Position Summary
Welders Supply Company, Inc. is seeking a knowledgeable, dependable, and highly organized Retail Manager to oversee the companys daily retail, inventory, purchasing, customer service, and administrative operations.
The Retail Manager must have practical knowledge of welding, welding equipment, gases, tools, safety products, and related industrial supplies. The successful candidate should be enthusiastic about the welding industry and capable of assisting customers with product selection while also managing the administrative and financial responsibilities of the retail operation.
This position requires strong leadership, attention to detail, sound business judgment, and the ability to coordinate sales, purchasing, inventory, employees, vendors, customer accounts, and office records.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the daily operations of the retail store.
Provide knowledgeable and professional assistance to customers purchasing welding equipment, consumables, gases, tools, safety gear, and related supplies.
Assess customer needs and recommend appropriate products based on the customers welding process, equipment, materials, and intended application.
Maintain current knowledge of welding machines, electrodes, wires, torches, regulators, cylinders, personal protective equipment, and related industrial products.
Supervise, train, schedule, and provide direction to retail and warehouse employees.
Ensure employees provide prompt, professional, and accurate customer service.
Prepare and submit purchase orders for merchandise, equipment, gases, and supplies.
Review inventory levels and determine appropriate reorder quantities.
Communicate with vendors regarding pricing, availability, backorders, delivery schedules, credits, and product concerns.
Receive incoming orders and verify merchandise against purchase orders, packing slips, and vendor invoices.
Inspect deliveries for shortages, damage, incorrect items, or pricing discrepancies.
Properly document and report discrepancies to vendors and management.
Maintain accurate inventory records within QuickBooks and any other applicable inventory-management system.
Conduct routine physical inventory counts and reconcile differences between physical quantities and system records.
Monitor high-demand, slow-moving, damaged, and obsolete inventory.
Ensure all products are properly labeled, priced, stored, and displayed.
Maintain accurate customer, vendor, sales, purchasing, and inventory records.
Prepare customer invoices, sales receipts, estimates, and account statements.
Receive and process customer payments, including cash, checks, credit cards, and account payments.
Accurately enter sales, purchases, payments, credits, and inventory transactions into QuickBooks.
Review daily sales activity, cash receipts, register balances, and supporting documentation.
Assist with customer account collections and follow up on outstanding balances.
Maintain organized electronic and physical files for customers, vendors, purchases, inventory, and financial records.
Respond to customer inquiries, special-order requests, product concerns, and account questions.
Coordinate customer orders for pickup, delivery, or special procurement.
Monitor store cleanliness, safety, merchandising, and overall appearance.
Ensure welding gases, cylinders, chemicals, equipment, and other regulated products are handled and stored in accordance with applicable safety requirements.
Assist management with operational reporting, pricing decisions, cost controls, and business planning.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
Minimum of three years of experience in welding, welding supplies, industrial sales, retail management, inventory management, or a related field.
Working knowledge of welding processes, equipment, materials, consumables, and safety requirements.
Strong familiarity with welding supplies, including electrodes, welding wire, shielding gases, torches, regulators, abrasives, cutting equipment, and personal protective equipment.
Prior experience managing or supervising employees in a retail, warehouse, industrial, or service environment.
Demonstrated experience preparing purchase orders, receiving shipments, and managing vendor relationships.
Strong inventory-management and reconciliation experience.
Proficiency in QuickBooks, including sales receipts, invoices, customer payments, purchase orders, vendor bills, inventory items, and basic reporting.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and the Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong mathematical, organizational, and recordkeeping skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment.
Demonstrated leadership, accountability, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to communicate professionally with customers, employees, vendors, contractors, and management.
Dependable attendance and punctuality.
Valid drivers license preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
Formal welding training, certification, or substantial hands-on welding experience.
Experience selling welding equipment or industrial supplies.
Familiarity with compressed gas cylinders, cylinder tracking, exchanges, and related safety procedures.
Experience using point-of-sale and inventory-management systems.
Knowledge of commercial accounts, customer credit, invoicing, and collections.
Experience coordinating warehouse, delivery, and retail operations.
Physical Requirements
Ability to stand and move throughout the store and warehouse for extended periods.
Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull merchandise and supplies weighing up to 50 pounds, with assistance when necessary.
Ability to safely work around welding equipment, compressed gas cylinders, industrial products, and warehouse operations.
Ability to climb, bend, reach, and perform routine stocking and inventory duties.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is both a welding-industry professional and a capable business administrator. The individual should enjoy working with welding products and customers while also understanding that accurate purchasing, receiving, inventory control, billing, QuickBooks entry, filing, and employee supervision are essential to the companys success.
The successful candidate will be proactive, detail-oriented, customer-focused, and capable of taking ownership of the stores daily operations.
