Fed up with retail management! What job can I do?

As title really, work for a DIY retailer, and to be honest fed up with it. Only 33 and would like a career change, but with minimal qualifications just gcses I’m struggling. I was thinking of opening my own bike shop but not sure that’s a good idea!

Anybody got similar experiences? The wage I gt is high for the retail sector so worried about the risk involved.

If it’s BuntQ, you have no hope of another job anywhere. 😉
Lots of building sites popping up everywhere, site management?

no its not them, not sure if its retail or the job. just had enough ot be honest. and as a result not givig it my best all the time.

I work in retail management, work for biggest supermarket in this country maybe one day the world !! All retail is tough at the moment, we are restructuring taking a level of management out, line mgr my role having to reapply for our jobs so they can cut salaries down.

I have a degree but it’s worthless now as it was in computer science, not sure what else I would do if the worse happened, just racking up some Sunday overtime and a few bank hols for a saving fund, to see me through the tough times ahead.

Do you have a mortgage, credit cards, car payment, wife, kids? If you answer yes to any of these, you will be and probably should be a bit scared. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take risks. It just means you will have to make sure that if you do, you have a contingency plan.
I recommend a complete shake up up at least every ten years. Mind you, at 53 and not much materialistically to show for it, some might question my logic.
But, **** me, I’ve seen and done some great things. Personally, I’ve got no regrets for being a bit of a nomad and changing jobs as often as I feel I needed to has given me a broad perspective. Now self employed I feel I’m most comfortable with where I’m at.
In short. If you aren’t happy. Do something new. Challenge yourself.

Lmt not strictly true, the discount retailers are flying this year and need more managers. My job for instant is 30% up year on year best year since I started. With a degree and your retail experience you could walk into a trainee district manager job on 33k which rapidly rises heavily, take into account company car, and fuel paid for…..it’s a good deal.
I have friends who work as managers for that 2nd biggest supermarket who are all loosing their jobs after 15 years due to restructure.

Why not pick up a copy of The Grocer and go and take a look at the jobs in there? Some great jobs going at the moment in sales representatives, if you’re used to the selling in retail then slipping into this role is pretty simple, a lot of the guys we have in our company are ex retail managers, they now get their weekends off though!

If you haven’t got qualifications then selling is always going to be a good second best, I’ve no qualifications but have consistently earn more than my best friend for 15 years and he’s even gone on to get his doctorate! I only mention that as he rather rudely pointed out “that of course you don’t have a degree do you” once a few years ago, so I now occasionally drop in to the conversation how much more I earn than him.

I spent 15 years in retail (area) management and HR.. gave it all up last year and now work PT in LBS.. poorer, but richer in many ways..

You will have transferable skills but it’s up to you to be able to tell a compelling ‘story’ that would make an employer in a n other sector (or a bank manager if you decide to do your own thing) decide to take a punt on you.

I was / am lucky in that mrs nano has seen her career take off while I have shifted gears down, so I get the financial bit. But, if the finances allow then it’s never too soon to make the change and sometimes even when they ( the ££’s) don’t.

At a practical level you need to think about what it is you really want to do and then look at who you have within your professional and personal network that could help you realise your plan.

HTH and good luck!

Right usual advice, don’t pigeon hole yourself.

Retail Management = Sales
Retail Management = People Management
Retail Management = more stuff!

Work out what you skills are and apply for some different jobs, if you have the right aptitude to transfer what you have learnt then qualifications are fairly irrelevant. Talk to your mates, ask if they have any suggestions – they know you, as about what they do and work out if your skills are transferable. At 33 your job offers should be based on experience rather than qualifications. The only thing is by moving you may need to take a pay cut.

Management is management- people skills, maybe logistics and administration, time and resource management, all that good stuff. Customer service never hurts either. (and at LMT, a degree is a degree, tons of grads work in unrelated fields, like me- it proves your ability to learn though)

But you do need to know what you want to do instead. I fluked out while basically looking to escape a job rather than really thinking about where I wanted to go, but a fluke is what it was, it’s a great way to end up doing something else you don’t like. It’s like marrying a woman you’ve never met because you’re fed up of your wife 😉

I went from retail management, to mobile technology service centre manager, then to Micropaleontologist. Anythings possible with a bit of hard graft and determination.

I went from retail management to event management (for a paintball & airsoft company). Was a good use of transferable skills although it actually paid less.
Even now in rope access I find uses for those skills so don’t be scared to think of something left field, you have probably got so e experience that will be useful for it.
My last retail job was B&Q, got sick of 60+ hr weeks in a huge warehouse with a management team turnover rate that was lightning fast. Great money but terrible working environment, if their lead competition are anything similar I feel your pain…

cheers for all the responses. i dint know what i want to do, on one hand i would love to have weekends back as the kids are growing up and worried i will miss out on football matches and the like, on the other i would love to have my own retail outlet. theres a real need for a decent bike shop where i live and i think it would work.

i need to get out of this though as i go to bed anxious and wake up anxious which is no way to live!

I still work for the largest food retailer as a warehouseman. Got sick of the job as manager and went back to Uni, and am about to graduate in Environmental science. Have a job lined up as an environmental consultant with a firm I did 6 weeks of “internship” for. 5 mins from home, and great guys to work for – whats not to like.
You are right about the restructuring too, with the team leads getting the boot, I’m guessing that they are going to target line managers next. So thank ***** I’m getting out.