If you think that nabbing a grocery store managerial job is easy, then you are in for a surprise. The job of a grocery store manager is not only strenuous but also competitive. Now, if you are interested to have a managerial position at a certain grocery store then you might be wondering, what education does a grocery store manager need?
The minimum formal education a grocery store manager needs is a high school diploma or its equivalent such as a GED. But most grocery stores prefer hiring candidates with a bachelor’s degree in business or retail management. Many companies also prefer candidates that have a mix of work experience and college education.
The road to becoming a grocery store manager is not as smooth as you might think. Along with the right educational qualifications, a candidate must have experience and certain skills. Let’s find out more about the skills and qualifications you need to become a grocery store manager.
What Education Does a Grocery Store Manager Need?
Different retail chains or grocery stores have different requirements for hiring a store manager. There are even a few grocery stores that hire candidates without any educational degree. Again, there are a few grocery stores that require candidates to have a college degree along with hands-on work experience.
Here are some grocery stores that have different educational qualification requirements from applicants,
1. Walmart
You don’t need a bachelor’s degree to work or be a store manager at Walmart. A high school diploma or a GED will do. But you will need a year or few years of hands-on experience with supervising employees and some general management to get hired by Walmart.
Walmart prefers applicants that have four years of general managing experience in running a grocery store. Moreover, you will get preference over other candidates if you have experience supervising more than 50 employees for around 4 years.
Unconventional training programs also count as educational qualifications while applying for the post of grocery store manager. Walmart sells firearms and that’s why they require applicants to go through the general firearms training.
Moreover, to get the job as Walmart’s store manager post, you also need to pass a criminal background check and acquire a permit to sell ammunition.
2. Whole Foods Market
To get hired as a store manager in Whole Foods Market you do not need any formal education or college degree. Rather Whole Foods Market hires managers through a rigorous training program and judges you based on your skills.
Plus, you need to have moderate proficiency in maths. You need to brush up on your budgeting and managing skills too. Moreover, you need to have enough computer literacy that you can work on programs such as the Microsoft Office suite.
In Whole Foods Market, employees are encouraged to work their way up from entry-level jobs to become grocery store managers. Hence, formal education is not a requirement, rather communication, and management skills are given preference. Most of all, being a team player, will get you the job as a grocery store manager in Whole Foods Market.
3. Safeway
If you have 4 years of work experience in the retail industry, you can get a managerial post at Safeway without a college degree. But Safeway prefers hiring folks who graduated college.
You can also nab a managerial job at Safeway with 2 years of college education and 2 years of work experience in retail management. Plus, if you have a certificate in retail management, you will have an edge over other candidates.
Safeway also strongly prefers applicants who are WAFC (Western Association of Food Chains) certified. That is, if you hold a retail management certificate from any WAFC accredited community college, you will get preference over other candidates.
4. Kroger
The minimum educational qualification you need to get a managerial job at Kroger is a high school diploma. But similar to Safeway, Kroger prefers folks who graduated college or are carrying a few years of experience in the retail industry.
Kroger prefers applicants that have a bachelor’s degree in Business Studies or are certified in retail management. If you don’t have a college degree, 4 years of work experience in retail or other business-related fields will also help you get the managerial post at Kroger.
Plus, Kroger prefers applicants who are aware of the organizational structures, Fred Meyer policies, and procedures. In that case, employees of Kroger have a better chance of becoming the store manager than outsiders who have little knowledge about the in-house policies.
5. Trader Joe’s
You need a mix of educational and hands-on work experience to get hired as Trader Joe’s grocery store manager.
Trader Joe’s prefer candidates that have a bachelor’s degree along with 2 years of recent work experience in related fields. But you can get the job with only a high school diploma, that is, if you have 3 years of work experience in the retail or hospitality sector.
The more work experience you have as a supervisor or manager in the retail industry, the better your chances of becoming a store manager at Trader Joe’s.
6. Target
You need to have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent to become a store manager at Target.
Target prefers active and skilled applicants rather than those who have years of experience. They offer hands-on training for their employees so that is not an issue. But a four years formal education at the tertiary level is a must if you are applying as a store manager at Target.
What Skills Do You Need to Become a Grocery Store Manager?
Your educational qualifications will only help you to step into the first stage of the hiring process of retail companies. It is your skills that will separate you from other candidates and help you come out as the winner of the competition.
Here are some of the skills you need to develop and hone to become a grocery store manager:
- You need to be an effective communicator to deal with customers and staff members alike.
- Develop management skills to oversee and maintain the daily responsibilities of a grocery store manager
- You need to develop leadership qualities to direct and guide staff members and train new recruits.
- Along with computer literacy, you need to have basic knowledge of finance, accounting, and marketing.
- You need top-notch budgeting skills to prepare an annual budget, keep track of current sales and predict future sales.
- Being flexible is also a skill that will come in handy while working odd hours or dealing with difficult customers.
- You need to have the ability to multi-task and keep cool under pressure. That way you can quickly deal with any unforeseen situation.
- Develop both written and verbal communication skills to maintain candid business relations.
- Develop the ability to inspire and motivate others when team spirit is low.
- Become a team player to efficiently conduct the daily tasks of the grocery store with other employees.
- Smartly delegating work amongst different staff members is a required skill of a grocery store manager.
- You need to have an affinity for learning new skills. That way you can adapt to any situation.
What Does a Grocery Store Manager Do?
To understand why grocery stores managers need to have such skills and education background you must learn about the responsibilities of one. A grocery store manager is one of the if not the most important staff members in the store who is responsible for making sure each and every operation inside the store runs smoothly.
The daily tasks of a grocery store manager vary depending on the size of the store, team, and number of customers. The daily task can be anything from supervising other employees to managing customer complaints.
Here are a few daily responsibilities of a grocery store manager:
- Oversees and supervises all the grocery staff members. From assigning and scheduling work to training, hiring, and firing employees Moreover, the grocery store manager has to check and follow up the result of the work performed by other employees.
- Monitors and inspects the store inventory. This includes updating inventory logs, stocking shelves, and managing store retail areas and displays.
- In charge of making the annual budget, scheduling expenditures, analysing current sales and future sales.
- Ensures customer satisfaction by addressing their complaints. Tries to find solutions for possible problems faced by customers and works closely with them.
- In charge of interviewing, hiring, and training new recruits for the grocery store.
- Ensuring that all health and safety standards are maintained along with maintaining the quality of products.
- Promoting the grocery stores and their products by collaborating with local newspapers, magazines, schools and community clubs, etc.
Becoming a store manager is not a walk in the park. It takes proper education, training, and work experience. Most of all you need patience and dedication as most initial trials might end up to not be fruitful. Make sure you have a well-made resume to wow your employers and have the highest chance of being employed.
I hope this article helped you find the answer to “what education does a grocery store manager need?”. Thanks for reading. And I hope you get the position you are aiming for.
