What should a new grocery manager actually be taught?

[Viable Food]

Many grocery managers learn the job the same way generations of managers have learned it:

They are promoted because they work hard, know the store, solve problems, or are dependable.

Then they are expected to figure out management.

That can leave major gaps.

A practical grocery-management curriculum could include:

• purposeful store walks,
• reading sales and margin reports,
• labor planning,
• scheduling,
• ordering and inventory,
• shrink,
• receiving,
• cash controls,
• food safety,
• merchandising,
• coaching employees,
• difficult conversations,
• customer service,
• basic financial literacy,
• vendor relationships,
• problem solving,
• and prioritization.

The harder question is what belongs first.

A new manager cannot absorb everything at once.

Training should help someone run tomorrow's shift better, while gradually teaching them how to understand the whole business.

If you were building a practical training program for a first-time grocery manager, what are the five things you would teach first?