The Retail Leader's Field Guide: How to Run a Kick-Ass Store Where Everyone Wants to Work

Many smart, hardworking, well-balanced individuals assume they'd be good managers, given the chance. That's what I thought when I went from being an all-star player making the shots in the retail field to teaching teams of others to make the shots. But managing people is much harder, more stressful, and emotionally taxing than it looks. While there are many abstract articles and theoretical books on "Management," with a capital "M," few address the hands-on mechanics of managing human beings in the trenches and under pressure. Nowhere is the absence of practical management advice and guidance more observable than in retail stores. During my weekly store tours, I often feel bad for aspiring managers trying to balance the demanding directives from headquarters while also trying to train, develop, and protect their frontline team members under their command. It can sometimes feel like a thankless job, with unhappy employees and impatient bosses. But when I stumbled upon Kit Campoy's excellent book, "The Retail Leader's Field Guide: How to Run a Kick-Ass Store Where Everyone Wants to Work," I couldn't put it down. Kit is a seasoned retail leader and gifted writer who gets to the point in a profoundly simple way. Her advice is honest, vulnerable, and relatable to store managers who want to improve their troop management skills and leadership abilities. I found myself referring to her book so often that I bought a box of the books to keep in my car to hand out to all the aspiring managers I meet in retail stores and corporate environments. My review of this book is long overdue, but if you're a manager moving your way up at a store, office, or organization, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this easy-to-read but potent field guide to management. It's an essential book to become a much more grounded and wise leader.

Although I’ve never been a store manager, I’ve been in the retail industry for over thirty years. Kit Campoy has written an enjoyable, practical, well-written and humorous guide to running a retail store. I read the book and lent it to someone who I work with that was just promoted into management. Not only did she enjoy the book, but her fifteen year old daughter picked it up, read it and enjoyed it! Kit has given the much misunderstood retail profession, and the people in it, the respect it finally deserves. The people I work with work their butts off every day! Thank you Kit for finally acknowledging this!

I was always in retail for fun. A side hustle, so to speak, but as I enjoyed it more and took on more responsibilities, I moved up and am in my second year of being an SM. Kit’s easy to absorb book is packed full of knowledge that can influence a seasoned manager or a newer one. Either way, you will find this book incredibly relatable and an asset to your Retail Library.

Ms. Campoy has written the best hands-on field guide for retailers you are likely to find. The tips for building and maintaining a team take center stage but it also contains many guidelines and routines to use in overall management of a retail business. This little book is perfect for recent undergrads who are about to venture forth into the retail world. It would save their new bosses hours of training and save those with the newly minted bachelors degrees some embarrassment. I wish it had been available when I was still actively teaching...I would have passed them out as graduation presents! Congratulations Kit for a real hit!

I have been in retail for 23 years. The basics of what is described in this book are key and many of the practices I have been doing for the last 15 years as a store manager. What’s great about this book is the way it is written with best practices literally spelled out. I wish I would’ve had this book 20+ years ago when I was starting out. Many leadership books are written big picture, which is great when you’re talking about leadership theories but when you’re talking about real life and day out, sometimes you need to cut through all the philosophies and just have someone tell you here’s what will work and she has done that in this book. Great job. I would recommend this to any new leader.

First book I have read on the topic. Kit was actually inspiring me to finish my retail book that I have been talking about for years. She also inspired me to be better and do better at retail. Thank you Kit!!!! Write some more please. We love the practical stuff.

If you are a new store manager, or even an established retail frontline leader, this book is a must read. It will either teach you the necessary skills to effectively run a store, or reinforce what you have already been doing. This book ensures you never forget the "people" as a people leader. Far too often we are so nose down in driving metrics and hitting goals that we forget about the most important resource, the human resource. Kit reminds us time and time again with her words just how important it is to lead people first. You can feel her passion and pride for the retail store in every page you turn. Can't wait to read more of her work.

It was very informative

Kit’s writing style is honest, quick and easy to read, and gives real actionable advice on how to up your store management game. Several passages really spoke to me as someone who also has a people-first management style. No matter what brand you work for, if you’re a newer SM or just need a dash of inspiration to fall back in love with your job, you will love this book. Also the text is big so you can read it easily on your ten minute breaks, on the bus, at the water cooler, or during your two minutes of solitude in the shoe stockroom lol Thank you Kit!!