7 Skills You Need In Order To Succeed Working In Retail

1. Performance Matters

How you perform at your job makes a difference. In many instances, part of the job description is upselling in the workplace. Depending on the retail environment, upselling may include talking consumers into opening a store credit card, or simply purchasing more products at checkout. This is a skill you will need to have in order to perform well in retail.

All retail jobs are different, however. Which is why you should aim to use your job interview time to ask what tasks are required of you in terms of performance and how the results are measured. Don’t feel shy about asking your interviewer what’s expected of you! Heading off into the future knowing what the expectations are can help you determine if this job role is indeed the right fit for your personality.

2. Customer Satisfaction Always Matters

Customer satisfaction is and should be a top priority when working in retail. As an employee, it is your job to ensure that every whim, need or concern is met in a timely manner. For technology-based retail environments, this role may morph into helping consumers understand complicated tasks and how to properly achieve the desired results. Of course, in traditional retail settings, you will usually need to handle returns or other concerns. Take a look at a day in the life of a store manager.

3. You Need To Know Everything About The Store

Working in retail requires you to have firsthand knowledge of the store environment. From knowing where comfortable shoes are to popular in-season clothing items, it’s up to you to help customers locate everything they need. It’s also worth keeping in mind that in most retail locations, stock layouts do change. This means you should keep your knowledge of the whereabouts of items up-to-date.

4. No Weekends Off

If you love your weekends, working in retail is probably not your calling! For most businesses, the busiest time of the week is the weekends. This not only means that there’s a good chance your schedule will remain full for Saturday and Sunday, but you may have trouble getting your weekend shifts covered for special milestone events in your personal life. Your social life does often dictate whether this type of work is suited to your lifestyle.

5. Organization Is Key

Organizing shelves and stocking new products in order is a key factor to consider in every retail job. Though you may work the cash register, a larger portion of your schedule will likely revolve around dealing with merchandise— on and off the floor. This means you need to remain realistic about the social aspect of the job. Chances are, you will spend a great deal of time by yourself stocking shelves and not socializing with customers.

6. Retail Requires Fit Individuals

Most people never consider just how physically demanding retail work truly is, but this is definitely the case! You will find yourself walking thousands of steps every day, oftentimes, in the same zones or locations. Most of your shift work requires you to move around the store or even spend a great deal of time standing rooted to one spot. Not only is retail work physically demanding, but it often requires heavy lifting as well. From moving weighty boxes to lugging furniture across the floor, you need to have a great deal of strength and stamina. Even if you’re not physically fit when applying for the job, chances are that you will shed those excess pounds!

7. You Need To Thrive In A Team

As someone working in retail, you need to become a team player and work well with others. In order to get tasks done quickly and efficiently, it’s crucial to work together with your colleagues. It’s not uncommon to develop bonds and friendships with the people that you’re required to work in close quarters with regularly. You may go as far as thinking that your coworkers are like your family unit— annoying sometimes but always there for you! Unfortunately, if you’re an introverted person or consider yourself somewhat of a loner, working in retail can negatively impact your mental health and well-being.

Knowing what kinds of demands need to be met in a retail setting will help you gauge whether it’s the right career choice for your personality. After all, not everyone is suited to work with consumers directly or even used to functioning with others as a team.