How to hire a store manager: what candidates reply to your job request
Who do you really need: a store manager or a senior sales person
A store manager is responsible for the whole shift: opening and closing, the cash, the staff schedule, order in the store and timely display of goods. If you only need someone to “stand at the counter”, you need a shop assistant. But if the person will handle staff, stock-taking and suppliers, that is a store manager.
Think in advance about the limits of their authority: can they take money out of the till, give discounts, penalise or reward staff? Candidates ask this first.
How to search through BlaBlaPrice
You do not go through dozens of CVs or answer every call. You write one job request in your own words, and candidates reply in the chat with their experience, when they can join and the pay they expect. You do not have to pick a category, the site works it out. Before it goes live, the request is checked: no ads or contacts in the text, and you get hints on what is missing.
Your phone number stays hidden, and only the person you choose gets it. The job request stays active for 7 days and can be extended, and you can edit it while you wait. It is free for employers. More details on the How it works page.
What to put in the job request
- Duties — managing staff, cash, ordering stock, receiving goods, reports;
- Type of store — clothing shop in a mall, neighbourhood grocery, chain outlet or a standalone shop;
- Team size — how many sales staff and cashiers report to the manager;
- Shifts — five or six days a week, working hours, weekend work;
- Pay — salary, incentive for meeting the sales target, pay date;
- Location — city and area, public transport access;
- Terms — written appointment or not, probation period;
- Experience — how many years in a similar role.
Example: “Store manager needed for a clothing shop in a mall in Cape Town. Shift 10 am to 9 pm with a day off, 5 sales staff report to the manager. Duties: cash, staff roster, receiving stock, daily report. Salary R 5,900 plus incentive on target, written appointment, at least 1 year as a store manager.”
How to assess candidates
Do not compare only what they say about experience. Ask how many people the candidate managed, how they settled conflicts with customers and staff, and how they dealt with stock shortages. It helps if the person knows billing software and stock tracking.
It is useful to ask why they left their last job and to agree on a trial shift. Remember that the response depends on your terms: a clear incentive on target attracts stronger candidates than vague words about “good pay”.
If you are looking for a job
If you are looking for a store manager's job, register on BlaBlaPrice as a service provider, choose this category and your area, and receive such job requests so you can reply with your application. See similar roles in the Retail / sales / purchasing section, for example supervisor.
