The importance of asking the right questions for retail interviews
It’s possible for a candidate to look great on paper and then have trouble fitting in with your company’s culture. Asking the right retail interview questions reduces the risk that you’ll hire someone who turns out to be a bad fit.
During each interview, be sure to ask open-ended questions, or questions that require candidates to explain their answers. If you ask yes/no questions, you won’t be able to gather enough information to make a good hiring decision.
Related: 12 Situational Interviews to Ask Candidates
Top 13 retail interview questions
1. How would you resolve a disagreement with a coworker?
Retail employees must work together to stock merchandise, answer customer inquiries and process sales transactions. This question can help you assess a candidate’s ability to work as a team player. It can also make it easier to determine if a candidate has good listening skills.
When the candidate responds, listen for statements like these:
- “I’d speak to my coworker in a calm tone of voice.”
- “I’d explain my position and then ask my coworker to let me know if I had all the facts.”
- “I’d look for opportunities to compromise with my coworker.”
- “If I was wrong, I’d admit it and apologize to my coworker for the misunderstanding.”
Strong candidates will generally be able to demonstrate that they stay calm, think logically and treat others with respect.
2. What would you do if a customer wanted to return something after the return period expired?
Most returns go off without a hitch, but some customers try to return merchandise long after the date. Before you hire someone, you need to know if they can handle situations like this with tact. When you ask this question, a strong candidate should make you feel confident in their ability to:
- Treat the customer with respect
- Enforce your company’s return policy
- Make approved exceptions on a case-by-case basis
- Refer the customer to management if needed
3. Think about the best customer service experience of your life. What made it so special?
Good customer service can make or break your company’s reputation. Like other questions to ask for retail interviews, this one can help you assess a candidate’s ability to provide excellent customer service. Listen for answers that tell you a candidate’s approach to customer service matches—or doesn’t match—your company’s.
For example, if a candidate tells you about the time a retail clerk broke store policy to give them a refund well after the return period expired, you may want to think twice about hiring them. If you don’t listen to your instincts, you may hire someone who has trouble following store rules.
Related: 11 Examples of Great Customer Service
4. How much time do you need to transition from one task to another without getting overwhelmed?
Retail employees juggle many tasks, from ringing up merchandise to performing manual inventory counts. It’s not unusual to start one task and have to switch to another one within a few minutes. This question can help you determine if a candidate is likely to go with the flow or get frustrated by these frequent interruptions.
5. What interests you about the retail industry?
The people you hire should have a genuine interest in the retail industry. They may not want to stay with your company for more than a few years, but they must be enthusiastic about promoting your brand. Ask this question to help you find out if a candidate has more than a passing interest in what you do.
Related: Hiring for Retail Stores and Businesses
6. Have you ever shopped at one of our stores? If so, what do you think we could do better?
Whether you’re hiring a sales clerk or a department manager, you need someone with an eye for detail. You also need team members who feel confident expressing their opinions, especially when those opinions may help you increase sales or do a better job serving customers. The answer to this question can help you learn if a candidate pays close attention to details, thinks logically and expresses themselves in a professional manner.
7. What makes you a good candidate for this job?
A successful candidate should be able to articulate why they’re a good fit for the job. When you ask this question, you’re listening for a concise summary of each person’s knowledge, skills and experiences. You can also ask follow-up questions to determine how those things relate directly to your job opening.
For example, if a candidate has customer service experience in a non-retail setting, they should be able to tell you how they’d adjust their approach when working with your customers.
8. If we introduced a new product, how would you try to persuade a customer to buy it?
Most questions to ask in a retail interview focus on the past. This one focuses on the future, specifically how a candidate would perform as a salesperson. Even if they don’t have any sales experience, a high-quality candidate should be able to explain how they’d assess the customer’s needs, identify a product that matches those needs and persuade the customer to make a purchase.
9. Why did you leave your last job?
Most people don’t stay in the same job forever, but there’s a big difference between getting fired and leaving a job in pursuit of new opportunities. It’s also important to investigate whether a candidate was fired once or fired multiple times. Sometimes a job just doesn’t work out, and it’s not necessarily a reflection on the person’s work ethic or abilities.
If someone is let go multiple times, however, that’s cause for concern. When you ask this question, a candidate should be able to give a plausible explanation for why they left their last position. If they reveal that they were terminated for cause, they should also be able to explain what they learned from the experience.
10. What do you like about our products?
Before attending a job interview, a strong candidate should do some basic research to find out what your company does. Asking this question can help verify that a candidate has taken this important step. Interviewees don’t need to know about every product you sell, but they should be able to name at least one product and discuss its main features and benefits.
11. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to meet a customer’s needs.
Good retail interview questions can help you determine if a candidate is capable of delivering excellent customer service. This means going above and beyond—without breaking the rules—to ensure that every customer has a positive experience. Quality candidates should be able to explain how they’d delight your customers without going beyond the bounds of your policies and procedures.
Related: How to Hire a Customer Service Associate
12. How would you describe yourself?
Most of the questions on this list focus on the retail industry, but this one is a little more general. It’s worth asking, though, because it can help you determine if a candidate has the personality traits needed to succeed in a customer-facing role.
For example, if someone describes themselves as extroverted, friendly or outgoing, there’s a good chance they’ll feel at ease when working with customers. If they say they’re introverted, shy or reserved, they may not feel comfortable chatting with dozens of customers during a busy shift.