Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Retail Sales Supervisors
Retail Sales Supervisors directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
Table of contents
What they do
Retail Sales Supervisors directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
- Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing services for customers.
- Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
- Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Retail Sales Supervisors provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints. They keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
A typical day for a Supervisor of Retail Sales Worker will also include:
- Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing services for customers.
- Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
- Enforce safety, health, and security rules.
- Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Retail Sales Supervisors also plan and coordinate advertising campaigns and sales promotions and prepare merchandise displays and advertising copy. They may also plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees’ work schedules and time cards.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Retail Sales Supervisors inventory stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level. They might also estimate consumer demand and determine the types and amounts of goods to be sold.
In addition, they hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for the department.
To some Retail Sales Supervisors, it is also their responsibility to plan budgets and authorize payments and merchandise returns.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
64% said they were satisfied with their job and 39% said they found their job meaningful.
My typical work day started off opening up the store, making sure all of the game displays were on, and tracking shipments. I would have to delegate what inventory was going where and assure we were getting delivery of newer games. After going over all of the physical assets I make sure that our pre-order and warranty sales are on their way to goal.
Throughout the day I made sure customers were happy. Every question from every mom had to be answered and their dollar pointed towards games their kids wanted and was appropriate. I had a lot of fun helping parents with rumors, Mario isn’t sold on Xbox, Xbox 360 games cannot be played on Playstation 3, and many other things that middle school rumor mills would stir up.
Midnight game releases were also fun because the store is always packed and it was like an event. Also was a great time to introduce people to game accessories and other products.
Pros
The pros were great. Working with video games is fun and there is rarely a dull conversation. You would work with people and every conversation was about fun video games or consoles. There were rarely times where my crew and I were bored.
Cons
The cons were definitely there. Say goodbye to downtime during holidays and increasingly high sales goals makes it hard to boost morale. We have had to make some tough calls with good people because they weren’t the best salesmen. I’m glad I worked there but it wasn’t something I could do forever.
Pros
Suitable for people who like to start and carry out projects.
Suitable for people who want independence and like to work on their own and make decisions.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Cons
Not suitable for people who like to solve problems mentally.
Salary is below average.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Retail Sales Supervisors with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $27,260 to $33,070 per year or $13 to $16 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $72,810 | $35 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $55,880 | $27 |
| Median | $41,580 | $20 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $33,070 | $16 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $27,260 | $13 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Retail Sales Supervisors based on their average annual salary.
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $92740 | $44.58 |
| Automobile Dealers | $76820 | $36.93 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | $70830 | $34.05 |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | $70580 | $33.93 |
| Truck Transportation | $70480 | $33.89 |
| Death Care Services | $68060 | $32.72 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | $67460 | $32.43 |
| Insurance Carriers | $66260 | $31.86 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | $63550 | $30.55 |
| Machinery Manufacturing | $63280 | $30.43 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Retail Sales Supervisors work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Retail Sales Supervisors including the average salary in that industry.
| Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Merchandise Stores | 229320 | $44370 | $21.33 |
| Food and Beverage Stores | 152710 | $47100 | $22.64 |
| Gasoline Stations | 89180 | $39600 | $19.04 |
| Building Material and Supplies Dealers | 74920 | $49740 | $23.91 |
| Clothing Stores | 71640 | $44330 | $21.31 |
| Health and Personal Care Stores | 47110 | $43220 | $20.78 |
| Automobile Dealers | 45920 | $76820 | $36.93 |
| Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores | 39370 | $47430 | $22.80 |
| Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores | 33640 | $45010 | $21.64 |
| Miscellaneous Store Retailers | 28890 | $41770 | $20.08 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
How often do you use email in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
How often do you have group discussions in this job?
Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Selling Skills and Sales Operations
Special Products Marketing Operations
Retailing and Retail Operations
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce
Retail Management
Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management
Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.
They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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