Sales Worker Supervisors

Career summary

#No alternate titles

Sales worker supervisors oversee the work of salespeople. They may oversee all salespeople in a store or just in one department. Supervisors hire and train salespeople.

They train salespeople to handle routine and complicated sales procedures, such as returns and exchanges. Once salespeople have experience, supervisors evaluate their work. They suggest ways salespeople can improve their sales skills.

Sales worker supervisors have administrative duties. They develop work schedules and assign workers to different duties. They record the number of hours employees work in stores without time clocks.

In small stores, supervisors keep track of the store's sales and expenses. Supervisors take inventory of the merchandise. They reorder items that are out of stock.

Supervisors occasionally write reports about their department's sales and purchases. They attend meetings and suggest ways for store officials to increase sales. They may also create return and exchange policies and set sales goals for their departments.

Sales worker supervisors talk to customers about products, services, and personnel. They resolve conflicts between customers and salespeople. They make sure that merchandise is properly displayed and priced according to advertisements.

Some sales worker supervisors work for wholesale companies. These supervisors oversee sales workers who sell products to businesses rather than directly to the public.

Related careers

This career is part of the Marketing cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

• Buyers and Purchasing Agents
• Marketing Managers
• Property and Real Estate Managers
• Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
• Purchasing Managers
• Retail Salespeople
• Route Salespeople
• Sales Managers
• Sales Representatives

Military careers

• Store Managers

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to sales worker supervisors.

• Direct and supervise salespeople.
• Hire and train retail salespeople. Evaluate their work on the job. May fire or promote employees.
• Determine the kind and quantity of goods to be sold. Set prices on merchandise.
• Assist sales clerks with complicated sales procedures, such as returns and exchanges.
• Approve payments and merchandise returns.
• Examine returned products and decide if they can be sold again.
• Plan and prepare work schedules. Assign employees to specific tasks.
• Keep records of the number of hours employees work.
• Listen to customers and resolve any problems with service, products, or personnel.
• Take inventory of merchandise for sale. Order items when stock is low.
• Make sure merchandise is properly priced and displayed.
• Pay attention to which items sell quickly.
• Keep records of store purchases and sales.
• Talk to store officials about ways to increase sales and promote business.
• Write sales and inventory reports for budget department.
• Make sure safety and security rules are enforced.
• Create and manage policies and goals for sales department.
• May on occasion sell merchandise, clean, and organize shelves and displays.

Common work activities

Sales worker supervisors perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

• Establish and maintain relationships
• Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others
• Communicate with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• Make decisions and solve problems
• Get information needed to do the job
• Communicate with people outside the organization
• Coordinate the work and activities of others
• Coach others
• Guide, direct, and motivate others
• Develop and build teams
• Teach others
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work
• Convince others to buy goods or change their minds or actions
• Use computers
• Identify objects, actions, and events
• Judge the value of objects, services, or people
• Monitor events, materials, and surroundings
• Explain the meaning of information to others
• Schedule work and activities
• Provide advice and consultation to others
• Perform for or work with the public
• Process information
• Develop goals and strategies
• Analyze data or information
• Update and use job-related knowledge
• Think creatively
• Recruit, interview, or hire others
• Perform administrative tasks
• Evaluate information against standards
• Estimate sizes, quantities, time, cost, or materials needed
• Document and record information

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, sales worker supervisors:

Interpersonal relationships

• Have a high level of job-related social interaction.
• Communicate on a daily basis by telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face discussions. They sometimes write letters and memos, but less frequently.
• Have a high level of responsibility for the outcome of salespeople's work.
• Have moderate responsibility for the health and safety of customers and salespeople. This usually applies when customers or salespeople operate or test drive vehicles and equipment.
• Sometimes are placed in conflict situations in which they may deal with unpleasant, angry, or impolite customers.
• Usually work as part of a team.

Physical work conditions

• Often work indoors. May work outdoors if employed at stores that sell garden or building supplies.
• May work physically near employees and customers, such as within a few feet.

Work performance

• Must perform the job completely and accurately. Errors could cause businesses to lose money.
• Repeat the same tasks.
• Regularly make decisions that strongly impact employers, customers, and their company's reputation. They usually act independently when deciding a course of action.
• Set nearly all of their daily tasks and goals without seeking input from others first.
• Work in a competitive and stressful atmosphere in which daily and weekly deadlines must be met.

Hours/travel

• Usually work 40 hours per week. Schedules are usually established and regular.
• May work evenings, weekends, and holidays. They sometimes work overtime.

Physical demands

Sales worker supervisors frequently:

• Sit for long periods of time.

It is important for sales worker supervisors to be able to:

• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• See details of objects that are less than a few feet away.

It is not as important, but still necessary, for sales worker supervisors to be able to:

• See details of objects that are more than a few feet away.
• Use fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects.
• See differences between colors, shades, and brightness.
• Hear sounds and recognize the difference between them.
• Focus on one source of sound and ignore others.

Skills and abilities

Sales worker supervisors need to:

Communicate

• Understand spoken information.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Listen to others and ask questions.
• Understand written information.
• Read and understand work-related materials.
• Write clearly so other people can understand.

Reason and problem solve

• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order.
• Think of new ideas about a topic.
• Recognize the nature of a problem.
• Develop rules that group items in various ways.
• Understand new information or materials by studying and working with them.
• Think of original, unusual, or creative ways to solve problems.
• Identify what must be changed to reach goals.
• Recognize when important changes happen or are likely to happen in a system.

