Summary
A clothing store manager’s job is to purchase clothing and apparel from a manufacturer, a wholesale store or from individual contractors for the store he/she is working for. The goal of a clothing store manager is to buy high quality, premium clothing and apparel at the lowest cost. A clothing store manager must understand the market and keep up with latest fashion trends. He/she should know what customers want and what will appeal to their taste. These managers have to be experts in good clothing; know what particular set of merchandise to purchase ahead of time and purchase within budget, while relying on intuition or instinct or personal tastes to decide what to purchase.
Duties
Clothing store managers are responsible for receiving merchandise for their store; pricing and displaying their product in an appealing and fashionable manner; and hiring, educating, terminating and motivating staff in providing exceptional customer service and care. Clothing store managers are also in charge of choosing suppliers, determining the physical attributes of products to purchase and what merchandise to purchase, performing inventory, training staff on how to manage cash and credit card transactions, handling returns and refunds, dealing with customer complaints, developing budget plans, and updating financial statements. They also organize and manage advertising campaigns, deals and promos, hire additional staffing for Christmas shopping season, adhere to company policies and regulations, as well as report any suspicious activities like shoplifting and belligerent customers to security. Clothing store managers also adhere and enforce dress codes if any, maintain store cleanliness and order, oversee maintenance and up-keep of the store, and contact maintenance and other services such as cleaning, bookkeeping, tax preparation and repair services as needed.
Education and Training Requirements
A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for a position to be a clothing store manager. However, many clothing and department stores now prefer managers to have college education.
Knowledge and Skills Requirements
To become a successful clothing store manager, one must possess good organizational; management; teamwork; communication; motivational and leadership skills as well as ability to work effectively under pressure.
Working Conditions
Clothing store managers usually work in clean and well-lit conditions. They often stand for long periods and may perform strenuous tasks, moving heavy boxes. Some need to travel to visit clients.
Salary
A clothing store manager makes $32,000 annually on average. Factors such as size of company, location, nature of the industry, benefits and experience may cause salaries to vary considerably among clothing store managers.
