Store manager job description template: store size, staffing, scheduling realities and exempt status
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A store manager at a small specialty shop with eight employees, the general manager of a big-box store with a team of assistant managers, a grocery store manager and the manager of a convenience store open around the clock all share a title. Postings for all four tend to say "drive sales, lead the team, deliver great customer experiences, manage inventory," which tells candidates nothing about the size of the job. Experienced retail managers look for different facts: annual volume, store hours, how many people and managers they lead, how much of the week is on the floor, whether they hire and fire, and how scheduling works. Below is a copy-ready store manager job description template, the classification and scheduling lines checked against Department of Labor sources, screening questions and scorecard rows, and the mistakes that lead to turnover in the first six months. The general method is in how to write a job description that screens.
Describe the store, then the manager
| Store type | What the week looks like | Must-have that separates it |
|---|---|---|
| Small specialty or boutique | Selling alongside the team, visual merchandising, small staff, owner or district check-ins | Has led a small team while personally hitting sales goals |
| Big-box or department store | Leading assistant and department managers, labor planning, operations meetings | Has managed managers and a large labor budget |
| Grocery | Perishables and shrink, deliveries, food safety, several departments | Has managed fresh departments and their waste |
| Convenience or 24-hour | Overnight coverage, cash control, fuel or lottery rules, frequent turnover | Has staffed round-the-clock shifts and handled cash discrepancies |
| Franchise location | Brand standards, owner reporting, local hiring and marketing | Has met franchisor audits while answering to an owner |
Before drafting, collect the numbers from the district manager: annual sales volume (or a range), store hours, total staff and how many are minors, the number of assistant or department managers, the labor budget model, and what the store manager can approve alone: hiring, terminations, schedule changes, markdowns and refunds.
The store manager job description template
Store Manager, [Brand] — [Store location]
[Company], [street area or city] — On-site
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per year, plus [bonus based on: sales, shrink,
audits]. [Benefits summary, if required.] [Exempt, after review.]
SUMMARY
You will run our [format] store in [location], open [hours, days],
with annual sales of about $[N or range]. You will lead [N] team
members, including [N] assistant or department managers, and report
to [district manager]. You hire, schedule, train and [terminate /
recommend termination of] your team, and you are accountable for
sales, labor, inventory and store standards.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Hire, train and develop your team, including [assistant managers /
key holders].
- Build weekly schedules within the labor budget and the law, and
adjust for traffic, deliveries and absences.
- Run the store's numbers: sales, labor, shrink, [conversion,
average sale], and act on them.
- Keep inventory accurate: receiving, counts, transfers and
[perishables / markdowns].
- Handle escalated customer issues and protect cash and stock.
- Work on the floor at busy times: registers, replenishment, service.
- Keep the store safe and to [brand / franchisor] standards.
YOU MUST HAVE
- Managed a retail store, or a department of a larger store, with
at least [N] team members.
- Hired, scheduled and coached staff, and handled performance
problems.
- Owned sales, labor and inventory results and explained them to
a manager.
- [Grocery: managed perishable departments.] [24-hour: overnight
staffing and cash control.]
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with [POS], [scheduling system], [inventory system].
- [Category or brand] experience.
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.
FIXED CONDITIONS
- Schedule: about [N] hours a week, including [evenings, weekends,
holidays]; peak periods such as [inventory counts, holidays].
- Physical work: standing for long periods, lifting up to [weight].
- Offers are subject to [checks] as permitted by law.
HOW WE HIRE
[Recruiter screen; interview with the district manager; a store
walk with you pointing out what you would change; meeting the
assistant manager.]
[EEO STATEMENT]
Need an adjustment? Call or email [contact].Classification, minors and pay
Not legal advice. These points were checked against federal regulations and Department of Labor fact sheets as of October 2026. Many states set higher salary levels and stricter scheduling and child labor rules; confirm with counsel.
