A Career in Retail

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A Career in Retail

January 7, 2013

My friend Johnson works in retail management.

He said, “I started as a salesperson, then became assistant manager, store manager, and now retail manager at the head‑office level. I worked my way up, and at each level, I demonstrated leadership and initiative, which caught the attention of company executives.”

Many of us, including myself, tend to look at retail as more of a stepping stone to an “actual career,” or as something that pays the bills while finishing up post-secondary education, but that’s not necessarily the case.

Johnson added: “I think people stereotype it as a low-level industry for high school kids or people who don't have the skills for a "real" job. But I strongly contest that!”

In fact, careers in retail management offer a wide array of perks and benefits that blow many other occupations right out of the water:

Constantly working with people, which is great if you’re a people person.
Flexibility in your schedule to make way for additional education, family life, or hobbies and volunteer work.
Job prospects in practically any city, town or village you decide to call home.
Constant motion, which is great if you’re the kind of person who can’t sit in one place for a long time.
Opportunities to advance up the corporate ladder, moving beyond retail sales to higher level administration and national leadership!

Johnson said he loves the changing dynamics of the industry, as well. He’s able to influence decisions made at the executive level!

He said: “Being part of the executive team that can influence the look and feel and operations of the company is a challenging but rewarding experience. It's draining at times, but I feel proud when my vision becomes reality, and even better when others see and appreciate the changes!”

You can also learn many important transferable skills, such as sales, accounting, marketing, purchasing, human resources and more.

Have I convinced you yet? Well, if I have, there are a few skills you should consider brushing up on if you intend to take retail management more seriously as a career. You should have amazing people skills, be able to put the customer first, have great leadership and conflict management skills, and have the ability to maximize sales revenue for a store.

Have you ever worked in retail and would you consider it as a career? Share your story in the comments section.

Rob

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