What Does it Take to Be a Retail Sales Supervisor?
Job Description & Duties 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.
List of Retail Sales Supervisor Job Duties
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees’ work schedules and time cards.
- Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
- Establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for the department.
- Establish credit policies and operating procedures.
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What a Retail Sales Supervisor Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Retail Sales Supervisors say are important on the job.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Types of Retail Sales Supervisor
- Delicatessen Department Manager
- Retail Store Manager
- Department Sales Manager
- Showroom Manager
- Marina Sales and Service Supervisor
Retail Sales Supervisor Job Outlook
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 1,532,400 jobs in the United States for Retail Sales Supervisor. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 3.8% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 57,700 new jobs for Retail Sales Supervisor by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 168,500 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Retail Sales Supervisor are Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Vermont, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Retail Sales Supervisor Make?
The typical yearly salary for Retail Sales Supervisors is somewhere between $25,720 and $69,290.

Retail Sales Supervisors who work in Rhode Island, Connecticut, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
How much do Retail Sales Supervisors make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $42,080 |
Alaska | $45,750 |
Arizona | $41,680 |
Arkansas | $38,980 |
California | $45,310 |
Colorado | $50,850 |
Connecticut | $52,610 |
Delaware | $47,560 |
District of Columbia | $51,800 |
Florida | $46,090 |
Georgia | $43,760 |
Hawaii | $45,370 |
Idaho | $43,690 |
Illinois | $42,880 |
Indiana | $40,280 |
Iowa | $40,090 |
Kansas | $40,420 |
Kentucky | $38,060 |
Louisiana | $39,170 |
Maine | $44,700 |
Maryland | $46,240 |
Massachusetts | $47,710 |
Michigan | $45,300 |
Minnesota | $44,590 |
Mississippi | $37,710 |
Missouri | $43,400 |
Montana | $43,260 |
Nebraska | $40,260 |
Nevada | $43,930 |
New Hampshire | $48,950 |
New Jersey | $52,570 |
New Mexico | $40,110 |
New York | $50,640 |
North Carolina | $45,990 |
North Dakota | $44,620 |
Ohio | $43,080 |
Oklahoma | $42,510 |
Oregon | $44,240 |
Pennsylvania | $46,680 |
Rhode Island | $56,540 |
South Carolina | $40,790 |
South Dakota | $46,950 |
Tennessee | $43,520 |
Texas | $45,570 |
Utah | $38,940 |
Vermont | $51,310 |
Virginia | $47,330 |
Washington | $52,240 |
West Virginia | $35,120 |
Wisconsin | $43,120 |
Wyoming | $41,580 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Retail Sales Supervisors
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Retail Sales Supervisors:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- SAP
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- SAS
- Microsoft Dynamics
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Publisher
- Google Docs
How do I Become a Retail Sales Supervisor?
Individuals working as a Retail Sales Supervisor have obtained the following education levels:

What work experience do I need to become a Retail Sales Supervisor?

Where do Retail Sales Supervisors Work?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Related Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Retail Sales Supervisor might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Nick Nijhuis via Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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