Sales Staff

Sales staff are the front-line staff who have direct contact with customers and are mainly responsible for sales and other related activities. They are either:

  1. Supervisory Staff
  2. Sales Assistant/ Shop Assistant
  3. Cashier

Supervisory Staff

Supervisory staff are responsible for managing sales and related matters in a store. The post titles and company structure may vary among different types of retailers. The following are some common positions:


Job Description

Store Manager/ Branch Manager

Store Managers/ Branch Managers are responsible for the overall administration of the store. Their duties are:



Floor Manager/ Floor Supervisor

Floor Managers/ Floor Supervisors are usually employed in department stores or large retail shops. Their main duties are:



Section Head/ Section Supervisor

Section Heads/ Section Supervisors are usually employed in department stores or large retail shops to take charge of particular sales sections like men's apparel, women's apparel or electrical appliance, etc. Their main duties are:



Qualities and Qualifications

Most supervisory staff start their career in junior positions. After building up their knowledge and experience, they are eligible for more senior positions. Related working experience is essential for promoting to a senior supervisory staff. Further, a successful applicant should meet the following requirements:



Sales Assistant/ Shop Assistant

Job Description

Sales Assistants/ Shop Assistants play an important role in the success of a retail shop. They are the front-line staff who have direct contact with customers and perform sales duties. Their duties may differ from store to store, but in general, they are mainly responsible for:


Qualities and Qualifications

Cashier

Job Description

Cashiers are mainly responsible for receiving payments from customers. Some stores may employ full-time cashiers while others may require sales assistants to perform cashier duties in turn. Generally, the main duties of cashiers are:



Qualities and Qualifications

Career Path

In considering promotion, abilities, experience and performance generally count more than educational qualification. Therefore, sales staff should work hard to build up their knowledge and experience in order to secure promotion.

Store Manager/ Branch Manager

Assistant Store Manager/ Assistant Branch Manager

Floor Manager (in department stores or big retail shops)

Section Head/ Section Supervisor (in department stores or big retail shops)

Senior Sales Assistant/ Senior Cashier

Junior Sales Assistant/ Junior Cashier


Apart from the common promotion prospects shown as above, Store Managers/ Branch Managers with outstanding performance may be promoted to Regional/ District Managers or Purchasing Managers.


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