Starbucks has a program that people can apply to where they’re hired directly into management - with only a degree and some basic retail experience, one can enter into several months of office-environment training, after which they’re placed in a store in a management (usually assistant manager) position. This makes sense, as someone with a degree and more professional experience shouldn’t have to work their way up from the most basic entry-level position if they’re interested in working on the management-and-above level in a retail environment.
What other major retail companies have programs like this?
(before the jokes start, I’ve sworn off retail for life; this is for a friend who’s looking for a new start).
Walgreens. Almost five years ago I took a job as an assistant manager with them. I had a bachelor’s and some retail experince. Over half of the assistants I’ve met have the same experince. I have active plans to leave, but its a good job and can understand while people stay.
My girlfriend is an assistant manager with Office Depot and while her career path was a little diffrent she says someone with a bachelor’s and some retail experince can hire in as an assistant with them as well.
If you want more information just ask.
Your friend should be aware that if s/he hires in at Walgreens as MGT, it’s an extremely steep learning curve. I worked with one Assistant Manager who came to us from a banking background (no retail sales experience at all, IOW), and he said they gave him a total of one week’s training before tossing him in at the deep end of the pool as MGT on the schedule, which at our store means being the only Go-To person on the premises when anything goes wrong–angry customers, shoplifters, the Photo Lab equipment acting stupid, the cash register locking up, unloading the truck on Truck Day, putting away the resultant Warehouse Order, everything.
And no, he is no longer with Walgreens.
It’s a good job if you can stand the heat, but be warned: Walgreens eats its MGT young alive.
Wear serious walking shoes with arch supports; knee problems are endemic among Walgreens employees the same way they are at the Post Office. All that walking on concrete will tear up your knees like nobody’s business.
And it’s a LOT of heavy lifting: the aforementioned Truck Day entails dozens of big gray rubber totes that all have to be unloaded, unpacked, and put out on the shelves. And throughout the week there’s merchandise that needs to be brought out of the stockroom and filled. And MGT is where the buck stops when it comes to getting that done. So back problems are also endemic.