Behind the Counter

A Practical Guide to Retail Store Operations and Selling

For store staff, shop owners and future retail professionals

Pre-order · releases 15 Feb 2027

Paperback prices include all taxes; shipping is a flat ₹60 per order within India. PDF ebooks: 18% GST added at checkout.

Format

Paperback · PDF ebook

Size

170 × 240 mm

Pages

162 (paperback)

Language

English

Edition

First Edition, 2026

Release date

15/02/2027

ISBN

To be announced

Stock it. Show it. Sell it. Serve it.

Written for sales associates, store operations assistants, cashiers, small shop owners and anyone starting a career in retail in India, this practical guide explains how stores work and how to do every key job well, from receiving goods and arranging displays to selling, billing, after-sales service and keeping the store safe.

What you will learn

Understand retail formats, online and omnichannel retail, and careers in India
Run daily store routines and measure store performance
Receive, store, rotate, count and replenish stock accurately
Create attractive displays, follow planograms and price correctly
Understand customers and sell honestly, from greeting to closing
Handle billing, cash, digital payments, returns and consumer credit
Deliver great service, keep the store safe and plan a career or your own shop

Includes 37 illustrated figures, 57 case studies, 18 real-life scenarios, worked calculations, self-check questions and ready-to-use forms, plus a career roadmap with jobs, pay, qualifications and business ideas.

The world of retail
Inside a store
Receiving and managing stock
Visual merchandising and store readiness
Understanding customers
The art of selling
Billing, payments and credit
Customer service and after-sales
Security, health and safety
Working in retail
Running a small shop
Selling online and e-commerce operations

Plus reference tables, glossary, self-check answers, ready-to-use templates and real-life scenarios.

Employment direction

Where this book can take you

Every guide ends with a career roadmap: jobs, typical starting pay, how careers grow, recognised qualifications, where to find work, business ideas and a 90-day action plan.

Job	Where you work	Starting pay / month: tier-1 cities*	Tier-2 cities*
Retail sales associate	Supermarkets, malls, showrooms, brand stores	₹14,000–20,000plus incentives	₹11,000–15,000plus incentives
Cashier / billing executive	Supermarkets, pharmacies, stores	₹13,000–18,000	₹10,000–14,000
Visual merchandiser (junior)	Fashion and lifestyle stores	₹18,000–28,000	₹14,000–20,000
Inventory / store operations assistant	Stores, dark stores, warehouses	₹14,000–20,000	₹11,000–15,000
Customer service executive	Stores, e-commerce, service centres	₹16,000–25,000	₹12,000–17,000

Build your base: from practice to the job

New to the field? Employers hire freshers who can already do the basic tasks safely and correctly. This book builds that foundation through practice, not just reading: here is what you will be able to do from your first day at work.

On the jobReceive a delivery and check it against the invoiceHow this book builds it

Goods-receiving steps, stock records and shrinkage checks

On the jobSet up shelves and displays that sellHow this book builds it

Planogram, FIFO and visual merchandising tasks to practise in any shop

On the jobServe, sell and handle a difficult customerHow this book builds it

Selling steps and real-life retail scenarios with suggested approaches

On the jobBill correctly and close the cash counterHow this book builds it

Billing, UPI and card payments, returns and cash-tally practice

Understand the whyEach chapter explains how things work before how to do them, so you can handle situations the book never mentions.
Practise hands-onFollow the step-by-step tasks, checklists and templates on real tools, real customers or real data.
Test yourselfUse the skills check: aim for 3 or 4 on every task, and work through the real-life scenarios.
Show your proofKeep your skills record, photos and projects as a portfolio for interviews and your first employer.

How your career grows

Entry: Sales associate, cashier, stock assistant
Skilled: Senior associate, department in-charge
Supervisor: Team leader, assistant store manager
Manager / own shop: Store manager, area manager, shop owner

Get qualified

Retail sales certification through government-recognised skill programmes (Skill India)
Apprenticeships with retail chains (many recruit freshers through apprenticeship schemes)
Basic computer skills: billing software, spreadsheets, digital payments

Start on your own

General store or kirana with digital payments (start-up about ₹2–5 lakh)
Online reseller on marketplaces (start-up about ₹25,000–1,00,000)
Franchise outlet (small format) (start-up about ₹5–15 lakh)

*Typical starting pay per month for the first 0–2 years, reviewed in October 2026 against Glassdoor and Indeed India salary data. Tier-1: metro cities such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata. Tier-2: cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Kochi, Nagpur and Surat. For software, data, AI and security jobs, tier-1 figures are for product companies and large tech firms; many freshers in metros start at about ₹25,000–45,000. Pay varies by employer, skills and experience. Explore all careers →