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Working in the retail industry

Find out more about the benefits, what skills you need, job opportunities and how to get help in finding a job.

• About jobs in the retail industry

Text version

Stephanie Farrell, Tesco: "I was a single mum to my daughter Isobel, living in Haydock alone just me and my daughter. She was two at the time and I got a leaflet through the door. I was actually at the time quite depressed and alone to be honest. I was trying to get back into work but finding it really difficult. When you've been out of work for so long as well, it's so hard to take that initial step."

Michelle Beardwood, Tesco: "Because you've been on benefits and you've been out of employment for that long I think you put barriers up for yourself."

Janice Ramshaw, Jobcentre Plus: "What we do is we interview customers and identify their needs and what they want to do and there are certain training schemes that we can put people on to develop the soft skills. The good communication skills. So that when they come to face an employer and have to sit in front of an employer and have an interview, that they've got those skills to compete for the job."

Jo Frith, Tesco: "Tesco really have been doing partnerships for an awful long time. But more recently, like last year, we actually signed up to a Local Employment Partnership. In Haydock we gave 99 people work through a partnership process."

Stephanie Farrell: "Well, I started off on checkout just like doing training. I did silver training straight away just because I loved it. I was that enthusiastic, you used to have to drag me off for my break because it was quite sad really."

Jo Frith: "They can get certificated courses that they've never done before. And that really gives them that sense of confidence and achievement in what they are doing."

Michelle Beardwood: "I think every time you do something different. If you're given the confidence and you're trusted on the shop floor to do something - like standing in for team leaders. It gives you that bit more self worth. So it makes me want to come to work but not just come to work I want to come to work and go further."

Lynn Bavage, Skills Smart retail: "There's many opportunities for people looking to work in retail. It's a very flexible sector. So really you can pick the hours you want to work to fit with your life so that the job can fit round your lifestyle or similarly your lifestyle can fit round the job."

Gemma Hughes, Tilly's coffee shop employee: "I was at TK Maxx on maternity leave and it was too much work for me with just having a new son. I thought - because I'd worked in a fish and chip shop before and that was a bit of a bad experience and I thought a cafe might be different, interacting with people. I thought by coming here and getting experience from people who might know more than me, that could lead to business opportunities for myself."

Gillian Quigley, Tilly's coffee shop: "As a retailer I don't necessarily go for qualifications. I've learnt from the past that sometimes experience is great and obviously that is something I would look at. But if nobody is given that first foot on the ladder how are they supposed to get the experience that everybody is looking for? I'm looking for ability to communicate. I'm looking for good time keeping. I'm looking for reliability and obviously trustworthiness."

Lynn Bavage: "For the retail sector, what they are looking for in skills from their employee in people who are reliable, trustworthy, good at working with people. Good communicators who enjoy working with the product essentially. Having that relationship with that customer - that they want to buy more from you in the future."

Stephanie Farrell: "Any retail shop that you go into has to have customer service. And you've got to have confidence to be able to do that. Just coming in without confidence, there are other people in the store who will help you with it and talking to new people every day it builds your confidence. I don't think there’s any skills you really need because you can just build on your skills. Whatever you do have you'll just build on anyway. So if you've got nothing at all you can just become whatever you want to be when you get into the store. Whatever store that is."

Andrea Francis, Jobcentre Plus: "For retail sector most of our customers have the skills ready and waiting, they just don't realise that they have them skills. Many of them have customer services skills. They are used to communicating with people on a regular basis and that's the main thing that retail employers are looking for. They want people that can deal with customers in a good way. It's just literally a matter of realising their skills and how to transfer them into the workplace."

Lynn Bavage: "People should consider retail as a career because the progression opportunities are incredibly fast. There's high earning potential. The opportunities are there if you have the right attitude and the right capability and really get in and do the job."

Stephanie Farrell: "I could see myself moving up. I could see myself being team leader within six months but I know I will be a team leader. Hopefully manager and who knows where from there. I've put my options in now because I want to be a checkout team leader. Since I've put in for my options I've been offered off another manager on the shop floor for a full time job and it's just weighing up the pros and the cons now with making the bigger jump into full time employment. But I couldn't be happier."

Michelle Beardwood: "It's the confidence that I think is the most important. Your self esteem just goes through the roof for me. You don't get big headed or nothing but it just makes you feel amazing knowing that you are part of a team wherever it is. Just having that something else to do instead of just getting up in the morning cleaning your house, taking the kids to school, cleaning the house, picking them up, cleaning your house. You've got something to do - you've got a purpose."

Gillian Quigley: "My employees are the most important part of my business. They are the public face of my business. All I would say is try the Jobcentre. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Gemma Hughes: "Go down to the Jobcentre, speak to loads of people that you can because they are really, really helpful. Just go for it if you get a job offered give it a try. Just don't say 'no, I don't want to do that'. Just give it a try."

Lynn Bavage: "I'd say just go for it. It's an exciting, enjoyable, job. No two days are the same. You'll be working with people. You'll be working with different products and it really is just the best job in the world."

Working in the retail industry

Find out more about the benefits, what skills you need, job opportunities and how to get help in finding a job.

• About jobs in the retail industry