Ci Supermarket

If you like working with people, solving problems, working with food and being creative, supermarket management may very well be the career for you. A college degree is not required. Most managers worked their way up from an entry-level position and gained experience along the way.

Groceries and household products carried in supermarkets will always be in demand. Everyone has to eat to survive.

Because humans will always need food, the supermarket business is dynamic. Whether the store is made of bricks and mortar or whether it can only be seen on the Internet, someone manages the employees, oversees the distribution of goods, and assists the customers. A supermarket manager makes sure the store operates smoothly and that it makes a profit.

Supermarkets can be one-person owned operations, part of a chain, warehouse-type stores or online grocery stores. These stores may be fairly small or they may have numerous departments and as many as 200 employees.

Examples of departments in a supermarket might include: a bakery, a deli, dairy products, produce, meat, fish, gourmet foods, frozen foods and health and beauty merchandise. Larger stores may have video rental departments, garden centers, photo processing and books and magazines. These departments all have managers, called category managers.

Category managers exist in the online grocery stores, as well. The introduction of the Internet into our lives has changed the way many people do business. To save time and hassle, some customers turn on their computers and order groceries at an online store. They don't have to get dressed, drive to the corner market and try to find the items on their shopping lists. They don't have to wait in a checkout line, pack the groceries out to their car and then unload the car at home. The online grocery stores deliver to the consumers' homes.

A supermarket manager listens to the consumers that patronize the store. Listening to customer complaints and comments and acting on them can make the difference between a profitable store and one that doesn't show a profit. Without customers a supermarket wouldn't be able to sell any of its goods. Managers must like people and value their opinions.

Not all management positions have the same responsibilities. Some may focus on goods and distribution, others direct operations, and still others concentrate on customers.

Here is a list of some of the possible management careers:
District or Regional Manager
Director of Store Operations
Store Manager
Customer Service Manager
Front End Manager
Category or Department Manager
Assistant Manager
Service Desk Manager
Receiving Manager

This report will show you what it's like to be a supermarket manager. You'll find out what the duties and responsibilities are, the working conditions, how much you can earn, what education and training you will need, and what skills are required. Opportunities and advice about how to get started will be offered in these pages, plus you will find out how several managers got into the business and how they feel about their work.

Exploring This Career

No doubt you've been to a supermarket; maybe even done some of the grocery shopping for your family. Perhaps you've taken a Home Economics or Family Living class that required you to grocery shop. Next time you enter a store, observe different managers working. Their name tags indicate whether or not they are managers. What tasks are they performing? How are they dealing with customers? If you ask, a store manager may even let you tag along during a typical day.

You may have friends or relatives who are employed in food retailing. Ask them about their work.

This report will give you a general idea of what supermarket managers do and whether or not you want to be one. This is the time to think about developing the skills needed to make a good manager and to learn more about the grocery business and business in general.