Meta description: Whether it’s your first job or you’re looking for a retail management position, putting in a Champs application can set you off on a good career path.
Working in a retail store is one of the best first jobs to have for many young people. The hours are flexible so that you can work around school, and it pays well. If you work in a mall, then you can greet your friends and other people you know who are hanging out. You can fill out a Champs application if you’re looking for a job in a mall-based retail store.
What is Champs?
Champs is Champs Sports, which is a retail store that specializes in selling athletic shoes and some apparel. They sell name brands like:
Usually, they sell name brand apparel for the shoes they sell. So, if they sell Adidas shoes, they may sell Adidas tennis wear or jogging suits. They also sell baseball caps and knit hats from companies like New Era.
Champs History
The history of this retail store goes back over 140 years to the F.W. Woolworth company. The Woolworth’s stores were among the first five and dime stores to appear in the United States. Along with a lunch counter, people could buy toiletries, hair care products, gifts, and other small items at the store.
In 1963, Woolworth’s began to expand its operations by acquiring the Kinney Shoe Corporation and later rebranded it as FootLocker. In 1974, FootLocker Inc. founded Champs Sports, which today is one of the largest athletic and apparel retail stores in the world.
Champs has over 545 stores in the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. When you buy something from Champs, whether online or at a store, and it’s the wrong color or size, you can return it at FootLocker, which is their parent company. If they don’t have shoes to replace them, you can reorder a pair through them.
Positions at Champs
At the company, you can apply online to work as a:
- Sales Associate
- Stock Associate
- Sales Lead
- Management Trainee
- Assistant Store Manager
- Store Manager
As with most companies, they prefer taking applications online and may not have applications available in the stores. However, you can check with a store near you to find out if they take paper applications. To find job openings and apply them, go to their website www.champsports.com. Then you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page and click career opportunities on the left side.
If you want to work in a store, select “Retail Sales” from the options but remember, since FootLocker owns them, as well as other businesses, you will need to refine the search on the site. To the left, there is a drop-down called “Brand.” Click the “+,” and it opens to reveal all the store names and you will see Champs listed first.
Put a check in that box to see all the openings at Champs. For opportunities closer to your location, put the name of your city or the zip code in the box, and then, search by the “most relevant” or the “most recent” openings. Once the results appear, select the one that you like and click the job title.
Job Descriptions
To work an entry-level job at Champs, either as a Sales or Stock Associate, potential candidates don’t need to have experience. However, applicants can have up to three years’ experience for these entry-level jobs if they have a work history. The minimum age to work at Champs is 16.
Sales Associate
Since you’ll be working with customers, either on the sales floor or on the register, you should feel comfortable and confident working with people. Sales Associates should also take the initiative to start and complete tasks with minimal supervision and be willing to work flexible hours.
They may be assigned to work nights, daytime, weekends, and any holidays the store is open. The store is open for most holidays, except Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Sales Associates can expect to make $8 to $11 per hour.
Stock Associate
A Stock Associate works with the shipping and receiving department, so they make sure the incoming orders are accurate and received correctly. Then, they stock the shelves, so the Sales Associates can tell if they have the merchandise to serve the customers they get in the store. If an item is out, but still available, then they can help place an order online or through the warehouse.
People who apply to work as a Stock Associate should have six to nine-months experience in a retail environment. They need to be able to climb stairs, ladders, kneel, and reach to pull items off the shelf or hand truck weighing five to 30 pounds.
Even though they don’t work directly with customers, they should be able to work well with others and without immediate supervision when necessary, as well as flexible schedules. A Stock Associate will make about the same pay as a Sales Associate, which is $8 to $11 an hour.
Sales Lead
The Sales Lead is a supervisory position, and they are responsible for making sure the customers have a pleasant experience while inside the store. They will also help management with merchandising, sales, visuals, and operational activities and goals. In addition, they can act as a liaison between the management staff and the employees.
A Sales Lead should have a minimum of one-year retail experience and be comfortable dealing with both customers and employees. They also need to have a flexible schedule to work nights, weekends, and holidays possibly. A Sales Lead may make a little more than a Sales Associate, so their pay may be between $8.50 to $11.50 an hour.
Management Trainee
This position gets candidates ready to become Assistant Managers at the store level. They are responsible for making sure that customers have a positive shopping experience at their store. They are also responsible for training sales associates and leaders to serve them.