Exempt or nonexempt. Salaried does not mean exempt. The executive exemption requires a salary of at least $684 a week, management of the enterprise or a recognized department as the primary duty, customarily and regularly directing two or more full-time employees or the equivalent (the DOL notes one full-time and two half-time employees count as two), and authority to hire or fire or recommendations given particular weight (DOL Fact Sheet 17B). The regulation's own example says an assistant manager in a retail establishment may serve customers, cook, stock shelves and clean without losing the exemption "if the assistant manager's primary duty is management" (29 CFR 541.106). The same section notes that exempt executives generally decide for themselves when to do nonexempt work. If the posting describes a manager who mostly runs a register by direction and has no say in hiring, the classification does not hold.
Scheduling minors. If the store employs teenagers, the manager's schedule must follow child labor rules. Under federal rules, 14- and 15-year-olds in nonagricultural jobs may work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a nonschool day and 40 hours in a nonschool week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., extended to 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day (DOL Fact Sheet 43). States often add rules. Hiring minors also has Form I-9 specifics, covered in I-9 for minors.
Pay and EEO. Post the approved range and bonus basis, and check pay transparency laws by state. BLS's closest occupation is First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (SOC 41-1011) in its OEWS program, which describes supervising retail sales workers and performing management functions such as purchasing, budgeting and personnel work. It groups department supervisors with store managers, so this page does not quote figures. Close with your EEO statement and a phone option for accommodation requests.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed a store or department | "Describe your last store: volume, hours, team size and the number you were proudest of." | Scope and results | Concrete numbers and a result they explain, not only a company-wide one |
| Hiring and coaching | "Tell me about someone you hired who was not working out. What did you do?" | People leadership | Clear expectations, documented coaching, a decision either way |
| Scheduling to budget | "Your labor budget was cut by ten percent for next week. How do you build the schedule?" | Labor planning | Uses traffic patterns, protects peak hours, follows break and minor rules |
| Inventory and shrink | "When did your counts come in short, and what did you find?" | Operational control | Investigated receiving, process and theft separately; changed a routine |
| Handling escalations | "Describe the hardest customer situation you resolved on the floor." | Customer judgment | Stayed calm, followed policy where it mattered, kept the team safe |
The full first call is in retail store manager screening questions, and the later rounds are in the interview guide for retail roles. For the team the manager will build, see retail sales associate screening questions, and use the 30-60-90 day plan for retail store managers after the hire.
Common mistakes in store manager job descriptions
No volume or team size
A $1 million store and a $30 million store are different jobs (example figures). Give a range and the headcount.
Hidden hours
If the role averages 50 hours with closing shifts and holidays, say so. It is the most common reason new store managers quit.
"Manager" with no authority
If the district manager makes every hiring decision, the title misleads candidates and weakens the classification.
Floor work left out
Leaving out register and stocking time sets up a surprise. Describe it alongside the management work.
Coded language
"Young, energetic team" can read as an age preference. Describe the pace and physical demands instead.
Before you publish
- Store format, hours, volume range and team size are in the summary.
- Hiring and termination authority are stated.
- Weekly hours, floor work and physical demands are honest.
- Classification is reviewed against the duties, and minor scheduling rules are known.
- An approved pay range and bonus basis, the EEO statement and an accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
Is a store manager exempt from overtime?
Often, if the job really is management. The federal executive exemption requires a salary of at least $684 a week, management as the primary duty, regularly directing at least two full-time employees or the equivalent, and real weight in hiring and firing. A manager can still serve customers and stock shelves without losing the exemption if management remains the primary duty, but a store run with one other employee per shift needs a careful review.
Should a store manager posting state how much time is spent on the floor?
Yes. Most store managers cover registers, receive deliveries and stock shelves at busy times, and candidates who have done the job expect it. Saying so honestly reduces early turnover, and describing the management work alongside it matters for classification too.
What should a store manager job description say about hiring authority?
Say whether the store manager hires and terminates on their own, recommends to a district manager, or only interviews. Hiring authority is a large part of the job, it affects whether the role meets the executive exemption, and strong candidates use it to judge how much the company trusts its store leaders.
Does a store manager need to know child labor rules?
If the store employs workers under 18, yes. Federal rules limit 14- and 15-year-olds to 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week and work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. outside summer, and states add their own rules. The store manager usually writes the schedule, so they own compliance in practice.