Can I Speak Your Manager?

1163 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Retailmanagement a strategic approach

Can I Speak To Your Manager?
When you go to a store or restaurant and are unhappy with the service what is the first thing you say? Can I speak to your manager please? When you say that what do you expect? An expert in the field, customer service or maybe just an older adult that will be more understanding? Well, managers are usually all of these and more.
With retail being an artery in the body of the United States economy ( over three million retail stores nationwide) everyone has either worked in it or shopped at a location and has an opinion on it. There are over 40 million retail jobs so the managers have an important and difficult job to keep everything intact and running smoothly.
I decided to interview one of the managers at my job, Aaron, to get an inside perspective on what it is really like. Aaron at first glance doesn’t look out of place at all, basically a regular guy, about six feet tall with a slender build the only standout feature is that he shaves his head. He has a personality that is almost satiric and at the same time always manages to keep a playful smile on his face.
When I went to interview Aaron we sat down in the vacant store manager’s office since he resigned about a month ago. I made a sly comment saying “are you ready to move in here” to which he responded chuckling “hopefully.” Before I started the interview I reminded him to answer honestly and as candidly as possible.
I started off the interview with getting the basics, he is forty two, originally from Kansas and does not have any kids but has a longtime girlfriend. Aaron’s job background is interesting, he did not go to college instead he worked his way up from being a bagger at a grocery store to a sales associate until he got a management...

... middle of paper ...

...re you are going to be at, until you reach the corporate level which is where everyone is striving to be at.” Honestly when I heard this I had some second thoughts about the career as a whole, even though almost no job is guaranteed if I go into a career I want job security and stability.
In conclusion, after everything I have learned over the past two weeks, I would say that being a retail manager can be a very rewarding and successful career while at the same time being one of the most difficult and stressful. Retail management is something everyone can attain through experience, hard work and or education and become extremely successful with all of them. Retail. You can turn a first job into a lifetime career, some people love it, some people hate it but one thing is for certain, it is here to stay and someone has to help run it, which is where you and I come in.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis: Intergenerational Interview: Interviewing An Elder: David Latta

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    David Stark Latta is my mother's step-father, he was born on December 6, 1937 in Pontiac, Michigan and has spent most of his life here. David raised my mother and three other children from his previous marriage. My grandfather and I talked for about an hour or so, the interview became more of a conversation, it was very comfortable for him to talk to me about his life, and no question was really off limits; him and I have a wonderful and close relationship. When the interview began he turned town the television and offered me a beer, and I started with asking him about his childhood. He told me that when he was an adolescence he would spend most of his summer days swimming with the his friends in a gravel pit turned lake. They would play baseball in the fields next to Maceday Lake, which is well a well known local lake, and go camping on the weekends at the Pontiac recreational area. These kids that he grew up with in high school still remain in close contact with my grandfather. He tells me that around 11 or 12 of them get together at the local coney island almost ev...

    Read More

  • Target's Competitive Strategy Of Target

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the employees’ perspective; they are managed someone with experience in their same specialty who can effectively understand and review their work. Furthermore, they can move up within organization, which gives a reason for them to be loyal to the job. They also have the opportunity to work with others in their field, which allows for knowledge sharing and learning new skills. From the managers’ perspectives; this would make their jobs easier and makes them able to supervise the individual’s performance of their team members to distribute recognition, rewards and punishments accordingly. This has created an environment that hugely corresponds with Target’s core strategy, differentiation. Many of the shoppers have expressed their satisfaction with the services that provided by Target and more specifically with how friendly the staff

    Read More

  • Analysis of Express

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Levy, Michael, Barton A. Weitz, and Dhruv Grewal. Retailing Management. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Print.

    Read More

  • Interview With a Walgreens Manager

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since 1901, Walgreens has had a strong passion for customer service. The founder, Charles Walgreens, goal was to create a drugstore that was like no other. He said that for as many drugstores as he had worked at, he had never worked for one that had a focus for good customer service and low prices. Walgreens has grown by leaps and bounds since 1901 and is now recognized as the leader in the market with over 7000 stores. Charles Walgreen had an eye for good managers. He said he was able to pick people that he knew were smarter than him so to promote them and make them the heads of his drugstores. As a store manager, not only is it your job to run a store which includes ordering, customer care, and inventory control, but also it is your job to manage the staff. As a part of managing staff, it is their responsibility to hire, train and develop, and terminate if need be. While there are many jobs to choose from when it comes to HR and employee staffing, I choose this one because it is by far to me the most intense.

