Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Retail Receiving and General Support

💰 $15 - $22 / hour

RetailReceivingWarehouseLogisticsMerchandising

🎯 Role Definition

The Retail Receiving and General Support role is responsible for accurate and efficient processing of incoming merchandise, maintaining backroom and sales floor inventory, supporting visual merchandising and displays, assisting customers and frontline staff, and ensuring a safe, organized workplace. This hybrid logistics-and-customer-service position sits at the intersection of receiving, inventory control, loss prevention, and store operations and requires strong attention to detail, physical stamina, and collaborative problem solving.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Seasonal or part‑time Stock Associate
  • Warehouse or Distribution Center Associate
  • Retail Sales Associate with interest in operations

Advancement To:

  • Receiving Lead / Senior Stock Associate
  • Backroom Supervisor / Inventory Control Specialist
  • Assistant Store Manager (Operations focus)

Lateral Moves:

  • Visual Merchandiser
  • Loss Prevention Associate
  • E-commerce Fulfillment or Click‑and‑Collect Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Receive, inspect, and verify incoming shipments against purchase orders, packing slips, and invoices to ensure accuracy of quantities, SKUs, and product condition before routing items to backroom or sales floor.
  • Unload trucks and pallets using pallet jacks, dollies and hand trucks, safely transporting merchandise from the receiving dock to backroom staging areas following established safety protocols.
  • Operate RF scanners, handheld barcode readers, and point‑of‑sale integration tools to update inventory systems in real time and maintain accurate on‑hand counts for the store.
  • Stage, count, label, and sort merchandise for efficient putaway, replenishment, and returns processing, ensuring first‑in, first‑out (FIFO) rotation for perishable or seasonal stock.
  • Replenish sales floor inventory according to planograms and merchandising guidelines, maintaining clean, well‑stocked shelves and attractive product displays that support conversion and sales.
  • Process vendor returns, damaged goods, and discrepancies by documenting issues, initiating return authorizations and credit procedures, and updating inventory records to reflect adjustments.
  • Assist in daily cycle counts, physical inventory audits and variance investigations, reconciling system counts with physical stock and escalating shrink or discrepancy trends to management.
  • Stage, pack and prepare online order pickups and ship‑out items accurately and on time, coordinating with store associates to meet customer pickup and delivery expectations.
  • Perform basic quality control checks for product damage, defects or incorrect labeling and coordinate with vendors, distribution centers or store management to resolve issues promptly.
  • Operate forklifts or order pickers where certified and required, following OSHA and company safety standards to move bulk inventory and execute high‑volume receiving processes.
  • Maintain backroom organization and housekeeping standards by disposing of packing materials, pallet wrap, and recyclables, and ensuring clear aisles and proper storage to minimize hazards.
  • Maintain and update receiving schedules, daily manifests and shipment logs to support forecasting, staffing and workload balance for peak and off‑peak periods.
  • Coordinate with store managers, department leads and merchandise planners to prioritize putaway of promotional, seasonal and high‑turnover items to maximize sales availability.
  • Train and mentor new receiving staff on correct procedures for scanning, labeling, shelf replenishment, safety and loss prevention to ensure consistent operational execution.
  • Support markdown processing, price updates, and product re‑tagging as directed, ensuring pricing accuracy on the sales floor and in the POS system.
  • Respond to and assist customers with inquiries related to product availability, pick‑up orders and store layout, providing friendly, solution‑oriented service when needed.
  • Assist loss prevention and asset protection efforts by monitoring for unauthorized product movement, reporting suspicious activity and adhering to shrink reduction procedures.
  • Participate in store set‑ups for seasonal transitions, promotions and store resets by moving and staging inventory, assembling displays and executing merchandising plans.
  • Maintain accurate documentation for hazardous materials, temperature‑sensitive items or controlled products in accordance with regulatory and company policies.
  • Support emergency and contingency workflows such as expedited receiving, overflow storage management and rapid restocking during promotions or unexpected surges.

Secondary Functions

  • Monitor and report receiving KPIs including dock-to-shelf time, receiving accuracy, and inventory variance to help drive continuous improvement.
  • Collaborate with inventory planning and distribution teams to forecast receiving needs, recommend stocking strategies, and reduce out‑of‑stock events.
  • Assist with basic equipment maintenance and safety checks on pallet jacks, hand trucks and barcode scanners and report malfunctions to facilities or maintenance teams.
  • Support ad‑hoc logistics projects such as donation coordination, liquidation preparation, or seasonal buybacks.
  • Provide feedback to merchandising and buying teams regarding product packaging, labeling or SKU consolidations that could improve receiving efficiency.
  • Help prepare documentation and evidence needed for vendor chargebacks, carrier claims, or insurance follow‑ups related to damaged or short‑shipped goods.
  • Participate in cross‑functional meetings to align receiving priorities with store promotions, staffing and customer traffic patterns.
  • Assist the store leadership with ad‑hoc administrative tasks such as invoice scanning, filing receiving paperwork and maintaining an accurate receiving binders or digital logs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Inventory management and stock control: cycle counting, physical inventory, variance reconciliation, FIFO practices.
  • Receiving operations: unloading, pallet handling, staging, and processing vendor shipments against POs and packing slips.
  • RF barcode scanners, mobile inventory devices and handheld POS tools for real‑time inventory updates.
  • Experience with retail WMS/POS systems (examples: Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, NCR, Lightspeed, Shopify POS, or proprietary retail systems).
  • Basic equipment operation and certification where required: pallet jack, stacker, forklift, conveyor systems.
  • Shipping & returns processing including RMAs, credit memos, and preparing vendor return shipments.
  • Basic computer literacy: Microsoft Excel (basic formulas, sorting, filtering), email, handheld device apps and inventory dashboards.
  • Planogram execution and merchandising fundamentals for accurate shelf replenishment and product presentation.
  • Loss prevention and shrink mitigation processes: reporting, documentation and adherence to asset protection protocols.
  • Safety and compliance knowledge: OSHA guidelines, safe lifting techniques, hazardous material handling and store safety procedures.

Soft Skills

  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy in counting, labeling and recordkeeping to reduce stock discrepancies.
  • Effective communication skills for coordinating with vendors, drivers, store leadership and customer service teams.
  • Physical stamina and endurance to perform repetitive lifting, bending and standing for long shifts in a retail environment.
  • Time management and prioritization to handle variable receiving volumes and competing store needs.
  • Problem solving and escalation judgment: ability to identify discrepancies and follow escalation protocols to resolution.
  • Team orientation with the ability to train and mentor peers and work collaboratively across store departments.
  • Customer‑focused attitude able to assist customers and sales staff while balancing backroom priorities.
  • Adaptability and flexibility to support changing schedules during peak seasons, promotions and special events.
  • Initiative and ownership: proactive approach to improving processes, reporting inefficiencies and suggesting operational improvements.
  • Organizational skills to maintain clean, compliant and logically arranged backroom areas.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Technical certificate or coursework in logistics, supply chain, warehouse operations or business administration is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Logistics / Warehouse Operations
  • Business Administration
  • Retail Management
  • Industrial Safety / Occupational Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 0–3 years for entry level; 2–5 years preferred for lead or supervisory roles.

Preferred:

  • 1+ year experience in retail receiving, backroom operations or warehouse/fulfillment environments.
  • Demonstrated experience with inventory management systems, RF scanning, and handling high volume seasonal receiving.
  • Forklift certification and previous experience operating powered industrial trucks where applicable.
Explore More Careers