If you’re looking for the top skills to be a good shop assistant or assistant store manager, you’ve come to the right post. One of the biggest stories I’ve not heard talked about is that retail didn’t lose so many associates or managers as shift leads and assistant managers.
After the pandemic, many retailers could hold on to their managers. However, one of the silent casualties was the exit of shift leads and assistant managers. Add to that the fact that so many retailers are still trying to do more with less—here’s a clue: you can’t—and you often encounter a manager who just puts out fires.
Do you know what it takes to be an awesome assistant store manager? Do they?
Many retailers would like to promote shift leads to assistant managers and, ultimately, to store managers if they prove they can take on additional responsibilities and exhibit early signs of retail leadership.But when your bench is empty, what do you do? Rebuild.
A good assistant store manager is a bridge between the manager, frequently unavailable on the sales floor, and the employees. When trained and rewarded for their communication skills, shop assistants are worth their weight in gold.
Maybe that’s why LinkedIn says the salary of an assistant store manager ranges between $ 31K to as much as $65K. Are you surprised to hear that retail careers pay? Where much is rewarded, much is expected.
Here are Nine Essential Skills for an Assistant Store Manager
1. Attention to detail. Your ability to get the facts right is key to supporting your manager. This can include remembering a colleague’s birthday or a loyal customer’s face, to double-checking special orders and maintenance issues. You must be qualified to filter your boss’s needs and bring important details to their attention, while also handling the smaller tasks that often fill their plate.
In many stores, that also includes learning to use POS dashboards and reports to spot patterns- like a dip in certain item sales or when a floor set isn’t working-before they become problems.
2. Ability to make decisions. A great store assistant manager has good problem-solving skills, so they can think through choices and deliver them to the manager. If there are customer complaints or concerns, a good assistant will offer two choices to the manager instead of asking, “What do you want me to do?” That makes it easier for them to make the decision.
You support management, not just relay issue after issue to them, expecting them to fix it all. Understand what responsibilities you have been given authority over and carry them out. On the other hand, help the manager select the best alternative on decisions you don’t have authority over.
And here’s the thing: if you’re waiting for everything to be perfect before you decide, you’ll never move. Retail needs leaders who can act quickly using good judgment and learn from it. You don’t get better at decisions without making a few wrong ones first.
3. Ability to suspend your ego. Understand that the term assistant means you are subordinate. There are bound to be times when the boss wants you to do something you would rather not do. Sorry, that’s the position. I’ve always told my assistants, “Your job is to make me look good.” When you do that and support the manager or owner, you show you are a team player eligible for additional responsibilities and the opportunity to run your own store one day.
This is especially true when stress is high. Stores that do the most business often have the most friction. Whether it’s a schedule conflict or someone showing up late for the fourth time, how you respond matters. Can you bring solutions? Can you cool off a tense exchange? The ego wants to escalate. Leadership wants to resolve, not apply a band-aid.
4. Ability to connect with the customer. The best store assistants connect with customers because they can read them well. An assistant manager who can read body posture and tone of voice and adjust accordingly will be invaluable. As the assistant, you should also be able to model the best sales process to help shoppers and convert them into customers for your merchandise. In some ways, the assistant manager should be the best salesperson on the sales floor. That’s how you get noticed.
Customer interactions don’t just end with a smile and a receipt anymore. Some stores use CRM tools to track buying preferences or alert you when a customer is back in the store. Learn how to use those. It’s not “big brother”—it’s about being prepared. Just like employees, when a customer feels remembered, not managed, you’re doing it right.
5. Ability to be a second set of eyes…and ears. A store manager needs someone to examine some situations, like an employee performance issue, a customer complaint, or an inventory problem, but not in a tattletale way. You are on the sales floor but more than just a sales associate. Your retail assistant skills mean you can take the information you see and hear, look for trends that diminish the customer experience, and then look at ways to fix them – either by yourself or with your manager.
This is where digital tools can help. You might be tracking markdowns, conversion rates, or out-of-stock alerts. Your job isn’t to do data entry, it’s to translate numbers into action. The best assistant managers spot the small leaks before they become floods.
