Retail Management Answers & Insights

Having spent my career in retail as a store manager, district manager, division manager, and finally as a retail consultant the following book came to be. It was not something I had planned on writing. However, I have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of common sense management practices that thirty years ago seemed to be commonplace. I had to ask myself is my perception a result of growing older? I don't think so Some people think that retail would be a great job if only it did not require dealing with customers. Unfortunately, those who believe this, have no business being in retail. Everything about retail focuses on and around customer service. Having trained many managers throughout the years with the fundamentals laid out in the following pages. I have used my experience and knowledge to mentor those who showed promise, a desire to learn, and were eager to improve upon their management skills. I have researched and written a great deal of training material which has been a useful resource in many teaching applications. The many advances in technology over the past thirty years have improved on numerous methods of operation. However, with the focus on the assimilation of new technology the basics have been pushed to the back of the training curriculum. This has left a critical gap in the education of new managers coming out of school or up through the ranks. The purpose of this book is to put management information in an easy to understand, straight forward manner so that the reader can easily reference the essentials of a manager's job. Many of the books written on management principles and practices rarely relate directly with managers working at store level. The retail industry is filled with hard working people with varying levels of education who are relying on training programs to help them advance in their careers. Hopefully this book will answer some of your questions, or give you an understanding of the basics. If unknown, it could be holding your career back. Retail is not ranked favorably as a career path. Many of us find ourselves working in retail for a number of different reasons. Retail continues to evolve; grocery stores today come in a wide variety of formats as do every other type of retail store. Drive around where you live or work and count the number of retail stores in the neighborhood. Every store has a store manager and in most cases multiple management positions to fill. If you're working in retail, or know someone who works in retail, there is something in this book which can help advance a career. This book provides an outline which can guide you in your search for further answers while challenging you to question how effective your management skills really are. Most companies have policies and procedures which cover in more specific detail what is written here. To give a detailed explanation in each instance would make this book unlikely to be read cover to cover. The content is to motivate you to answer your own questions and do further research and analysis into your current methods of management. Confidence is a major component in career advancement. Someone less qualified can easily outshine more capable employees in the promotion process when they project more confidence in their abilities. This does not mean that their short comings will not catch up with them, what it does mean is that you were passed over for promotion. Ready, willing, and able is an old saying from the early 20th century. Presently it is a term used in real estate which means by current definition, "capable of an action and disposed to act." However, my definition is, ready to fight, willing to negotiate, and able to compromise. This is a process which has served me well over the years. When right one needs to step up and question the status quo.