More than 100 "opportunities" for students and job seekers! The most comprehensive career book series available, Opportunities in . . . covers a range of professions, from acting to writing, and encompasses traditional as well as cutting-edge careers. Each book offers job seekers essential information about a variety of careers within each field and includes training and education requirements, salary statistics, and professional and Internet resources.

Whether you're a student or a professional ready for a career change, you'll find in this invaluable book everything you need to know to start an exciting career or change the direction of your current career in the retail or wholesale industry. Retail and wholesale trade are trillion-dollar businesses employing an estimated 20 million Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. From department stores and malls to online retailers and manufacturers, retail and wholesale present a myriad of employment opportunities, from customer service and sales to IT, marketing, and finance. Career Opportunities in the Retail and Wholesale Industry, Second Edition offers a comprehensive view of careers in the field, with complete information for the 21st century on 90 jobs, including Mall Manager Greeter Buyer Brand Manager Personal Shopper Catalog Copywriter Wholesale Sales Representative Marketing Director, Web Store Sales Associate Manufacturer's Representative Promotions Manager-Retail Store Market Researcher-Manufacturer Throughout the book, the reader will find a quick-reference Career Profile for each job summarizing its notable features, a Career Ladder illustrating frequent routes to and from the position described, and a comprehensive text pointing out special skills, education, training, and various associations relevant to each post. Appendixes list education and training resources, chain and department stores, catalog companies and manufacturers, trade associations and unions, and more. Book jacket.

Retail is now the largest employer in the United States. For the most part, retail jobs are “bad jobs” characterized by low wages, unpredictable work schedules, and few opportunities for advancement. However, labor experts Françoise Carré and Chris Tilly show that these conditions are not inevitable. In Where Bad Jobs Are Better, they investigate retail work across different industries and seven countries to demonstrate that better retail jobs are not just possible, but already exist. By carefully analyzing the factors that lead to more desirable retail jobs, Where Bad Jobs Are Better charts a path to improving job quality for all low-wage jobs. In surveying retail work across the United States, Carré and Tilly find that the majority of retail workers receive low pay and nearly half work part-time, which contributes to high turnover and low productivity. Jobs staffed predominantly by women, such as grocery store cashiers, pay even less than retail jobs in male-dominated fields, such as consumer electronics. Yet, when comparing these jobs to similar positions in Western Europe, Carré and Tilly find surprising differences. In France, though supermarket cashiers perform essentially the same work as cashiers in the United States, they receive higher pay, are mostly full-time, and experience lower turnover and higher productivity. And unlike the United States, where many retail employees are subject to unpredictable schedules, in Germany, retailers are required by law to provide their employees notice of work schedules six months in advance. The authors show that disparities in job quality are largely the result of differing social norms and national institutions. For instance, weak labor regulations and the decline of unions in the United States have enabled retailers to cut labor costs aggressively in ways that depress wages and discourage full-time work. On the other hand, higher minimum wages, greater government regulation of work schedules, and stronger collective bargaining through unions and works councils have improved the quality of retail jobs in Europe. As retail and service work continue to expand, American employers and policymakers will have to decide the extent to which these jobs will be good or bad. Where Bad Jobs Are Better shows how stronger rules and regulations can improve the lives of retail workers and boost the quality of low-wage jobs across the board.

A growing service economy in the United States has made retail a major growth industry. This book details the preparation and training or schooling involved in securing a job in retail, depending on the position and one’s career goals, both short and long term. From clerks and cashiers to secret shoppers, working in online marketplaces and brick and mortar stores, retail work includes positions in many different kinds of stores: apparel, electronics, hardware, domestic appliances, big box, and more. The book outlines possible schedules, job search and interview skills, the road to advancement, and many other facets of the retail job market.