6. Ability to sell. Many retail assistants were promoted because they demonstrated their effectiveness as retail sales associates. The path to leadership for most retailers is being top salesperson. As an assistant manager, you will still want to connect with your customers and model exceptional customer service. Due to your interpersonal skills and experience, you will be able to effectively assist customers and facilitate sales.
You should also coach others to achieve this same goal. You’ll see when someone skips steps or fumbles a handoff. Don’t wait until the end-of-day recap to mention it. Help them in the moment. Teaching others to sell doesn’t make you less valuable. It shows you know what excellence looks like.
And if you’re using online retail sales training like my SalesRX+, you’ll be the one to make sure that what is taught is actually occuring on the salesfloor.
7. Be a running buddy. When I was running track in high school, we found it invaluable to have a running buddy to cheer us on, run alongside us, and keep pushing us to do our best. Your primary goal as a store assistant is to be a running buddy to the manager, someone they can collaborate with, someone who encourages them, and someone they can trust to support them at all times.
That doesn’t mean burn yourself out trying to do everything. Part of being a true support system is knowing your limits. Some weeks, it’s all sprint. Others, you pace. Find a rhythm with your manager that keeps you both in it for the long run.
8. Know where you’re headed. A good assistant store manager does more than just hold the line. You’re learning what it takes to run the whole operation. That includes looking beyond just what’s needed today. Start thinking in terms of store profitability, scheduling smarter, and reducing waste. Ask your manager why things are done a certain way. Learn the financial levers. If you want to run your own store, act like it’s already yours—just with a learning curve built in.
This is also when you begin to shape your leadership style. How do you develop people? How do you keep standards high without micromanaging? These are the kinds of questions that get you noticed and promoted. And whether you stay in retail or not, you will always want to develop your skills around the big picture.
9. Master your time before it masters you. Retail never stops. There’s always a shift to cover, a display to reset, or a form to fill out. But if you treat every task like it’s equally urgent, you’ll burn out. A great assistant manager knows how to prioritize. That might mean blocking 30 minutes to train a new hire even if you’re behind on back stock. Or choosing to walk the floor instead of getting buried in reports.
You’re not there to do everything. You’re there to ensure everything gets done. That means delegating, setting a pace others can follow, and taking care of yourself, too. When you show up focused and ready, your team follows suit.
As a team, you and your store manager should be able to achieve and exceed monthly sales targets, manage inventory and labor, keep up with the latest merchandising trends, and do it all with a smile while working in a brick-and-mortar retail store.
What should you avoid as an assistant manager? Overstepping your role, you are there to help the manager, not be the manager.
>>>> And here’s something no one’s saying loudly enough: assistant managers are the hope of retail. That means learning how to lead, as well as how to adapt. If you aren’t already exploring how to use tools like ChatGPT or AI inventory alerts, start now.
The next wave of store leaders are the one teaching themselves how to work smarter using AI, not just harder. You don’t have to be a tech wizard- just curious. That curiosity, especially around AI in retail and emerging store technologies, is what gets noticed.
Because you probably have your eyes on becoming a store manager, check out this post…
7 Essential Skills Every Retail Manager Needs To Succeed
In Sum
A good retail assistant manager can be under a lot of pressure to increase sales because they tend to be closer to the crew than the store owner or manager. However, the best way to grow sales is as a team.
The retail assistant manager needs to demonstrate strong retail leadership to get the most out of other associates, particularly when the manager is off, but must also be a team player by supporting the manager and not challenging every decision they make.
There are plenty of great store managers who started exactly where you are.
Learn how to succeed at these responsibilities, and you’ll be promoted from a good assistant to a great manager.
Learn how to succeed at these responsibilities, and you’ll be promoted from a good assistant to a great manager.
We are pleased to mention that the author, speaker and retail consultant Bob Phibbs aka the Retail Doctor (who has contributed to BRA with outstanding articles like this one and so many others that we have reposted over the past few years) has also contributed to BRA monetarily. We value his relevant retail insight and encourage you to learn more about his offerings by clicking on the following link to his website: www.retaildoc.com
– Doug Works, Executive Director BRA
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