Store Manager, Retail & Store Manager

Store Manager Since 1978, Big Tool Box has been the family-owned hardware haven where “all the expertise is under one roof,” putting customer service at the heart of everything it does. Spanning five powerhouse categories—Ace Hardware and Tools for every nut, bolt, and power tool imaginable; the Rental & Repair Center to keep projects moving without breaking the bank; the Highlands Garden Center bursting with plants, soil, and green-thumb guidance;

the Lawn & Sprinkler Center for flawless outdoor irrigation and landscape solutions; and the Grillin and Chillin Center stocked with premium BBQ grills and all the accessories for perfect backyard cookouts—Big Tool Box remains the go-to destination for contractors, gardeners, grill masters, and DIYers alike.

Job Summary Lead the entire store as the top on-site leader of a locally owned Ace Hardware location, driving sales, profitability, customer experience, and operational excellence across all departments.

Own full responsibility for ensuring the store is always retail ready — clean, organized, fully merchandised, planogram-compliant, and visually compelling — while maintaining exceptional in-stock levels so customers can find what they need every time they visit.

Own full P&L responsibility, team development, inventory integrity, and the consistent delivery of Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Folks” culture.

Full-time salaried leadership role with full keyholder authority, budget ownership, and direct accountability to the District Manager and/or owner.

Praise worthy customer service is our goal in every customer interaction.

Key Responsibilities Overall Store Leadership & Performance Own the store’s sales, gross margin, labor, shrink, and expense performance against budget and prior-year results.

Analyze weekly and monthly P&L, sales trends, and inventory reports; develop and execute action plans to hit or exceed targets.

Set clear expectations and accountability for all department leaders with a relentless focus on retail readiness and in-stock performance.

Retail Readiness & In-Stock Leadership Ensure the entire store (Hardware, Garden Center, Rental/Repair, and front-end) is retail ready at all times: fully stocked, faced, clean, organized, priced accurately, and planogram-compliant.

Drive high in-stock levels (98%) through disciplined cycle counting, timely freight processing, accurate ordering, and aggressive follow-up on out-of-stocks.

Personally walk the store daily to identify empty shelves, incomplete displays, and presentation gaps — then immediately coach and correct.

Hold the team accountable for pulling product from the backroom same-day and keeping endcaps, sidekicks, and promotional displays full and impactful.

People Leadership & Talent Development Hire, train, coach, schedule, and develop the entire store team.

Write or approve schedules, conduct performance reviews, manage progressive discipline, and build a strong succession pipeline.

Create a culture where every associate understands that full shelves and a retail-ready store are non-negotiable.

Customer Service & Experience Personally model impeccable customer service behaviors every day.

Continuously monitor service levels and ensure customers never leave empty-handed due to stockouts or poor presentation.

Coach the team to proactively solve “we’re out of that” situations with rain checks, substitutions, special orders, or will-call solutions.

Operations & Department Oversight Oversee Hardware, Garden Center (including Live Goods), Receiving/Warehouse, Lawn Sprinkler Center, Rental/Repair, and Cashier operations for accuracy, efficiency, and presentation standards.

Ensure high inventory accuracy, strong planogram compliance, timely freight processing, and excellent in-stock levels across…