Retail Operations Management Degree

Looking to take your

retail career to the next level?

The initial six courses focus specifically on Goodwill retail operations and are only available to Goodwill employees. They will articulate into our upcoming Associate of Applied Science program, providing a pipeline for growing and retaining retail leadership positions within your organization. The customized Goodwill retail courses are designed to build interdisciplinary skills crucial for efficiently managing a Goodwill store. Throughout these and the subsequent courses, students will be introduced to various concepts related to general business principles, such as accounting, marketing, management, and decision-making skills essential in the retail industry.

Review our retail operations management degree application process.

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Deeper Understanding

Achieve specific skills necessary to excel as a retail manager.

Career Growth

Unlock increased earning potential and career advancement within Goodwill.

Networking Opportunities

Connection with others seeking to advance their Goodwill careers.

Retail Operations Management Courses

Through our Retail Operations Management Program, you can build the skills that can help you start a new career or take on a leadership role in your current job. Your classes include:

This course serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of nonprofit organizations. Students will gain an understanding of the nonprofit sector and the issues that leaders face in this exciting and growing field. Students will also be exposed to various nonprofit models with special emphasis on the social enterprise model, focusing on leadership, strategy, managing employees and volunteers, fundraising, grant writing, board governance, marketing, innovation, and social media.

In this course, students will be introduced to the day-to-day operations of a Goodwill retail store and gain the knowledge and skills necessary to manage a Goodwill retail store. Topics include but are not limited to receiving donated goods and new goods, retail goods rotation, warehouse and fleet operations, sorting and classification of donated items, preparation for sales, salvage, after-retail and sustainability, staff assignments and supervision, working with special population employees, cash handling.

This course introduces students to the multi-stage process of finding, converting, and retaining prospective donors to support a successful Goodwill retail operation. Students will examine various acquisition strategies, including data analytics, needs assessments, networking and relationship building, and marketing and promotional campaigns. Students will explore various methods of promoting to donors using direct mail, social media, and special events, with a focus on high-quality donors for the best donor acquisition rates. This course culminates in a required on-site, hands-on learning experience facilitated by donated goods retail leadership at the student’s organization.

This course introduces students to basic principles and practices for pricing various types of donated retail goods. Students will also learn to make pricing decisions to promote sales and apply strategies for clearing inventories through discounted pricing. Students will also be introduced to production models, eCommerce, and seasonal and outlet operations. This course culminates in a required on-site, hands-on learning experience facilitated by donated goods retail leadership at the student’s organization.

In this course, students review donated goods retail inventory management processes, data analytics, and methods used to keep track of stock. Students will review the following functions for a donated retail store: Tracking and managing the inventory for the business to keep up with store markdowns; evaluating how well groups of products perform in sales; providing analysis for comparison shopping with competitors; and methods to accurately review inventory. This course culminates in a required on-site, hands-on learning experience facilitated by donated goods retail leadership at the student’s organization.

This unique course was designed for emerging leaders in a Goodwill retail store. Students will learn the various floor organization plans and their advantages for customer convenience and sales. Students will also examine space allocation and different methods for displaying and rotating retail goods and impulse displays and discuss their advantages and limitations. Methods of experiments and applied research are also introduced to encourage innovation and creativity. This course culminates in a required onsite, hands-on learning experience facilitated by donated goods retail leadership at the student’s organization.

Additional Credit-Bearing Courses Offered Through Helms College

Helms College provides foundational courses in business, accounting, management, marketing, and general education to students who want to advance their careers by pursuing a degree in retail operations management.

BUS101 Introduction to Business
BUS105 Principles of Marketing
BUS110 Business Communications
BUS115 Principles of Accounting
BUS201 Electronic Commerce
BUS205 Business Law and Ethics
BUS215 Entrepreneurship
CIS 101 Introduction to Computers
CRF202 Career Development
RTM105 Fundamentals of Customer Service
RTM201 Safety and Loss Prevention
ENG101 English Composition
MAT101 Mathematics for Business
PSY101 General Psychology
SOC101 Sociology
BIO101 Biology of Horticulture
COM101 Interpersonal Communications

Ready to get started?

Advance your career in our Retail Operations Management program. Email us at retailops@helms.edu for more information.