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Department store manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Timothy Edwards,

Aldo Musacchio Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical department store manager skills. We ranked the top skills for department store managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 19.6% of department store manager resumes contained sales floor as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a department store manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 department store manager skills for your resume and career

1. Sales Floor

The sales floor is the area in a company or a business that is specified for retail activities or is designated as the selling area of the shop. A car showroom can be considered a sales floor, as it has cars in its display which are to be sold. A sales floor is generally crowded with sales assistants who are there to help you out while you can search and check out the products. Generally a sales floor has free access to the public and they can observe, view and get information about the product that is being sold.

Here's how department store managers use sales floor:

Utilized electric pallet jack, and scanners to ensure all available products are on sales floor or stored correctly.
Managed cash handling, feature productivity, departmental security, inventory control, and supervision of sales floor associates.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how department store managers use customer service:

Experienced in exceptional customer service, cashiering, merchandising, stocking merchandise and maintaining visual standards established by management.
Remained knowledgeable on current sales and promotions to aid in providing excellent customer service

3. Quality Customer Service

Here's how department store managers use quality customer service:

Led and trained two floor associates in housewares department to provide quality customer service and maximize merchandising opportunities.
Assured quality customer service and customer retention by immediately responding to customer inquiries, needs and demands.

4. Store Management

Here's how department store managers use store management:

Conducted training seminars for store management to integrate new store policies, report analysis & procedures, proceeding store merger.
Provide sales reports to store management, including P&L and inventory levels.

5. Store Operations

Here's how department store managers use store operations:

Maintained departments according to company merchandising standards and store operations policies.
Managed all aspects of store operations including finance, administration, purchasing, inventory control and staffing.

6. Retail Environment

A retail environment can be defined as the environment in which things are sold on a commercial scale. It is the sum of the variables and forces inside and outside the company that can influence retail decisions. Businesses in this sector sell a wide range of products to consumers and companies, ranging from groceries, clothing, hardware, household items, and office supplies.

Here's how department store managers use retail environment:

Action-oriented, and easily adjusts to an ever-changing retail environment.
Prepare gourmet dishes in a high volume retail environment.

7. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how department store managers use loss prevention:

Manage annual inventory levels for district stores including shrinkage control, expenses and loss prevention techniques.
Maintain loss prevention standards by performing audits and continuous training of staff on proper procedures.

8. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how department store managers use payroll:

Insured complete accuracy in accounting procedures, invoices, shipping and receiving logs, payroll, personnel and safety reports.
Manage payroll, plan menus, schedule staff, conduct quality control inspections, received and input all deliveries.

9. Performance Reviews

Performance reviews refer to the official evaluation of a worker's performance done by the manager. The evaluation then helps the superior identify the worker's strengths and weaknesses and offers valuable feedback to help him overcome his shortcomings. This assessment also helps a worker set a future goal for himself and identify ways to better his future performance. Performance Reviews may be done on a monthly or yearly basis, depending on the company.

Here's how department store managers use performance reviews:

Completed 6 performance reviews each quarter, offering praise and recommendations for improvement.
Conducted performance reviews of employees every six months.

10. Apparel

Apparel is anything worn especially formal clothes; outerwear; garments; attire; raiment worn on an important occasion to protect, wrap, adorn or beautify the body. Apparel also refers to clothing of a specific type that is sold in stores. Product categories include everything from basic items like underwear, badges, jewelry to luxury items. The general classification of clothing is as follows: men's wear, women's wear, children's wear, and others.

Here's how department store managers use apparel:

Provided monthly updates to regional store managers on apparel sales.
Provide assistance with sizing customers for intimate apparel.

11. Sales Associates

Here's how department store managers use sales associates:

Managed 6 Sales Associates/ Department Merchandising/ Inventory updates.
Recruited and hired high-performing sales associates.

12. Visual Presentation

Here's how department store managers use visual presentation:

Maintain visual presentation, inventory, security, shortage control, weekly sales/bestsellers, and human resource operations.
Maintain visual presentation through the use of plan-o-grams, adjacency plans, and merchandising standards.

13. Inventory Control

Here's how department store managers use inventory control:

Motivated and counseled employees and performed inventory control.
Maintained and repaired audio equipment, handled purchasing, inventory control, production and marketing of tapes and books

14. Customer Complaints

Here's how department store managers use customer complaints:

Handled customer complaints and issues which highlighted skills in dealing with a diverse and challenging customer base.
Managed front-end store operational activities including: scheduling, displays, customer complaints, and money handling.

