How to become a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers
Official title: First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
Also called: Bakery Manager, Delicatessen Manager, Department Manager, Department Supervisor, Grocery Manager, Key Carrier, Meat Department Manager, Parts Sales Manager, Shift Manager, Store Manager
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.
Main 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.
- 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.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Assign employees to specific duties.
- Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
- Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
How to become one
Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Manager, Retail Store.
- Apprenticeship: Retail Operations Specialist.
- Licence: A licence is required in 9 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $48,520 a year The middle half earn $38,590 to $62,130.
- About 1,419,800 people work in this job now, and about 1,367,400 are projected by 2035. (-3.7%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers?
Ways in include: Manager, Retail Store.
How much does a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $48,520 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $38,590 to $62,130.
Is a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 1,419,800 to about 1,367,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers?
Not always. 28% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Manager, Retail Store.
Will AI change the work of a First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.