by Robert Wiley

Created on: October 02, 2009

The world of retail is as vast as the open sea. Many opportunities await those willing to put in the time and effort. One of the quickest ways to earn valuable management experience is through the retail industry. Be wary, there are pitfalls. However if you are aware of the pros and cons of retail supervision you can be on your way up the corporate ladder in no time.

Management at last!

I should say more than likely entry management, but at least you got your foot in the door and are on your way up. At the very least with your responsibilities things should go as you see fit. Whether or not your business sinks or is a success lands squarely on your shoulders. Now you and your team have to make your business as flawlessly as possible so you can look good in the eyes of higher decision makers and promote to the next level as soon as possible. As long as that happens usually the manager is the one who gets the credit for rallying the troops and coming through in the clutch.

Authority

One pro would be that you have delegating authority amongst your co-workers. Delegate some responsibilities and get the work accomplished in a timelier manner. This doesn't mean that you won't have to do any work though. This would seem to be a con for many because there are misconceptions that once you become a manager you don't have to work. This is not always the case and as long as you're prepared this shouldn't come as a big surprise.

Responsibility

While responsibility can be a pro, many times it is considered a con. If a coworker calls out sick, usually a manager has to scramble to get the shift covered. This can be stressful especially if you're already working on getting a task accomplished or have a customer you're working with at that moment. If it comes down to it, many times the manager has to stay and cover the shift. In addition, if a coworker's work isn't up to par usually their direct manager gets the blame for it, or at least has to go and do it a second time. Again, undue stress is added squarely on the shoulders of the manager.

Pay

While pay is usually a bit more than an hourly associate, it isn't near what people tend to think that management makes. For the real high paying management opportunities you have to work your way up the ladder and not get burnt out first.

The ultimate boss, the customer

Guess who gets all of those customer complaints to deal with. You know those real whoppers that you went to management with when you couldn't figure out exactly how to handle the situation. That's right, you guessed it, you. As management you get to look those unsatisfied customers in the face and have to come up with reasonable solutions on the fly that works for both the customer and the business. Make sure that you can take some pretty harsh criticism at times because, trust me, those customers don't hold anything back.

With a promotion comes a lot of excitement. However don't let the title go to your head because many times it isn't at all what you thought it would be. As long as you're aware of the pros and cons you shouldn't have any trouble stepping into the new position.

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