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First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
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.
Other titles employers use
Bakery Manager · Delicatessen Manager · Department Manager · Department Supervisor · Grocery Manager · Key Carrier · Meat Department Manager · Parts Sales Manager
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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 in performing services for customers.
- Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
- Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Assign employees to specific duties.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading, organizing and helping work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Education and Training
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Speech Clarity
- Speech Recognition
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.6 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.9 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 5.0 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.5 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 66%
- A two-year degree 19%
- A certificate or some college 15%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Document management software
- Word processing software
- Project management software
- Time accounting software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 148,760
- Job openings each year
- 15,140
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 8.1%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 148,760 | 15,140 | 8.1% |
| California | 128,400 | 12,440 | −2.1% |
| Florida | 94,060 | 9,380 | 3.5% |
| New York | 77,680 | 0 | −5.0% |
| North Carolina | 51,540 | 5,080 | 1.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 48,870 | 4,670 | −4.6% |
| Georgia | 48,240 | 4,820 | 4.1% |
| Ohio | 44,950 | 4,240 | −6.6% |
| Virginia | 41,590 | 3,970 | −4.7% |
| Illinois | 39,220 | 3,740 | −4.7% |
| Washington | 38,710 | 4,240 | 8.1% |
| New Jersey | 34,270 | 3,270 | −4.6% |
| Tennessee | 34,100 | 3,320 | −1.4% |
| Michigan | 33,410 | 3,100 | −9.3% |
| Colorado | 32,320 | 3,190 | 1.2% |
| South Carolina | 27,730 | 2,820 | 7.6% |
| Puerto Rico | 26,540 | 2,710 | 8.6% |
| Arizona | 25,720 | 2,580 | 4.6% |
| Alabama | 25,220 | 2,490 | 1.5% |
| Minnesota | 24,810 | 2,350 | −5.8% |
| Maryland | 24,710 | 2,400 | −1.7% |
| Indiana | 24,030 | 2,260 | −7.0% |
| Wisconsin | 24,010 | 2,370 | 1.3% |
| Louisiana | 23,180 | 2,220 | −4.2% |
| Missouri | 21,310 | 2,040 | −4.2% |
| Oregon | 21,020 | 2,060 | — |
| Kentucky | 19,810 | 1,920 | −2.4% |
| Oklahoma | 19,070 | 1,860 | — |
| Connecticut | 17,070 | 1,640 | −3.3% |
| Mississippi | 16,380 | 1,560 | −4.8% |
| Nevada | 15,180 | 1,550 | 8.3% |
| Iowa | 14,290 | 1,400 | — |
| Idaho | 13,910 | 1,400 | 6.0% |
| Arkansas | 13,670 | 1,340 | — |
| Kansas | 11,480 | 1,100 | −4.7% |
| New Mexico | 10,160 | 1,010 | 3.8% |
| Massachusetts | 9,740 | 940 | −2.4% |
| Utah | 8,700 | 890 | 9.8% |
| West Virginia | 8,690 | 830 | −4.0% |
| Nebraska | 8,640 | 840 | — |
| Maine | 8,520 | 800 | −7.4% |
| New Hampshire | 7,670 | 740 | −3.9% |
| Montana | 6,370 | 640 | 4.3% |
| Rhode Island | 5,680 | 570 | 6.2% |
| South Dakota | 4,710 | 480 | 7.8% |
| Delaware | 4,570 | 450 | — |
| Wyoming | 3,830 | 380 | 4.1% |
| Vermont | 3,570 | 340 | −3.0% |
| North Dakota | 3,060 | 300 | — |
| Alaska | 2,760 | 270 | 2.2% |
| District of Columbia | 1,680 | 170 | — |
| Guam | 690 | 80 | 19.0% |
| Virgin Islands | 280 | 30 | 12.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 5,610
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 2,506
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
California State University-Fullerton
- Degrees each year
- 2,134
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
San Diego State University
- Degrees each year
- 2,008
- Admit rate
- 34%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
San Jose State University
- Degrees each year
- 1,657
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
- Degrees each year
- 1,523
- Admit rate
- 74%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 1,519
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
University of Maryland Global Campus
- Degrees each year
- 1,436
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Compare every college offering general sales, merchandising and related marketing operations