This article focuses on the topic Academy Hiring Age and Job opportunities at Academy.
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a famous sports retailer providing the best sports and outdoor gear in the United States. Academy now operates 259 stores in the South, Southeast, and Midwest. It offers high-quality sports and outdoor gear for activities like camping, fishing, and hunting. In addition, the Academy offers various entry-level positions to leadership.
If you want to apply for an entry-level job at Academy, you need to fulfill the minimum age criteria of 18 years. You can get hired as a sales team member, cashier, merchandising team member, and outdoor enthusiast. Also, you need to possess a High school diploma or general education degree (GED). The education and certifications vary as per the type of job.
About Academy Sports+Outdoors
Academy Sports+Outdoors is well-known sporting goods and outdoor store, successfully operating with 259 stores. They provide numerous assortment of high-quality fishing, hunting and camping gear, and equipment.
Academy is headquartered in a suburb of Houston, Texas(out of Katy, TX). The company started operation as a Tire Shop in San Antonio in 1938. The company owner Max Gochman turned it into a military surplus store in 1939. After successful operation and expansion, in 1978, Arthur Gochman (son of Max Gochman) moved the corporate office to Houston, Texas.
In 1980, they included sports and outdoor equipment like fishing, hunting, and camping goods in their product association. In 1990, Academy expanded with 28 stores and relocated the corporate office and distribution center to Katy, Texas. The company changed its name to Academy Sports+Outdoors in 1995.
In 1996, David Gochman (Arthur’s son) became Academy CEO and expanded it to various locations. Presently, Academy Sports+Outdoors functions in 16 states with 20,000 team members across the South, Southeast, and Midwest. In 2020, Academy Sales exceeded $5.69 billion.
Job Opportunities at Academy with a minimum age requirement
To get a job at Academy, you can check their website’s Career section. It contains jobs in three main categories: store careers, distribution center careers, and corporate careers. Among all the career options, we have listed some of the entry-level positions:
Sales Team Manager
Sales Team Manager is an entry-level job position. It is a crucial role that acts as a backbone for their numerous stores at various locations. The job includes many areas like hunting & fishing, sports, footwear, or apparel. Academy store managers look for individuals that possess excellent customer service. You need to guide customers with the numerous choices offered by the Academy.
These choices depend on the customer’s activity and their budget. Later, Sales Team Managers get promoted to the position of Team Lead and Senior Team Manager.
While the job include diverse responsibilities, here we listed the primary responsibilities of Sales Team Managers:-
- Guide and assist customers in a friendly way.
- Have to read, understand and abide by companies’ rules and regulations.
- Promote the store’s merchandise
- Have to increase sales using different sales techniques, excellent customer service skills, and gain store knowledge to guide customers in choosing correct products.
- Provide support to customers for requests like price checking or SKU.
- Need to stick to company’s policies, procedures, work hours, and rules regulating professional staff behavior.
- Need to learn and follow company’s safety rules, policies, and procedures.
- Have to perform different roles as per the change of duties.
To get the job of Sales Team Manager at Academy, you need to be at least 18 years old.
Cashier
The cashier is an essential member of the Academy that provides effective customer service. As a cashier, you need to ensure a friendly, fast, and accurate checkout experience for your customers. The cashier affects the profits, customer service, and the Academy’s purpose of enhancing customer’s experience in sports and outdoor activities.
Cashier responsibilities include :
- Provide instant and friendly customer service.
- Maintain cash registers for transitions like sales, credit applications, returns, hunting, and fishing licenses.
- Accurately balance all the entries in the dedicated log.
- Oversee SKU or price lookups.
- Support both incoming and outgoing products transfers.
- Zone commodity and maintain merchandising protocols.
- Set, stock, and keep the impulse racks at the front of the checkout counters.
- They also perform housekeeping duties like spot mopping, dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, etc.
- Update themselves with the cashier’s work and procedures.
- Have to read, understand and follow the company’s safety rules, procedures and policies.
- Need to work as per Academy’s work hours, guidelines, policies, and the laws governing professional staff behavior.
- Essential to work with the variation in duties.
To get the job of Cashier at Academy, you need to be at least 18 years old.
Merchandising Team Member
Merchandising Team Member at Academy supports the logistic process in the academy stores. They ensure that the merchandise is available on the dedicated floor. Also, ensure that the merchandise gets displayed in an attractive way to increase sales.
Their responsibilities include:
- Provide customer service by reflecting the integrity of merchandising and precision in pricing and signage.
- Enhance customer experience through the execution of planogram, signage, and pricing.
- Timely and accurately execute daily, weekly, or monthly price changes according to the schedule.