    Read More

  • Mockumentary Religulous Made by Bill Maher

    1233 Words  | 3 Pages

    character he is. In the interviews you can tell most of them were appointments that he didn’t even have

    Read More

  • Caleb Justice: An Interview With A Corrections Officer

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    After about an hour of hearing about his career, the interview came to an end. But I took a lot away from it. I think the thing that stuck with me the most is the idea of building a report with everyone you come into contact with. He explained how important it was to build with inmates, but he said it was something that has served him well in every area of his life. Being able to connect with people and see what you can do to make their life a little bit better will in turn make your life more meaningful, no matter what career you chose.

    Read More

  • Lawrence Case Study Essay

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lawrence is a tall, built, attractive young man who is very religious and has an outgoing personality. He seemed relaxed and interested in the interview in which was getting to take place.

    Read More

  • Inside Toyland by Christine L. Williams

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Williams, a renewed commitment to the values of the citizen consumer is necessary to bring about changes in the retail industry. She said that the political economy of shopping must change and that the retail industry must be reined in by new legislation mandating worker rights to living wages, health care, and equal opportunities. I think that what she says is true. The whole retail system need revamped to take in the consideration of the workers, and until the consumers start to realize this and demand changes, nothing will change.

    Read More

  • EBS Trust Case Analysis

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    I thought he did a good job of the proxemics of the interview sitting himself in front of the victim at the table at an appropriate distance (EBS Trust, 1998). At one point he also places his hand on her in a reassuring manner telling her that she was doing a fantastic job (EBS Trust, 1998). The one thing I think he could have done better with would have been to make more eye contact with the victim especially when she told him her story for the first time. Another thing that he did great was throughout the interview while he was seated in his chair his body language appeared very open and interested like when he was leaning forward in his chair towards the victim. Something I was surprised that he did which was great was when trying to get her to retell exactly what happened he got himself and the victim to stand up and act out the scene with their

    Read More

  • Applying Student Development Theories to Experiences of Interviewees

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    interviewee development. I chose to interview one of my fraternity brothers, who work in higher

    Read More

  • Musimundo Case Study

    2356 Words  | 5 Pages

    Managers in the more profitable regions were achieving/surpassing their sales goals, while managers in the less active regions were unable to achieve their sales goals. These underperforming managers were penalized by a system that they neither fostered nor developed. In all likelihood, the underperforming managers were disincentivized by unrealistic budgetary goals for their region, needing further assurances from corporate that their vision could be achieved. All retail stores suffered from a lack of product, destroying the potential sales that they could have gained. The stores in less popular/populated regions may have garnered a reputation for being unreliable and continually out of stock.

    Read More

  • The Criminal Justice System

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    The interview was conducted March 23, 2016, late afternoon I contacted Mr. Malone via cell phone. I then stated my name and introduced the topic of the interview. Afterwards I informed Mr. Malone about the types of questions I was going to ask him and told him to speak freely and not to answer anything that makes him uncomfortable. All of the questions I asked were good but there was a few that

    Read More

  • Conflict Competent Essay

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    The managers that Publix promote definitely have the potential, drive and talent to be successful and role models for the associates. As the article says, “When conflict is managed well, it can lead to improvements creativity and innovation.” Publix is trying to grow as a company and are slowing integrating into other states. They are struggling to bring the “Publix Culture” into these states and this could help.

    Read More

  • Case Study Of O2O

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Indian retail industry has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industries due to the entry of several new players. It accounts for over 10 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and around 8 per cent of the employment. India is the world’s fifth-largest global destination in the retail space.

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay On Retail Work

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most important word of advice on how to manage a job in retail is to take care of yourself first. In order to succeed at your job, it is vital to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Retail work requires employees to be on their feet for long hours. It is necessary to stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes during a rigorous shift. It is also essential to always take your breaks, no matter how busy the floor is. Working in retail can be hectic. You are constantly interacting with others. Breaks allow not only time for yourself but also time to unwind from stressful situations.

    Read More

More about Can I Speak Your Manager?

Open Document