First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

Overview

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers has a national median salary of $48,520 per year, with -3.7% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

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.

Work Values

• Independence
• Relationships
• Support

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
• Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
• Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
• Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
• Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.

Work Activities

• Training and Teaching Others
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Coaching and Developing Others
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Detailed Work Activities

• Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers:

Video Resources