Top 20 Best Retail Jobs in Australia
In Australia, the retail industry is one of the key contributors to the country’s overall economy. And with approximately AUD $330 billion in revenue listed just before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019), the importance of the business has never been stronger––especially since Australia’s recovery from lockdowns is climbing.
Retail within the world’s largest island nation is segmented and broken out into various categories including food retailing, department stores, clothing & footwear, household goods, cafes & restaurants, and others. So based on the economic growth forecast for 2023, now is a great time to find work within at least one facet of the retail industry.
In this article, we will show you the skills necessary to land best retail jobs in Australia, the best job options available, and tips for making as much money as possible.
What Skills Do I Need to Work in Retail?
The Australian retail industry is quite competitive. If you are hoping to stand out from the other candidates, you should aim to have a lengthy list of skills that can be used to provide exceptional service to customers. Here are some of the most in-demand of those skills:
- Language skills – whether it’s for communicating with customers who are in Australia shopping while on vacation, or for providing client support over the telephone or online, language skills are highly important in retail.
- Interpersonal skills – how you relate to and interact with people, whether co-workers, customers, or clients, can help you better understand boundaries, as well as personal and professional strengths and weaknesses.
- Problem-solving – recognizing problems and understanding what needs to be done to resolve them, while executing flawlessly––problem-solving skills are always in-demand.
- Negotiation skills – key to solving customer disputes (especially for workers at store management level or higher), retail work often requires impressive and efficient negotiation skills.
- Observation skills – sometimes a simple mistake can ruin a customer’s experience, which is why it is important to have keen observation skills and attention to detail.
Tips For Making Good Money in Retail
Retail jobs are ideal for people who thrive on providing exceptional service. But depending on the type of position you have, or are thinking of applying for, a little bit more is required. Here are some helpful tips for taking your job search from good to great:
- Listen, and listen well – don’t cut customers off as they are explaining their situation. Let them air their grievances in full so that you can provide the best possible solutions.
- Use positive language – even in the most difficult situations, a positive attitude goes a long way.
- Better yourself often – during any work downtime, be sure to brush up on skills that could do with some improvement.
- Practice being human – avoid giving robotic, scripted answers to customers when a little understanding would be more beneficial.
- Own up to your mistakes – people are often more sympathetic to those who can admit that they’ve made customer service mistakes. We’re all human after all.
The 20 Best Retail Jobs in Australia Right Now
Job description: The manager of a store wields the most power at the customer-facing level. These positions are vital as they assume the most responsibilities, deal with expedited customer complaints, and their performance sets the example for the entire retail staff.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Bassike, Bras n Things, DecoRug, Fendi |
Job description: Resolving customer issues and complaints takes a strong amount of negotiating and communication skills––not to mention being a dedicated people-person. In Australia, there are plenty of customer support roles within the retail industry.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Lakeshore Inc., Hitachi Machinery, BAS, Coles Supermarkets |
Job description: Recruiting consultants are a valuable part of any retail company’s hiring department. They can typically be relied upon to help members of the Human Resources department review resumes, filter ideal job candidates, execute background checks, participate in interviews, and perform onboarding responsibilities with new employees.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| ALDI Stores, Chandler Macleod, Robert Walters |
Job description: The foundational role of just about any retail company is the cashier. Cashiers are not only the ones who execute the transaction and handling of payment, but they are often the only employees that interact with customers, making them essential providers of great customer service.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Total Tools, Foodland, The Home Depot, SkyCity (Adelaide) |
Job description: The ability to lead a solid team of forward-thinking business and creative coordinators using results-driven marketing skills to increase sales within a retail company is the hallmark of a good marketing manager.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Nutrition Warehouse, Gimmie, Estee Lauder |
Job description: Inventory managers at the retail level are responsible for setting the standards of which products, and how many of them, can reasonably be sold at store locations. It’s a complex job that involves much critical thinking––some retail store locations might do better selling one type of item over another location that sells the same thing. This is what an inventory manager brings to the table.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Troocoo, Kmart Australia, Pet Circle |
Job description: Often considered a role somewhere between manager and sales associate, floor managers (or keyholder or team leads) are sometimes given extra responsibilities like store opening/closing duties, cash register access, and scheduling. These roles are important for those hoping to climb the retail management ladder.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Volvo Group, UPowr, Park Hyatt, The Benevolent Society |
