The best way to understand any job is to see what fills the hours. For retail managers, no two days look identical, but certain responsibilities form the backbone of the role.
Staff Management and Leadership
People management takes up the lion’s share of a retail manager’s time. You’re responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and developing your team. That includes everything from conducting interviews to creating work schedules that balance business needs with employee preferences.
But it goes deeper. You’re the coach who turns a group of individuals into a high-performing team. That means providing ongoing feedback, conducting performance reviews, and having tough conversations when performance slips. You’ll also handle conflict resolution between team members and make difficult decisions about promotions or terminations.