistant manager or being involved in the running of a department, depending on the retail environment that
you are working in.
In order to demonstrate how this can work, we can perhaps use the example of a department store.
various areas within the one retail environment and there will tend to be individuals that are in sole charge
of a certain department.
For example
If there is a menswear department, then the person
in charge of it will have worked their way up
from being a supervisor or senior salesperson within that department.
Then, they move up the career ladder
by becoming the manager for that department, but they will still be under the command of the overall assistant or deputy
manager for the entire department store as well as the overall manager.
Basically, at this point an individual is in the
realm of what is known as middle management,
although clearly there are still a number of rungs on the ladder that can be climbed at this point.
What we are saying is that moving into retail
management allows you to build your career in a step by step manner and learn new skills and improve old ones as you
go. It allows you to move around within the one retail setup or, alternatively,
you can move between industries and around the
country if you wish to do so.
The Basic Skills Needed to Succeed in Retail Management
The final part of this first module is to look at
the basic skills we believe you need in order to ultimately succeed in retail
management.
Now, we are not saying that you must be an expert
in everything as that is certainly not the case. Instead,
you have to accept that the skills you need to succeed in this environment can
be worked on over time, just as long
as you are willing to do this.
Perhaps the first skill you will require is the
ability to work under pressure because that is one thing you will need to deal with on a daily basis. Furthermore, you
will be required to be quite flexible and be able to think on your feet, as there is no way of knowing what will happen on a day to day basis
and you must be capable
of reacting in the correct
way in an instant.
You must also be good at dealing with people and by
this we mean members of staff as well as the
public. With staff, as the manager you are going to have to contend with
all kinds of issues and complaints, whilst others will be effectively looking for praise because of what they have been doing.
However, even though your relationship with staff
is important, you will have to work even harder when it comes to dealing with the public.
You see, whenever
there is a complaint, then often they are
going to ask for the manager, which is you. Now, if you are the type of person that is not patient and is unable to listen to what other
people are saying,
especially when they are being
critical of you, then being a
manager is perhaps not for you.
Furthermore, in retail management you also need to have a head for figures. There is a need for you to be able to track sales, make
decisions on how best to merchandise the store to boost sales, deal with the finances, and so many other things,
so you really need to have a clear head and be able to handle the pressure.
The main
characteristics that you need to be successful in retail management can perhaps
best be summarised as follows:
1. Patience - This is required as dealing with
customers can get frustrating at times, especially if they do not understand your point of view or what your
limitations are.
2. Ingenuity - This is required because the problems
and issues that you must contend with can be varied so you need to be able to
think on your feet and use your brain to overcome the problems.
3. A people person - This is obvious simply because
you need to contend with people on a daily basis in this environment and failing to be a people person will just make life so much harder.
4. Determination - There has to be a real
determination about you to continue to want to improve your skills to rise
higher up the retail management industry.
5. A figures person - Once again this is something
that is necessary simply because you have to
deal with targets on a constant basis. Pressure will be put on your shoulders
from above regarding figures and you must have the answers at all times.
store it often requires you to be creative when it comes to placements of products and even how to attract people
into the retail store and to get them
to spend money. The most creative managers are often those individuals who end
up performing the best.
Some people would argue that there were a number of
other characteristics or personality traits that help to determine a good retail
manager, but as long as you have those basic
traits as listed
above then you should find that your career will progress quite nicely.
However, that applies only if you are willing to accept that you must continue to develop as a human being and to better yourself in order
to continue to get anywhere within this particular industry.
In other words, being involved in retail management
means you have to pretty much be a jack of all
trades, from being able to deal with the customers to handling staff issues
and also making sure that your store meets the targets that have been set from above. However,
there is no doubt that it can be a rewarding career and there is
plenty of scope for you to move up the career ladder to bigger stores and retail environments, increasing
your salary as you go.
As far as working for a lifetime in the one
industry, there are very few places that are going to be better than the retail setting. Throughout this
course you will learn more about what is involved, starting with more information on the sales process.
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