What Do Retail Sales Supervisor Do?
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.
A Day in the Life of a Retail Sales Supervisor
- Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees’ work schedules and time cards.
- Hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.
- Establish credit policies and operating procedures.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Plan budgets and authorize payments and merchandise returns.
- Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.
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What a Retail Sales Supervisor Should Know
When polled, Retail Sales Supervisors say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
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.
Related Job Titles
- Department Manager
- Bakery Manager
- Retail Supervisor
- Marina Sales and Service Supervisor
- Lumber Sales Supervisor
Is There Going to be Demand for Retail Sales Supervisors?
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. The BLS estimates 168,500 yearly job openings in this field.

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.
Retail Sales Supervisor Average Salary
Retail Sales Supervisors make between $25,720 and $69,290 a year.

Retail Sales Supervisors who work in Rhode Island, Connecticut, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Retail Sales Supervisors in different U.S. states.
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 |
What Tools do Retail Sales Supervisors Use?
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?
What kind of Retail Sales Supervisor requirements are there?

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

Where do Retail Sales Supervisors Work?

The table below shows the approximate number of Retail Sales Supervisors employed by various industries.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
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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