Outlet Store Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

About tag

For more than 50 years, tag has believed in the power of thoughtfully designed products to inspire meaningful moments with friends, family, and loved ones. Blending beauty with function, tag designs and develops everyday and seasonal home décor, tabletop, gift, and lifestyle products for independent retailers and consumers across the country.

Located adjacent to tag’s Chicago corporate office, the tag Outlet Store serves several important purposes for the organization. The Outlet provides a unique shopping experience for the local community, supports local nonprofit organizations, provides tag employees access to products at preferred employee pricing, and serves as an important channel for responsibly and efficiently selling aged, discontinued, excess, and other designated inventory.

Position Summary

The Outlet Store Manager is responsible for the overall operation, financial performance, merchandising, inventory management, customer experience, and community presence of the approximately 1,200-square-foot tag Outlet Store.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring the Manager to balance day-to-day retail operations with the strategic purpose of the Outlet as an inventory disposition channel and extension of the tag brand.

The Outlet Store Manager will work collaboratively with tag’s Purchasing & Inventory team and other corporate departments to maximize the productive disposition and recovery of aged and excess inventory. The Manager will also supervise temporary store associates, manage the Shopify POS environment, build connections within the surrounding Chicago community, and lead the planning and execution of tag’s two annual Tent Sale events.

Key Responsibilities

Store Operations & Customer Experience

• Oversee all day-to-day operations of the tag Outlet Store.
• Provide a welcoming, positive, and brand-appropriate shopping experience for customers and employees.
• Manage store opening and closing procedures and ensure compliance with all cashless-store transaction controls. Current Outlet Store Hours 10AM to 4PM Tuesday through Saturday. 
• Maintain an organized, clean, safe, and visually appealing store environment.
• Ensure merchandise is presented in a manner consistent with tag’s brand standards.
• Maintain appropriate store operating hours and staffing levels based on business needs and customer traffic.
•  Identify opportunities to continually improve the customer experience and operating efficiency of the Outlet.

Inventory Management & Aged Inventory Disposition

• Partner closely with the Purchasing & Inventory team to identify aged, discontinued, excess, overstock, sample, and other inventory appropriate for disposition through the Outlet.
• Determine appropriate quantities and timing for transferring merchandise into the Outlet.
• Collaborate with the Purchasing & Inventory team to establish pricing and markdown strategies designed to balance inventory recovery, sell-through, and the strategic need to move aged inventory.
• Monitor inventory levels, sell-through, aging, and merchandise performance.
• Identify slow-moving Outlet inventory and implement appropriate markdown, promotional, or disposition strategies.
• Provide feedback to Purchasing and management regarding product performance and customer response.

Sales, Pricing & Financial Performance

• Recommend and execute merchandise pricing, markdown, and promotional strategies in collaboration with the Sr. Procurement and Inventory Manager and within approved company guidelines.
• Develop annual and seasonal sales plans for the Outlet.
• Monitor sales, gross margin, inventory recovery, average transaction value, units per transaction, and other relevant performance indicators.
• Evaluate results and recommend actions to improve performance and inventory productivity.
• Balance revenue and profitability objectives with the Outlet’s broader responsibility to efficiently liquidate aged and excess inventory.
• Manage store expenses within established budgets.

Shopify POS & Store Administration

• Serve as the primary administrator and operational owner of the Outlet’s Shopify POS system.
• Ensure products, pricing, discounts, promotions, inventory, and transactions are accurately maintained within the system.
• Utilize available Shopify reporting to evaluate sales trends, inventory performance, and customer activity.
• Maintain appropriate controls over discounts, returns, refunds, and transaction processing.

Community Engagement

• Build awareness of the tag Outlet Store within the surrounding Chicago community.
• Develop appropriate relationships with local organizations, community groups, businesses, and other potential partners.
• Identify opportunities for the Outlet and tag to support the local community through appropriate events, partnerships, donations, or other company-approved initiatives.
• Coordinate approved product donations and community-giving initiatives while maintaining appropriate documentation and inventory controls.
• Develop cost-effective local marketing and promotional ideas designed to increase awareness and store traffic.
• Represent tag positively and professionally within the community.

Tent Sales & Special Events

• Lead the planning and execution of two annual tag Tent Sale events.
• Develop event plans covering merchandise selection, pricing, merchandising, staffing, POS requirements, customer flow, setup, safety, and teardown.
• Establish sales and inventory-disposition objectives for each event.
• Conduct a post-event review including sales results, inventory movement, operational lessons learned, and recommendations for future events.

Staff Leadership

• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and provide day-to-day direction to approximately two temporary Outlet Store employees.
• Establish clear expectations for customer service, productivity, merchandising, attendance, and store procedures.
• Create a positive, accountable, and respectful working environment.
• Adjust staffing and schedules based on seasonal demand, Tent Sales, promotions, and other business needs.

Measures of Success

• Success in this position will be evaluated across several areas, including:
• Customer and employee experience
• Outlet sales and financial performance
• Reduction and productive disposition of aged and excess inventory, including inventory cost recovery
• Inventory sell-through and turnover
• Inventory accuracy and shrink control
• Tent Sale performance and execution
• Community awareness and engagement
• Store presentation and operational standards
• Effective collaboration with Purchasing and other tag departments

Qualifications & Experience

• 3–5 years of retail store management, assistant store management, or comparable hands-on retail leadership experience.
• Experience managing inventory, merchandising, pricing, markdowns, and promotional activity.
• Strong understanding of retail store economics and inventory productivity.
• Experience with Shopify POS strongly preferred.
• Experience supervising hourly, part-time, or temporary employees.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use sales and inventory data to make decisions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and other standard business applications.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated customer-service orientation and ability to represent the tag brand professionally.
• Comfortable working collaboratively with corporate departments while independently managing store operations.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to identify opportunities, test ideas, and take ownership for results.

Physical & Scheduling Requirements

• Position requires frequent standing, walking, reaching, bending, lifting, and movement throughout the store.
• Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to safely move and handle merchandise and occasionally climb ladders or step stools.
• Ability to work extended or adjusted hours during Tent Sales, promotional events, inventory activities, and other peak periods.
• Schedule flexibility based on store and business needs.

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible Spending Account
• Health savings account
• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Company paid life insurance and long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary Life insurance
• Voluntary Short-Term Disability
• Paid time off

The successful candidate must be able to pass a pre-employment background check and drug screening.