Jobs & Careers with Piers Linney - 209

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Sales advisors
Working in a shop as a sales assistant is a
great way to get started in retail, as it will give
you valuable skills and experience that you
can flag up on your CV.
Your responsibilities may include giving
in-depth advice to consumers about
products, taking cash and organising
stock. Your main role is to serve customers
and make sure they are happy, so good
communication skills are key. With many
stores and supermarkets open 12-hour days
(or more), shift work is common. As more
than half the people in this sector work
part-time, there is flexibility with working
hours, which means that students can earn
while studying, and parents may work to fit in
around school hours and holidays. Another
huge benefit is the staff discounts that some
stores offer their employees.
Wages tend to start around the minimum
wage mark and increase with experience;
you may also be offered commission and
bonuses based on sales figures.

Store managers

Words: Georgina Maric. Images: Getty Images, Shutterstock. *Source PeoplePerHour

The role here is to run a store as efficiently
and as profitably as possible. For this
position, you will need prior experience of
looking after a team of sales advisors in a
supervisory role. Managers are responsible
for inspiring their team to give the best
possible customer service, and ensure sales
targets are met, budgets are adhered to and
customers kept happy. Other aspects of this
role include training and development, data
analysis of sales, organising promotions
and interpreting trends.

services roles
often take place
in dedicated
call centres

Product design and development

This sub-sector is an important part of retail.
People in finance can be responsible for
store takings, processing online orders or
paying suppliers. They will also determine
budgets, look at cash flows and analyse profit
margins, and may also be involved in payroll,
ensuring that all staff are paid and taxed
correctly and on time.

The creative side of this sector, designers can
be involved in coming up with product ideas,
latest fashion collections, packaging or pointof-sale (POS) displays. You will need to
have an art-based degree such as graphic
design or fashion, and also have a decent
understanding of market trends and what
will make something sell.

Buying and merchandising

Customer

Finance

Customer services

The range of items on the shelves, from the
latest on-trend boots to organic mushrooms,
are all down to the choice of the buyers.
These are the people who research and
select which products will be placed in store,
and they do this by analysing customer
buying trends, and working out which
products are the most profitable and the
most in demand. Merchandisers decide, for
instance, how many of a certain product will
be sold in a certain store and for how long,
and they monitor profit margins by checking
stock levels. You can specialise in buying and
merchandising at a company as an intern,
trainee or on their graduate programme.
Or study courses from five-day intensives to
degree and post-graduate qualifications.

These are the people you contact if you want
to praise (or complain!) or ask questions
about a purchased product. They can be
based in stores, but are often in fast-paced
call-centre environments, where the onus is
on supporting customers and dealing with
problems efficiently, so the customer is left
with a positive impression of the company.

Marketing
This area is crucial to the success of retail.
Retail marketing managers are responsible
for multiple disciplines, including branding,
consumer psychology, merchandising,
buying, PR and strategic marketing. Some
organisations have graduate schemes, or
take a degree in retail management.

J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 2 0 9
Jobs & Careers with Piers Linney

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