15. Drive Sales

Here's how department store managers use drive sales:

Led quarterly southern California District management conference calls to develop new approaches to manage and mentor associates and drive sales.
Work with store managers to develop strategies and objectives to drive sales and profitability.

What skills help Department Store Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on department store manager resumes?

Dr. Timothy Edwards

Professor, Interim Director, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Writing and research skills. Analytical and critical thinking skills. Technical skills such as web design, graphic design, audio and video production skills. Employers are interested in potential employees knowledge, intelligence and skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for department store managers?

Aldo Musacchio Ph.D.

Professor, Program Director of the MBA, Brandeis University

Lately, employers appreciate software skills to manipulate data, like some knowledge of Python or R, and information visualization software like Tableau. Many companies have their databases in SQL format, and having the capacity to work with it is key. Interestingly, digital marketing and social media skills also get a lot of traction as many employers do not know how to keep and manage a presence in social media, especially in Instagram, and may not be as good as students using tools like Google Analytics.

What soft skills should all department store managers possess?

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Professor of International Business, San Francisco State University

-Languages beyond English (fluency in written and oral)

-Ability to work collegially in a diverse cultural setting

-Ability to identify good problems on which to work in a competent manner

-Ability/flexibility to interact/work productively with people who have serious constraints on their time owing to other work or personal commitments/issues

-Some of my answers to Q1 above would also apply here

What department store manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Steve Wages Ph.D.

Director, Cloverdale Center for Youth and Family, Faulkner University

I recommend they use this time to fill in the gaps, no pun intended, in their program of studies by expanding their knowledge base. All educational programs have gaps in the training, content areas which are not addressed adequately. For example, my counseling program was highly regarded, yet I had little to no content related to aging studies, parenting, or personal finances, etc. Further, the content of counseling programs is problem-centered or remedial, conceptually focused on tertiary prevention.

Consequently, graduates are not exposed to a large body of research and literature related to human development, individual wellness, and family strengths which would greatly inform and enhance their assessment and intervention strategies employed in counseling. I believe the more we can do to strengthen our understanding of healthy individual and family wellness, the better equipped we will be to address unhealthy relationships and family dynamics. Put another way, being well grounded in primary and secondary prevention will further equip the pastoral counselor's efforts at intervention. Again, use this time to acquire relevant knowledge and content that most counseling programs do not address extensively.

What type of skills will young department store managers need?

Dr. Barbara Davis

William J. Atkins Dean, Centenary College of Louisiana

Analysis - Graduates will need to analyze situations, identify the best choices, and seek solutions with the highest benefit to the organization.

Creativity - Graduates will need to possess critical and creative thinking skills.

Flexibility - Graduates must remain flexible to succeed in a highly changing environment.

What technical skills for a department store manager stand out to employers?

Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer, Indiana University Bloomington

The labor market is not so different than any market with demand and supply. The demand from employers will shift towards more technical (software, coding, computer language programming) and analytical (problem solving on your own) skills than social skills overall. Being capable of writing or/and understanding computer languages will be a must have skill in the very near future. Communication skills over online platforms or social media platforms will play a huge role when employers are making a hiring decision. The data supports that businesses are using more online platforms than ever. I am projecting that there won't be any business travels or on-site client meetings in the near future. Exceling in different types of software, and being able to learn a new one easily, will become more important than people skills in businesses. Employers will seek for candidates, who are capable of achieving tasks in a more off-site (outside the office) environment through a deadline, and who can utilize multiple different softwares at their hand to solve business problems. As far as how the hiring process would go, we might see employers using artificial intelligence to make hiring decisions over some online platform soon. Essentially, this means that the candidates will be assessed with a more quantitative measure than ever. An evaluation measure by the AI, which will take soft and digital skills more into account.My final words are: The pandemic is still a burden to the humankind but the world will prevail. This year could be the inception of a new era in terms of how businesses run.

Do you want to know more?

List of department store manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a department store manager resume and required skills for a department store manager to have include:

Sales Floor
Customer Service
Quality Customer Service
Store Management
Store Operations
Retail Environment
Loss Prevention
Payroll
Performance Reviews
Apparel
Sales Associates
Visual Presentation

Inventory Control
Customer Complaints
Drive Sales
Product Knowledge
Store Sales
RAN
Retail Store
Conference Calls
Bank Deposits
HR
POS
Sales Reports

Performance Evaluations
Customer Issues
Sales Training
Customer Inquiries
Staff Schedules
Sales Performance
Customer Relations
Store Associates
Product Placement
Direct Reports
Cash Drawers
Store Policy

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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