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Sample Retail Cover Letter

Take stock of your retail cover letter with this free sample.

By Dillon Price, Monster Contributor

The ultimate goal of retail is to sell goods and services. As a retail employee, your cover letter should highlight your selling points to potential employers. Not sure how to start? Here’s how to take stock of your skills and experience and display them artfully in your retail cover letter.

Think about taking an inventory of retail goods. When creating your retail cover letter, inventory your skills and make sure you check off each of these items:

  • Your name and contact information at the top of the cover letter.
  • The date, hiring manager and company information, job title, and reference number.
  • A salutation to the hiring manager.
  • A brief opening paragraph that describes who you are and why you’re a good fit.
  • An explanation of your educational and professional background in the second and third paragraphs.
  • Numbers and metrics that quantify your achievements (e.g., sales performance and cost reduction).
  • A closing paragraph that describes what you have to offer the company and how to best reach you for an interview.
  • Your closing salutation (e.g., “Sincerely,” “Best Regards,” or “Thank You”).

Not sure which skills to mention in your cover letter? Retail employers typically look for candidates who possess excellent customer service skills, adaptability, the ability to multitask and stay organized, money management and math skills, and strong communication skills.

Ready to begin? See the retail manager cover letter example below to learn how your first draft should look.

Retail Cover Letter

James Holt

Portland, OR 55555 | (555) 555-5555 | James.Holt@email.com

Month XX, 20XX

Ms. Amy Hightower
VP of Human Resources
Company One
14 Pinegrove Ave.
Portland, OR 55555

Re: Retail Store Manager, Job Ref. #12345

Dear Ms. Hightower:

I offer 12 years of experience managing day-to-day retail operations for stores generating between $10M and $15M annually, making me an excellent fit to your Portland store manager opening.

Since graduating from University One with a BA in business, I have progressed through increasingly responsible retail management assignments, including serving as store manager at Company Two (my present position), electronics department manager at Company Three and assistant store manager at Company Four.

In each position, I drove the attainment of revenue, profit, shrink-reduction, customer satisfaction and sales-volume goals. My ability to propel goal-surpassing results and motivate employees to deliver top performance has been demonstrated through accomplishments that include:

  • Leadership of a sales turnaround elevating my current store from #12 to #1 district-wide.
  • Customer service best-practices training that boosted theCompany Two Portland store to #2 (out of 50) in customer satisfaction region-wide.
  • 15% shrink reduction at the Company Three flagship store following a major revamp of store policies and security procedures.
  • Grand opening launch of the 2nd-highest-volume opening day in Company Two’s 50-year history.
  • Merchandising leadership driving the highest dollar-per-transaction averages in a 5-state region.

I share Company One’s commitment to building an environment with the highest level of customer service, team morale, merchandising standards and store operations. To arrange a meeting, please call me at (555) 555-5555. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

James Holt

 

Now that you know how to create a retail cover letter, what’s next? Before applying for jobs, be sure to polish up your retail resume and learn how to answer commonly asked retail interview questions. Plus, you can find more cover letter examples for retail by checking out Monster’s samples by occupation, including:

You likely want to know how much you’ll earn in your retail position. Retail store managers typically earn between $43,081 and $76,933 per year, according to Monster’s salary findings. Retail sales supervisor earn between $35,879 and $48,490, while retail merchandisers make $31,627 to $46,344.

Experience and location are also determining factors in your salary. You can find the median salary and pay range for retail professions in your area by looking them up on Monster’s Salary Calculator.

Then, start looking for retail positions in these five select cities:

Looking for retail jobs anywhere in the United States? You can find tons of them on Monster.

Take Stock of Your Cover Letter

Now that you’re ready to create your retail cover letter, consult with Monster’s writing team. We’ll package up your final product before you cash in on a new job opportunity. Plus, we’ll refine your cover letter’s appearance and highlight your key strengths, so you stand out from other qualified applicants in retail.