- Operate and audit store displays, signage, and other visual merchandising elements as per the company’s standards.
- Complete the tasks assigned by Team Lead or Manager.
- Give feedback on the company’s procedures and policies, and suggest ways to enhance departments’ efficiency, operations, or services towards customers.
- Have to read, understand and follow the company’s safety rules, procedures and policies.
- Need to work as per Academy’s work hours, procedures, policies, and the rules governing professional staff behavior.
- Essential to work with the variation in duties.
To work as a Merchandising Team Member at Academy, you need to be at least 18 years old.
Outdoor Enthusiast
Outdoor Enthusiasts are responsible for enhancing customer’s experience in outdoor activities. To get this role, you need to be enthusiastic about this field and business. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the first fishing trip of a kid with the family or the trip as an avid hunter. You need to guide and provide solutions to all types of customers.
Some of the responsibilities of Outdoor Enthusiasts include:
- Enthusiastically enhance customer’s outdoor experience. It involves those who like hunting, fishing, camping, or only want to spend a good time outdoors.
- Increase sales using excellent customer service skills, unique sales techniques, and product knowledge to guide customers to choose the right product.
- Have to meet position certifications and get updated knowledge on trends and merchandise in the outdoor industry.
- Get engaged with customers and guide all the outdoor customers, including families going camping for the first time to expert fly fishermen.
- Provide training to Sports, Fishing, and Hunting team members about the latest product specifications.
- Give feedback to Store Director, Manager, or Regional merchant about customer demands and product assortments.
- Need to earn Firearms Sales Certification Training.
- Ensure that the firearm sales happen as per federal and state law, comprising proper completion of ATF Form 4473 and background checks.
- Have to learn and obey the company’s safety rules, policies, and procedures.
- Need to work as per Academy’s work hours, procedures, policies, and the rules governing professional staff behavior.
- Should be able to work with the variation in duties.
To work as an Outdoor Enthusiast at Academy, you need to fulfill the age criteria of 18 years. Also, you need at least four years of personal experience in outdoor activities like camping, hunting, and fishing.
What is the Hiring Age of the Academy?
Academy hires candidates with a minimum age of 18 years. It mainly includes candidates applying for entry-level positions in the company. It consists of sales team positions and support staff like cashiers, sales associates, stocking associates, or customer service. Later, they get promoted to higher-level positions.
Perks to Work at Academy
Academy has specifically designed its benefits program to attract and retain talented and committed team members for long-term success. They provide health benefits like- Medical/Prescription Drug Insurance, Dental Insurance, Health saving Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life/ADD Insurance, Long and Short Term Disability.
Also, they provide other benefits like 401(k) Savings Plan, Paid Vacation, Paid Holiday, Tuition Reimbursement, Relocation Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs, Merchandise Discount, etc.
Hourly Pay of Academy Employees
The average pay of the Academy varies as per the city and locations. We have listed the general hourly pay rate of entry-level jobs:
- Sales Team Member: The Sales Team Members earn an average pay of $8 to $10 per hour.
- Cashier: A cashier gets an average pay of $ 9-$11 per hour. If you don’t have any prior experience, you might get paid less than this.
- Merchandising Team Member: Academy offers Merchandising Team Member with an average pay of $9 to $14 per hour.
- Outdoor Enthusiast: Academy pays Outdoor Enthusiast between $11 to $15 per hour.
How to apply at Academy?
If you want to get a job at Academy, you can easily apply to their website career section. It has an updated list of available job openings with locations. Once you fill the online application, check your email where you get the digital assessment from HireVue. The digital assessment contains seven questions that you can fill in fifteen minutes.
After you fill the assessment, the company will check your education and experience with the applied position. If they find you suitable, you will face a phone or face to face interview with one of the managers. It may follow up with a visit to the store or talk to the managers if you don’t receive any interview call.
What should you wear at an Academy Job Interview?
Although Academy Sports+Outdoors is a sports and outdoor equipment retailer, you can’t take it lightly and go in casuals. Consider dressing in business casual attire to show professionalism. Go for a button-down shirt with slacks or jeans and dress shoes.
Conclusion
Academy Sports+Outdoors is a well-known retailer of sports and outdoor goods. It has gained an incredible reputation for providing a high-quality and broad range of fishing, camping, and hunting equipment, barbeque grills, and patio sets in numerous locations. Academy offers entry-level positions on an hourly basis, and later, candidates get promoted with experience. If you want to work at Academy, you need to meet the Academy minimum hiring age of 18 years. Also, you need to acquire the required knowledge and skills to get the desired position.