Job description: Human resource managers are essential in the retail industry, mainly because they are in charge of a list of daily tasks that keep a company running, like hiring employees, handling interpersonal issues, and ensuring employees have good mental well-being while in the working environment. HR coordinators are like customer service providers but in their case, the customer is the company’s employees.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Time Out Group, PlayStation Global, Hitachi |
Job description: Working on the logistics team in the retail industry involves ensuring that stores have everything they need on hand to operate a successful business efficiently and effectively. The essential products and goods should always be available for a company to earn as high a profit as possible––and making sure that happens starts with the logistics team.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Adairs Retail Group, DRD Group, General Motors |
Job description: Just about every retail store location has a dedicated team (either on-staff or offsite) responsible for ensuring the efficiency of the building’s daily operation. When cash registers and networks go down, or even if an employee bathroom experiences a breakdown, a maintenance manager steps in to get the business back on track.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Bis, Accor Hotels, PepsiCo., G’day Group |
Job description: Simply put, supply chain managers manage the supply chain of a retail company, which is an important aspect of the business because if the supply is wrong, the company can face big financial problems. Managers oversee all elements of product movement –– from distribution to storage –– of their goods. These jobs are critical to a brand’s success and, as such, are very well-paid
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Mars, New West Foods, Dyson, Amazon |
Job description: Retail Buyers oversee many of the crucial business decisions that impact a company’s overall brand. For example, a Head Buyer will often choose the fashions and accessories that the company sells –– ultimately impacting the company’s overall profits.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Forever New Clothing, The Iconic, Charcoal Clothing, Princess Polly |
Job description: A visual merchandiser in a retail store is one of the most influential roles in the entire company because how they choose to style the store and dress the mannequins can mean the difference between a small sale and a large one––or a sale at all. Using visual lookbooks and guides, merchandisers put their personalities on display and lure customers in.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| H&M Group, JD Sports, Eden Gardens |
Job description: Retail sales jobs are another kind of work that’s pretty much always available to job seekers of varying skill sets. Stores are in constant need of motivated and energetic people to welcome and assist customers, stock merchandise, clean, and organize. Working as a retail assistant often comes with a staff discount, which is a great perk.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Tory Burch, Foot Locker, Pottery Barn, Puma |
Job description: A loss prevention officer oversees the harsh reality that is common throughout the retail industry: theft (from both customers and employees). Loss prevention is a highly organized role that relies on accurate technical data (like how many items are in stock and on hand) so that when inventory is counted, accurate figures can be entered into the system and investigations can be carried out.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Optus, MYER, Amazon.com, Coles Supermarkets |
Job description: While working in a warehouse is a relatively routine and repetitive job, it’s also an active one, so it’s great for people with flexible schedules who like to unpackage deliveries and work with their hands while staying on their feet. A typical warehouse job in retail involves packing orders and checking items for quality, handling incoming and outgoing deliveries, and organizing stock and inventory.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| ALDI Stores, Pet Circle, Nutrition Warehouse |
Job description: Cleaners play a pivotal role in ensuring that retail businesses, showrooms, and warehouses are organized and aesthetically pleasing at all times. Landing a job as a cleaner is simple enough, provided you have the work ethic and can effectively and efficiently use your time to scrub, polish, launder, wash, and dry.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Manpower Australia, Compass Group, Coles Supermarkets |
Job description: Working within the cutthroat fashion/retail industry, social media customer care associates handle the responses from dissatisfied customers on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The highly involved role includes monitoring an organization’s various social accounts, responding to inquiries, resolving problems, and escalating issues when necessary.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| The Commons, SF People, The Creative Store |
Job description: Depending on the value of the products sold in a retail store (especially luxury fashion and jewelry), hiring a security guard is a must! Security guards provided physical and technological protection against thieves and shoplifters on a large and small scale.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Wilson Security, Arnold Group, Garda World |
Job description: One of the most popular entry-level positions for those hoping to climb the ladder in the retail industry, stockroom assistants typically receive packages and deliveries from the warehouse and are responsible for opening and cataloging products so that managers and sales associates can retrieve them easily.
SKILLS REQUIRED | EXPECTED SALARY | COMPANIES HIRING |
| Digga Australia, Shona Joy, Calexico, Costco |
Start Searching for Retail Jobs in Australia Right Now
There you have it! The best retail jobs available in Australia. Now that you know the skills required and tips for securing a great new career in the retail industry, you’re ready to start applying.