The trainee needs to have excellent customer service skills, product knowledge, and the ability to assist the management staff with their duties. To qualify for the position, candidates need at least one-year experience helping customers in a sales setting. They should also be comfortable engaging with customers and other employees while on the job.
Candidates should also have strong analytical, cognitive, and mathematical skills, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills. They should also have high levels of trust, values, integrity, and ethics. The pay for a Manager Trainee will be around $10 to $12 an hour.
Assistant Store Manager
The job responsibilities for an Assistant Manager with Champs are similar to that of a Management Trainee. They should have at least one year of experience in a sales environment dealing with customers. Along with have good product knowledge that they can teach associates, they should be able to supervise them as well.
An Assistant Manager should be able to deal with customers and employees confidently and make sure customers have an enjoyable shopping experience. They need to have skills like:
- Financial Analysis
- Mathematical
- Problem-solving
- Cognitive
- Decision-making
- Merchandising
They should also be able to help managers fulfill their duties in the store as well. Along with having high levels of integrity, values, ethics, and trustworthiness, Assistant Managers need to have flexible schedules. Pay for this position is around $24,000 per year.
Store Manager
A candidate for Store Manager should have at least two years of experience with sales in a customer-oriented environment. They need to have extensive product knowledge and be able to lead their team to increase sales and provide excellent customer service.
They should also be able to meet company-wide standards for recruiting, hiring, visual merchandising, store operations, and customer service. Managers need to be able to maximize profitability by meeting and exceeding those standards too.
Managers need to have excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills, as well as be able to train associates and other management staff in product knowledge. They should be confident when dealing with customers and employees and be able to work any schedule they need to, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Store Managers answer to the District Manager and can expect to make about $45,000 per year or more.
Filling Out Application
After locating the position for which you wish to apply, click the job title on the openings results page to read the responsibilities and qualifications for the post. Then, if you decide to apply for the job, go to the top of the screen and click the red “Apply Now” box. If you want to fill out the Champs application later, click “Save Job,” so you can come back to it at a later time.
The first page asks for your email address, and then you can click “Next” after entering it. Clicking next will take you to the Candidate Profile page. Along with filling out the information, it also allows you to upload your resume or CV if you’re applying for a management position.
You can also link your Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, or Microsoft accounts to the profile page. However, you should be cautious about doing this if you have pictures or posts on Facebook that you wouldn’t want a supervisor or manager to see. Then, you can upload your resume or CV from your computer, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive for their consideration.
Create a Login
Applicants will need to create a login name and password so that they can access the application anytime they need to correct some information or check its status. After doing that, then they can begin inputting their personal information, like their name, address, and telephone number(s).
The application also asks for the last four digits of the applicants’ social security number and whether they are willing to relocate. Since Champs has stores throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands, you can apply for jobs in other states or territories.
If you’re relocating for school or moving with your family, then you could apply for openings at your new location too. After answering the question about relocating, you can add your education information. It asks for the highest level of school you’ve completed, so start with that school and work backward.
You don’t need to put anything other than your high school information if you haven’t gone to college. Next, there are boxes to include your work history. If Champs will be your first job, leave the boxes blank, and then add information in the summary box about applying for your first job.
Once you include your work experience, the application asks for the preferred compensation, the days and times applicants are available for work, and the language(s) that they speak or are proficient. For instance, you may not be fluent in Spanish, but you may speak and understand enough to help customers, so you should include that knowledge.
Finally, read the acknowledgment at the end of the application and indicate that you agree to the terms, then submit your profile. Instead of waiting for a call for an interview, wait seven to 10 days to give the application time to be processed. Then log in to the website to check the status of your application or call the store to which you applied.
Ask to speak to the hiring manager, then once they are on the phone, ask to check the status of your application. Some managers will tell you that they will call you back once they receive the application, but ask them to check to see if they already have it. If so, ask for an interview. They can either schedule a meeting or tell you ‘no.’
If you get an interview, do some research about Champs Sports before you go to it. The research will help prepare you to answer some of the questions that a manager will ask you during an interview.
After putting in your Champs application, don’t wait for more than a week to 10 days to follow-up on it. Read this information for other ideas about following up on online job applications, so yours doesn’t get lost in the others they receive.