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Retail Industry

The retail industry was among one of the largest employing industries in 2004, with accessory, garment, and general merchandise retailers employing approximately 4.2 million individuals.  Jobs in retail offer these professionals a variety of settings or venues to work in.  Candidates can find retail job openings in general merchandise, discount, warehouse club stores, or super centers.  Warehouse club stores and super centers offer a rather eclectic array of products which they receive in fixed quantities at low prices.  While they have a large selection of goods, they may require customers to purchase memberships in order to take advantage of their reduced rates.  Department stores offer no specialization of products, offering basic goods that are generally arranged by departments.  Grocery store jobs are the most common example of department store employment.  The broadest type of retail job can be found in clothing and accessory stores.  Each store offers a narrow variety of goods, generally focusing on a single type of merchandise. 

Retail store jobs offer positions for candidates with no experience, just entering the workforce to experienced professionals seeking advancement.  Candidates looking for first time employment will generally begin in cashier jobs, as a stock clerk, or in sales.  Stock clerks and order fillers have similar responsibilities that commonly include displaying goods for sale on the sales floor and marking sales codes or prices onto merchandise.  Cashiers and sales employees have similar responsibilities that include assisting customers in locating products, taking payment for goods, and making exchanges or returns. 

Customer service jobs are associated with sales, cashier, or management positions, and are accountable for ensuring customer satisfaction.  If customers have complaints or problems regarding service, merchandise, billing, or credit ratings, they work to efficiently and fairly resolve issues while following company policies. 

Managers, buyers, and store managers often handle more administrative, analytical, and supervisory duties.  Managers commonly oversee a specific department or area, ensure excellent employee performance, create schedules, and maintain their areas adequately.  Buyers, on the other hand, will analyze department sales history, make predictions for employee demands, and purchase merchandise as necessary.  Store and general managers are liable for activities that occur within the retail facility.  They ensure company performance is professional and constantly increasing and guarantee excellent shopping experiences for their customers. 

Retail careers offer many part time or flexible shifts to candidates.  Peak times in which extra retail staff is necessary generally include specialty seasons, holidays, weekends, and evenings.  These careers appeal to a number of students, adults, and elderly, because they offer a supplemental income with shifts that are generally able to accommodate other obligations.  Shifts commonly do not exceed an employee’s set hours, unless peak seasons require otherwise.  

While no formal education is necessary for retail occupations, candidates with an associates or bachelors degree often experience more opportunities when conducting a retail job search.  High school education is often all that is required for entry level careers, but chances for advancement increase considerably with additional educational achievements.  The majority of retail sales knowledge is gained on the job, but a number of large establishments offer formal training programs or refresher courses periodically to ensure proper employee knowledge.  For interested candidates, retail certification is available, and often increases employer desirability.  Candidates with the highest knowledge of retail and work experience will have the best prospects in all retail sales jobs. 

Although experts are projecting a growth slower than average industries for retail occupations, openings for these positions will remain favorable due to the high turnover rate associated with these careers.  Garment and accessory stores are expecting a small decline in growth, but other venues are expected to continue growing.  Economic changes and internet sites will continually affect the growth and sales associated with retail establishments.  The public makes less extravagant or impulsive purchase when the economy is down, leading to less need for these professionals.  Internet retail sites have slightly affected retail establishments, but because associates are necessary for assisting and correcting any errors, there will be little impact on overall jobs and growth.  In general, retail jobs will continue to offer a number of positions to a variety of professionals. 

For more information on careers in the retail industry, please visit the following sites:

• The National Retail Federation
• The Strategic Edge
• First Research
• Plunkett Research Ltd.
• Clickz Network

If you are searching for a career in the retail industry, or have available positions, visit iHireRetail.  We are a niche job board focusing only in retail jobs.