First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers Onet SOC Code 41-1011.00 Career Description: Directly supervise sales workers in a retail establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties. Related Clusters:

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Career Summary:

• Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers, and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
• Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.
• Assign employees to specific duties.
• Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
• Inventory stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level.
• Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
• Enforce safety, health, and security rules.
• Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to assess the condition of each product or item.
• Hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.
• Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
• Establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for their department.
• Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
• Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
• Estimate consumer demand and determine the types and amounts of goods to be sold.
• Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
• Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards.
• Review inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments.
• Plan and coordinate advertising campaigns and sales promotions, and prepare merchandise displays and advertising copy.
• Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.
• Establish credit policies and operating procedures.
• Plan budgets and authorize payments and merchandise returns.

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

• Graduation from high school is preferred for entry into this occupation. High school students may prepare by taking courses in automobile mechanics, marketing education, mathematics, business education, and computer applications. Some oil/gasoline distributors offer special training programs for managers of company-owned stations. The training lasts approximately three weeks.

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

• Authority - Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Creativity - Workers on this job try out their own ideas.
• Recognition-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
• Variety - Workers on this job have something different to do every day.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Advancement - Workers on this job have opportunities for advancement.
• Recognition - Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Relationships-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Social Service - Workers on this job have work where they do things for other people.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website