How do I Become a Grocery Store Manager?

There are many ways to become a grocery store manager, but this variance usually takes into account that people will have either formally or informally acquired specific skills. It’s easy to think of all the things that a store manager might have to do. He or she could be responsible for staffing the store, bookkeeping, purchasing, payroll, merchandising, and many other things. What isn’t done directly by the grocery store manager could be delegated to employees, but if the manager doesn’t know how to do things properly, it’s not likely that a store will run smoothly.

One way become a grocery store manager is to move up into the job. Some managers can recount how they began life doing displays, bagging groceries, or working as checkers or cashiers. Through persistent effort and learning the business with each incremental step, these managers eventually learned how to run a store successfully. Their professionalism impressed others into giving them promotions, and eventually they earned jobs to run the store, or they took their experience elsewhere to become a store manager.

Moving up can be challenging, and it take years to accomplish. Another path is to get a formal business education to learn all that you need to know about running a grocery store. You might get a bachelor’s degree in business management with focus on retail management. Even a business degree in another field might be parlayed into eventual store management with a few years’ of experience. Some people work part time in grocery stores in lower level positions while they attend school, so they can claim both grocery experience and education needed to successfully manage.

The most expensive way to become a grocery store manager is to buy a grocery store and manage it. This may or may not work and depends on how well you understand the work going into this endeavor. Some owner/managers are highly successful, and have the good sense to surround themselves with knowledgeable staff who can teach them any aspects of the business they don’t understand. Others may underestimate the work level and may not find the success they hope for.

An alternate plan is to move from one business management area into other. There’s often an easy marriage between the grocery business and other retail businesses like clothing. People who’ve managed clothing stores and have education or experience may easily adapt to work as a grocery store manager. On the other hand, this jump isn’t always easy to make since store management positions may specify a certain amount of grocery experience.