Is Retail Building Materials A Good Career Path? (Discover More)

To everyone considering a career in the retail building materials industry, this article will serve you greatly, as we have compiled all basic knowledge about retail materials, including the best-paying jobs to help you make better decisions.

Therefore, if you have a passion for sales, marketing, or management, the retail building materials industry is a perfect career option for you, and the good news is that this industry is currently topping among the best career paths with numerous job opportunities.

Table of Contents

What are Retail Building Materials?

In a simpler explanation, Retail building materials refer to all the products and materials used majorly in building, constructing, renovating, and maintaining facilities that are sold in retail stores.

Such retail building materials facilities include timber, cement, bricks, mortar, hardware, electrical supplies, paint, and many others.

Is Retail Building Materials A Good Career Path?

Yes. Retail building materials is undoubtedly a great and rewarding career path for those who love working with their hands and being creative.

Furthermore, the industry has numerous job opportunities with opportunities for career advancement. Below are some good-paying job positions in the industry you might love to know.

Best-Paying Jobs in Retail Building Materials Career Path

1. Retail Customer Service

Earning around $34,867 yearly, the position of retail customer service is one of the best-paying jobs in the industry, and their duty is to take charge of assisting customers in finding the perfect materials they need, and also answer their questions and concerns, to ensure they have a pleasant shopping experience, so they will wish to come back next time.

2. Store Manager

Another good-paying job in the retail building materials industry is the position of store manager, known to oversee all the daily operations of a retail store, which includes customer service, inventory management, and employee scheduling.

3. Warehouse Worker

Warehouse workers earn around $31,000 per year, and it’s another good-paying position in the retail building materials industry. The duty of a warehouse worker is to take responsibility for all the movement of materials within the warehouse and shipping department.

4. Sales Representative

Working as a sales representative, you are in charge of all product sales and customer services. This position also enjoys good pay, but you need to have excellent communication skills.

5. Marketing Manager

In the retail building materials industry, the marketing manager takes charge of all development and implementation of good marketing strategies (including developing advertising campaigns, managing social media accounts, and creating promotional materials) to help promote the industry and make good income.

6. Human Resources Director

Earning around $102,000 per year, the human resources director takes responsibility for hiring and retaining employees, and also managing their compensation packages.

7. Forklift Operator

The position of a forklift operator is also another good paying one that earns around $33,000 per year, with the duty of moving all materials around a warehouse or other storage facility using the forklift machine.

8. Call Center Representative

Working as a call centre representative, you will earn around $29,000 per year, which makes the position a good-paying one and your duty is to answer the phone and handle customer inquiries and complaints through phone calls or online mails.

9. Operations Manager

The duty of an operation manager is to oversee all day-to-day operations of a retail building materials store and make sure that things or operations move accordingly/smoothly.

10. Merchandiser

Lastly, the position of a merchandiser is a good one to venture into as they earn around $31,000 per year, and their duty is to take responsibility for selling products to customers.

Advantages of Choosing a Career in Retail Building Materials

1. Industrial Growth: The retail building material industry enjoys constant growth as the demand for construction and home renovation projects is continually increasing, which in turn makes the industry a fast-growing field with numerous good-paying job opportunities.

2. Attractive Salary: With high demand for workers, the industry also offers good pay, as they have numerous good-paying job positions.

3. Diverse Career Paths: Another good thing about retail building materials is that they offer various career paths in sales, marketing, management, and other areas which offers you the opportunity to pick the one that best suits your interest.

4. Job Stability: Working in the retail building materials industry, your job or position is secured as they hardly face or suffer economic downturns.

Disadvantages of Choosing a Career in the Retail Building Materials

Just as we offered some advantages of working in the retail building material industry, below are a few disadvantages you might love to consider.

1. You might likely work in a high-pressure environment, most especially when you are in a sales position, which requires enough effort to make sales and meet to target.

2. The retail building materials industry requires a high technical knowledge to operate in some sectors perfectly.

3. Lastly, the industry requires physical labour, which means you must be physically active to work perfectly in sectors like delivery and warehouse.

Skills Needed For A Successful Career In Retail Building Materials

1. Good Technical Knowledge: Everyone who wants to do great in retail building materials should have a strong technical understanding, so you can perfectly fit into some positions in the industry.

2. Excellent Communication/Customer Service Skills: To perfectly interact with customers and workers, you need to know how to make them feel comfortable with your good skills of communication, so you can retain customers and not lose them.

3. Good Sales and Marketing Skills: You should know that the retail building materials industry requires sales, which means if you have good sales and marketing skills, then you will surely excel.

4. Industrial Working Experience: Having former industrial work knowledge will help you excel faster than one without any industrial experience.

5. Problem-Solving Skills: In every industry, there are chances of facing unexpected issues, which requires good problem-solving skills to help push the company out of some challenges with delay.

6. Good Project Management Skills: Lastly, excellent project management skills will help you manage projects and teams, which will help an industry to grow well.

Available Job Positions in Retail Building Materials

Store Manager
Sales Representative
Purchasing Manager
Marketing Manager
Inventory Manager
Customer Service Representatives
Operations Manager
Product Manager
Logistics Manager, and
Human Resources Manager

Duties of Workers In Retail Building Materials Industry

Stocking and Selling Products like nails and screws, paint, lumber, windows and doors, siding, and downspouts are the major duties of people working in the retail building materials industry.

What Skills Are Necessary To Work In Retail Building Materials?

Good Communication Skills
Leadership Skills
Analytical Skills
Creative Skills
Product Knowledge Skills
Customer Service Skills
Organizational Skills and
Interpersonal skills.

Do I Need A Degree to Work in A Retail Building Material Industry?

No. You don’t need a specific degree to work in retail building materials, however, some college or university courses can help increase your chances of working in higher positions and earning more.

How Much Can One Make from Retail Building Career Path?

An average of $47,000 can be made yearly from a retail building career path, but it is essential to know that the amount made is dependent on factors like the industry you work for, your duties, and the job position you occupy.

However, there are ways you can increase your salary, which includes working hard and aiming for higher work positions.