Use math and science

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide quickly and correctly.
• Choose a mathematical method or formula to solve problems.

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

• Check how well one is learning or doing something.
• Motivate, develop, and direct people as they work.
• Manage the time of self and others.

Work with people

• Be aware of others' reactions and understand the possible causes.
• Change behavior in relation to others' actions.
• Look for ways to help people.
• Persuade others to approach things differently.
• Solve problems by bringing others together to discuss differences.
• Teach others how to do something.
• Use several methods to learn or teach new things.

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

• Buying and Merchandising
• Marketing
• Retail Management

Other programs of study to consider

• Business Management and Administration
• Electronic Commerce
• Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
• Family and Consumer Sciences, General

Training

To work as a sales worker supervisor, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent; and
• have several years of work experience in sales.

Education after high school

While not required, some sales worker supervisors have an associate or bachelor's degree. Recommended areas of study are business management and administration, accounting, or marketing.

Work experience

This is not an entry-level occupation. You generally work your way up to this profession. Many sales worker supervisors learn their skills through work experience in retail sales. They start out as sales clerks or customer service workers. In these occupations, you learn how to deal with customers. You also become familiar with products, merchandise, and the store.

On-the-job training

Sales worker supervisors periodically attend conferences, seminars, and conventions. At these events, you learn about new products and sales incentive programs. You may also meet with product representatives, other sales managers, and company executives to share ideas.

Many companies have formal management training programs that last from one to three years. In these programs you learn how to interview job applicants, deal with customers, and manage inventory. You also study in marketing, purchasing, and product display.

Military training

Some branches of the military train people to be sales managers. You need a bachelor's degree to enter this military occupation. Training lasts from five to ten weeks, depending on your specialty. Additional training occurs on the job.

Helpful high school courses

In high school, take classes that prepare you for college. A college preparatory curriculum may be different from your state's graduation requirements.

You should also consider taking some advanced courses in high school. This includes Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses if they are available in your school. If you do well in these courses, you may receive college credit for them. Advanced courses can also strengthen your college application.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

• Computer Applications
• Marketing
• Principles of Advertising
• Principles of Sales
• Retail Marketing

Many sales worker supervisors run their own businesses and are self-employed. If you want to run your own business some day, you should consider taking these courses as well:

• Accounting
• Entrepreneurship
• Introduction to Business

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Employers prefer applicants who have experience in retail sales. Some employers prefer applicants who have a bachelor's degree.

Employers look for applicants who have strong leadership and team-building skills. They also look for applicants who have strong communication skills.

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers 
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website .

Wages

Wages for sales worker supervisors vary by who they supervise. Wages also vary by the supervisor's level of responsibility, experience, and education. Supervisors may also receive bonuses for supervising efficient and high-selling employees.

Full-time sales worker supervisors usually receive benefits. Typical benefits include paid vacation, health insurance, and sick leave. Self-employed sales worker supervisors must provide their own insurance.

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

National employment

About 24% of sales worker supervisors are self-employed.

Major employers:

• Grocery stores
• Clothing and accessories stores
• Gas stations
• Department stores
• Building materials and supplies stores

National outlook

The demand for sales worker supervisors varies by industry. Slow growth is expected in retail sales. The Internet is creating new ways to reach customers, creating a need for Internet sales supervisors.

Demand is declining for sales worker supervisors in other industries. Part of this is due to automation.

Other resources

National Retail Federation 
1101 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005
800.673.4692
202.783.7971

Sales and Marketing Executives International, Inc. 
PO Box 1390
Sumas, WA 98295-1390
312.893.0751

SHOP! Association 
4651 Sheridan Street, Suite 470
Hollywood, FL 33021

US Small Business Administration 
Seattle District Office
2401 Fourth Avenue, Suite 450
Seattle, WA 98121
206.553.7310

References

Career cluster

• Marketing

Career path

• Enterprising (Business Communications)

O*Net  occupations

• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (41-1012.00) 
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (41-1011.00) 

O*Net job zones 

• Job Zone 2 - Some preparation needed. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed.

• Job Zone 4 - Considerable preparation needed. A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.

DOT occupations

• Artificial-breeding Distributor (180.167-010) 
• Commissary Manager (185.167-010) 
• Manager, Automobile Service Station (185.167-014) 
• Manager, Circulation (163.167-014) 
• Manager, Department (299.137-010) 
• Manager, Employment Agency (187.167-098) 
• Manager, Food Concession (185.167-022) 
• Manager, Insurance Office (186.167-034) 
• Manager, Machinery-or-equipment, Rental and Leasing (185.167-026) 
• Manager, Meat Sales and Storage (185.167-030) 
• Manager, Parts (185.167-038) 
• Manager, Retail Store (185.167-046) 
• Manager, Sales (187.167-138) 
• Manager, Textile Conversion (185.167-050) 
• Manager, Tobacco Warehouse (185.167-054) 
• Order Department Supervisor (169.167-038) 
• Sales Supervisor, Malt Liquors (299.137-014) 
• Subscription Crew Leader (291.157-010) 
• Supervisor, Advertising-material Distributors (230.137-010) 
• Supervisor, Blood-donor Recruiters (293.137-010) 
• Supervisor, Marina Sales and Service (299.137-026) 
• Vending-stand Supervisor (185.167-066) 
• Wholesaler I (185.167-070) 
• Wholesaler II (185.157-018) 

Strong Interest Inventory

• Retail Sales Manager

Holland occupational cluster

• Enterprising/Conventional/Social

COPSystem

• Business Skilled