Inventory Responsibilities

• The storekeeper is directly responsible for managing the store's inventory. These responsibilities include supervising incoming shipments and deliveries and checking to make sure that orders are complete. Storekeepers must also cross-reference shipment documents such as bills of lading and invoices in comparison to original orders. The storekeeper is also responsible for supervising the stocking of products and merchandise and directing employees in fulfilling inventory-related tasks. In some positions, particularly in government and military positions, the storekeeper may be required to operate a forklift to move inventory to its proper place in a warehouse.
  
  

Sales, Merchandise Management and Store Premises Responsibilities

• The storekeeper is responsible for the overall appearance of the store's premises, both inside and outside. He makes sure that the exterior grounds are neat and inviting to customers and that products and merchandise are attractively and conveniently displayed on the shelves inside the store. The storekeeper is the go-to person if a store worker has questions about operational procedures, such as where to stack inventory. He provides employees with confirmation of pricing and customer service procedures regarding merchandise returns, exchanges and refunds. The storekeeper also completes sales transactions with customers in retail operations.
  
  

Communications and Interpersonal Skills

• A storekeeper must have strong communications and interpersonal skills. The storekeeper is the public "face" of the store. She must be able to effectively communicate and manage employees and simultaneously possess skills to serve as the store's "ambassador" in relationship to customers, vendors and suppliers. There will be times when a storekeeper might have to be firm in her communication style to get a reluctant employee to perform his job, and in the next minute put on a warm smile to greet a customer who enters the store. Highly effective storekeepers have sharp intuitive skills and assess situations and people on a case-by-case basis to determine the tone and style of communications to use.
  
  

Math Skills

• A storekeeper must be a wizard at operating everything from a calculator to a cash register. Doing simple calculations in his head should not be a problem, such as telling a customer how much a bag of chips and a soda might cost. Nor should more complex tasks be a problem for the storekeeper, such tabulating daily sales receipts and expenditures. Some organizations might even require that the storekeeper be proficient in software programs such as Microsoft Excel.