Career Opportunities for Retail Managers in States

by Sandy Dsouza Freelance Author

A career in retail industry is exhilarating. The industry is fast growing since it caters to daily needs of people. It is the best field in which you can grow both career-wise and on a personal front. You are a suitable candidate for this path if you are happy to serve your customers and can create a great experience for them. This field provides you with diverse career opportunities.

Working in the retail industry gives you a chance to communicate with people from different backgrounds. This offers opportunities to learn new thing on the job every day. By conversing with people, you can learn about their taste, habits, lifestyle, and analyze their purchasing power.

A career in retail management is right for you if you are good in communication, love to work with people, and are proficient in handling multiple tasks. There is a wide scope in this field if you are willing to take efforts. The best part of this field is that you can start from an entry-level position and move way up with experience despite not holding a higher education. In case, you want to enter this field with a degree, then there are several entry-level positions in the management category. However, you must have the abilities to take decision and leadership skills. Further, you need to develop your resume writing skills for drafting a store manager resume. Here are some career opportunities you can avail with a bachelor's degree in retail management.

Assistant Buyer:

If you are good at handling and convincing people, then this job is for you. The job of an assistant buyer is to work with suppliers and vendors and handle commercial relationships. He or she analyzes the daily, weekly, and monthly requirements for the store and does the purchasing accordingly. The jobholder works independently and takes most of the decisions on his or her own. Education required for this job position is a bachelor's degree in sales and marketing, or related field. In addition, good communication, analytical, and presentation skills are the key qualities employers look for. If you take this job, you can earn $44,194 - $56,530 per year.

Retail Director:

A retail director manages and directs the daily operations of the retail store. By holding this job designation, you will be in command of the entire store. You will be responsible for everything the store is dealing in. However, your main outlook will be to ascertain the store runs in profit. For this, you will have to design policies and procedures, draft budget, coordinate with the team, decide on fair pricing policies, and come up with new ideas for promoting and marketing the business. Since this is a higher management position, you will need at least 10 years of retail experience. Of course, this job position is for those who have a master's degree in business, finance, or accounting. Annual salary for retail directors is around $48,212 to $65,890.

District Manager:

As evident from the job title, people holding it are responsible for business operations of the entire branches that function in a district or under an assigned territory. The jobholders have to ensure that all the retail stores are operating smoothly and meeting their sales target. This position is also responsible for hiring store managers. You can apply for this job if you hold strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, time management, and leadership skills. Salary can vary by companies to companies. However, a retail district manager is paid in the range of $45000 to $80000 annually.

Retail Merchandiser Planner:

If you are good at critical thinking, managing inventory, planning sales strategies, and capitalizing on consumers' habit and purchasing power, then a retail merchandiser planner job is perfect for you. You will be responsible for planning and controlling a wide range of products the store deals in. Your job will also be to devise contracts for the suppliers, implement quality control, and allocate budget to internal departments. Sharp analytical skills, leadership, and organizational skills are compulsory for this job. A retail merchandiser planner can earn up to $251,000 to $79000 per year. This figure may vary depending on the retail company.

A good thing about the retail industry is that it is immune to recession as it deals in products necessary for daily consumption. So if you have decided to join it, you are doing a favor to yourself. As said earlier, you can start with a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree at entry-level retail management position.