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Newsagents operate newsagencies which sell newspapers,
magazines and other items such as greeting cards, stationery, books, toys and
confectionery. They may also sell lottery tickets, telecommunication
products, coupons and Australia Post products.

ANZSCO ID: 142111
Knowledge, skills and attributes
- Have a good knowledge of products and sales procedures.
Be friendly, helpful, polite and hardworking.
- Be able to lead and motivate other members of staff.
- Have good spoken and written communication skills.
- Be organised, able to take responsibility and make decisions.
- Be able to stay calm and cheerful during busy periods.
- Be able to deal effectively with problems and complaints.
- Have a clear knowledge of legal and security issues.
- Have relevant business skills.enjoy working with people
- a helpful, courteous manner
- neat personal appearance
- able to deal accurately with money
- motivation and drive
- good problem-solving skills
- willing to work as part of a team
Duties and Tasks
Newsagents may perform the following tasks:
- receive early morning deliveries of newspapers and arrange
home delivery to customers within their area
- distribute supplies of magazines and newspapers to milk bars
and paper sellers within their area
- price goods, re-stock shelves and arrange displays, re-order
stock and check the change in the cash register
- serve customers
- use a cash register to record prices, produce receipts and
provide change for customers
- supervise staff
- prepare monthly accounts
- negotiate with sales representatives for new products
- act as agents for classified advertisements for newspaper
organisations
- act as agents for dry-cleaners
- clean and dust the shop.
- advise customers on the location, selection,
price, delivery, use and care of goods available from the store, with
the aim of encouraging them to buy and to return to buy in the future
- operate cash registers and accept payment, or
prepare finance arrangements (invoices and contracts, for example)
take special orders for items not currently in
stock, or not normally stocked, and notify customers when the items have
arrived
package goods for customers and arrange
delivery
price, stack and display items for sale and
keep the store tidy and attractive
be aware of health, safety and welfare issues
and practices
participate in stocktaking (counting and
describing the goods in stock)
arrange for the repair of damaged goods or
advise on needed repairs
order items.
Working conditions
Newsagents normally start work around 6 am Monday to Sunday, so that they
can receive daily newspaper/magazines and organise any home deliveries.
Their shops usually close around 6 pm, or 7.30 pm if they sell Lottery
tickets. Some newsagents close on Sunday afternoons. The manager and staff
work shifts to cover these hours. Some individual businesses are run by
families, so working hours are flexible and sorted out on a day-to-day
basis.
Work is indoors in a busy, often noisy, environment, and involves a lot of
standing and, sometimes, bending and stretching when displaying goods or
showing them to customers. Many shops and stores provide uniforms.
Tools and Technologies
They need to know how to use tills and any other equipment available, such
as the Lottery machine, a photocopier, a post office weighing and pricing
machine. They must also be aware of strict laws concerning sales of certain
products, e.g. cigarettes and lottery tickets should not be sold to people
under 16.
Newsagents often receive visits from sales representatives of companies
wanting them to stock their products.
Education and training/entrance requirements
There are no set academic requirements to become a newsagent, although, as
the job involves a lot of paperwork and number work, Maths and English are
useful, as is experience of working with customers, particularly in retail.
Many newsagents run their own business or are self-employed.
Did You Know?
Two newspaper owners (News and Fairfax) [in Australia]
accounted for 86% of newspaper sales in Australia in 2011, as
compared to 54% for the top two newspaper owners in the United
Kingdom and a lowly 14% for the top two in the United States.
But it is important to note that this concentration of newspaper
circulation exists at a time when the overall number of newspaper
sales is declining. Newspaper sales per 100 Australians were 9.7 in
2011, as compared to 21.9 in 1987 and 13.0 in 2000.
(Source:
The Conversation)
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