Moving Up in Retail

Posted by in Retail


 

I saw someone I know working in retail the other day.  He had been working retail as the manager of a video shop when I first met him ten years ago.   The video store had closed down though.   

 

As a young man that job seemed fun to him back then.  Now, still in retail; however, he thought he was working a dead end job.  He complained that he didn’t have a girlfriend because girls ran when he told them where he worked.

 

Now let’s switch to a young lady I know.  She is an assistant manager in a convenience store.  This store promotes from within and has vision, hearing and dental on the employee insurance policy.  A co-worker of hers had to have back surgery and was given paid leave.  This young lady’s quite happy.

 

She had tried college and did not like it.  She determined to get a retail job with a future and excel.  Her goal is to be an area manager or higher one day.

 

My brother had a friend in high school who didn’t want to go to college.  High school was hard on him and even if it was easy, he hated school.  He got a job working the french fry station at McDonald’s.  In his mid-thirties about fifteen ago, he was the area manager of eight McDonald’s.

 

My point in these tales of three workers is that attitude is a big factor in a job.  Retail is not a dead end career.  It can be a very lucrative career; as a matter of fact.  This is because a good worker is like gold in retail and will often end up being treated like gold by a good boss.  Also, you can get into commission sales in retail where the sky is the limit. 

 

Now, unlike the workers who treat a job as a resting point for dreams that they never pursue, a good worker will show up all the time on time, work other shifts and do thankless tasks.   They realize that people don’t care that you have a sick girlfriend so you are going to the hospital; they care that you show up. 

 

Being good at the job with a good attitude gets you noticed.  But you also have to, as a way of advice, make sure your boss knows that you want to move to a higher level at the right time.  Some bosses though, sadly, like to not promote good workers.  What better thing for them than to have an employee who will work from week, clean hot fryers, and open, close and work the middle shift.  That boss sleeps at night.   You, on the other hand, will watch less qualified people being promoted because if an opening to move up arrives, the boss doesn’t want to lose his or her sturdy right hand, do- it- all person.  So what should you do if this happens to you?

 

This depends.  If you are in a one shop town like many college towns, you have more employees than jobs even for jobs that are at the bottom of the pile.  If you have a lot of places that hire in your area, you have more optios,; of course.

 

I advise you talk to your boss.  He or she is not a mean person in most cases.  Your boss may be so preoccupied by business that he or she doesn’t realize how you feel.  If this doesn’t work though, then you need to put in enough time so you have something for a resume.  You also need to save money so you can move from your one shop town to a new town that has more opportunity if your boss doesn’t respond.  Remember one thing too; a job is better than no job, so plan.  Also, my advice to you isn’t perfect because I can’t write for every conceivable situation.   Only you can plan for every conceivable situation.

 

If you don’t want to move to the opportunity, no advice will help, by the way.  My friend who worked as a video store manager ten years ago never took advice then or now because it was easier to complain.

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  • Jeffrey Ruzicka
    Jeffrey Ruzicka
    Why do I stress fast food?  Because it is a job that can be gotten and when you get it the skills let you move laterally and up.  And yes, I used fast food as a job stepping stone and was successful  I have other blogs and articles on this site dealing with job hunting.  Good Luck !
  • Jeffrey Ruzicka
    Jeffrey Ruzicka
    Thank you Candice.  Go for a fast food manager in a chain that is not going anywhere.  BurgerKings close, but not the whole chain.  Once you move up in fast food, keep moving laterally till you find a job you love.  Sheetz is a very good company.  this chain will promote you to President if you are qualified and has great benefits, eye, ear, dental, paid time off if you have surgery and competetive wages.
  • Candace L
    Candace L
    I needed this article. Thanks I finally moved up to SM only to have my store close. Feels like I'm going to have to start over again. I've been offered positions but always at the bottom. I have long ago passed these. I 'm not going to give up . :-)
  • Jeff Ruzicka
    Jeff Ruzicka
    I appreciate all the comments.  Too move up in retail, you cannot change companies unless you move up.  I know this is hard if you move, but if you move you are at the bottom again.  There is no rule that changes this.  I wish there was.  Time in the same location, at the same store and finding ways to get managers to notice you is what is necessary.  I have written about this in other blogs.I too had problems at a store that didn't like my attention to customers.  I got a job managing a Pizza Hut.  If you have experience in retail, it transfers to fast food management.  The problem here is that they now want to put people as shift supervisors first.  Still, it is easier on your back, though not on your legs.The courses you can take for advancement depend on the store where you work.  If you work with numbers, accounting might help.  A degree in management, even if it is time consuming pays off for this work because you have the experience.  You can take everything on-line with full accreditation from the University of Phoenix, though I would start at a community college for costs and transfer.  Community colleges offer on-line courses.It depends how far you want to commit to this.  The financing is easy, but you will have a student loan so that is a down side.  Still, I think loans for education are a good debt if you complete the task.
  • Danae L
    Danae L
    I am in retail and have been since 1999. I quit school to work full time- one of the worst mistakes of my life. It's just now to expensive to even take one class then it was 13 years ago. Anyways so retail. Have I advanced? I don't think so. I have knowledge wise and yes promotion is determined in if your managers noticed you and if you keep with the same job for over 4 years. After transferring to the San Francisco, CA Lowe's I found myself having to prove myself again, being paid less then the amount a newbie was being paid after having more then 5 years on me in experience. I quit, to move to a smaller chain only to get fired because my version of customer service was too involved for their tastes. So now I'm back on the bottom with a promise for a lead sales position but the store manager blames people for stuff they haven't done and is paranoid all the time. She tells everyone to work faster even when they are. With the pressure from the managers and the annoying, inconsideration of the customers makes working retail really stressful. I don't know if advancement is in my future in this part time, minimum wage, retail sales job. Plus I have to get another part time retail job and all this physical work on a 34 year old body is taking it's toll.   
  • Kushwant S
    Kushwant S
    It is not always easy to break the glass ceiling. I would really appreciate if you could also shed light on the steps to take to go further. I am stuck in store management and am looking for courses to upgrade myself and go to either operations management or area manager. It seems harder in recession for new opportunities
  • Sharon F
    Sharon F
    I believe that this article has significant truth.  Whether one is looking for a job or already has a job ,he or she must put all of their effort in a good attitude and do their best into the position they have or to a potential employer.  With the economy and the unemployment rates, people are having to start over again making less money than previous careers.

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