Retail merchant

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Merchant in retail or retail merchant is an apprenticeship , whose area of activity the professional field Economics and Management , focusing Absatzwirtschaft and customer service associated. Retail salespeople are primarily employed to sell a variety of consumer goods .

Field of activity

Retailers inform and advise customers, sell their existing goods and collect the price for the goods. You will also take on business management tasks in human resources and accounting, and will be involved in shop decoration and product range design. Merchants in retail find employment opportunities, particularly in specialty shops, branches or specialist markets. Depending on the type, size and structure of the company, they work in the office as well as in the sales room and in the warehouse.

Training Germany

In 2011, 29,801 new training contracts were concluded in Germany. On the German ranking list of apprenticeships according to new qualifications, the apprenticeship occupation ranks first.

The profession is trained in trade without specialization according to subject or focus. The training content includes, among other things, the imparting of knowledge in goods acceptance, goods control, sales preparation and warehouse management. Another learning area includes customer communication, e.g. B. conducting consultation and sales talks as well as handling complaints. Due to the constant contact with customers, prospective retailers should have oral communication skills, a confident demeanor and well-groomed manners. You will also be trained in human resources and accounting, and now increasingly in the development and management of a retail business.

The regular training period is three years. The salespeople are trained together with the salespeople up to the second year of apprenticeship , so it is possible for salespeople (provided the training company supports this) to continue their training as a retailer directly. A reduction of up to one year can take place if a higher school education has already been successfully completed before the start of the training (for example the general university entrance qualification ) or if the training objective is expected to be achieved in the shortened time (for example due to good school grades) . The shortening is requested in the current year or in advance from the responsible body (usually the Chamber of Industry and Commerce ).

Training Austria

The training to become a retail salesman also takes place as part of a three-year apprenticeship in the dual training system at the relevant vocational schools and commercial training companies. In contrast to Germany, there is no special training for salespeople in Austria. Therefore, the apprenticeship retail trade is offered with 14 different focuses: general retail, building materials trade, furnishing advice, iron and hardware, electrical-electronics advice, meat trade, motor vehicles and spare parts, food trade, perfumery, shoes, sporting goods, telecommunications, textile trade, watch and jewelery advice. According to the law, completing nine years of compulsory schooling is sufficient as a school requirement. Most successful applicants, however, have completed a secondary school and / or polytechnic school (Real / Regional Schule).

The contents of the training do not differ significantly from those in Germany. The focus-specific training content results from the respective areas of activity. The training ends with the final apprenticeship examination , which consists of a written and an oral part. Passing the exam enables the apprenticeship time to be shortened in related professions such as photo and multimedia clerk , wholesale clerk and warehouse logistician , industrial clerk or office clerk .

Situation and perspectives after the training

The problem of low-wage employment in German retail, both full-time and part-time, has grown significantly. The private service sector, which also includes retail trade, generally shows lower tariff coverage and a greater spread of atypical forms of employment, in particular mini-jobs and temporary work.

In the period from 1999 to 2009 there was an increase in part-time positions. In the same period, the proportion of employees with completed vocational training fell from 82 to below 75%. The temporary employment relationship ends after the dual training. The takeover rate in an employment relationship by their training companies for retailers is falling. Following the general trend, the rate in the new federal states is even lower and is below 40%.

After a further year of work experience, retailers can become a commercial specialist , a specialist in retail sales or a state. Certified business economist further training. Also with one year of professional experience in sales, you also have the opportunity to train to become a sales management specialist .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ranking list of the training occupations of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)
  2. ^ Vocational Training Act - § 8 Abbreviation and extension of the training period . Website of the Federal Ministry of Justice. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ Training Ordinance Retail ( Memento of the original from September 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 192 kB) of the Austrian Ministry of Economic Affairs, current version 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmwfj.gv.at
  4. ↑ Overview of the 14 main training areas ( memento of the original from August 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Apprenticeship information from the Austrian Ministry of Economics @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmwfj.gv.at
  5. ↑ Further education information from the Institute for Economic Research in Education (BIC) accessed on March 31, 2011
  6. ↑ Summary of a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation from 2010  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Info from the German Trade Association accessed on March 31, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.einzelhandel.de  
  7. ↑ Professions in the mirror of the statistics info of the German Institute for Employment Research, accessed on March 31, 2011
  8. ↑ Research report 2010 (PDF; 649 kB) of the German Institute for Employment Research, accessed on March 31, 2011

Web links

Germany:

Austria: