I applied online, and to my surprise I received a call only a few days later - very efficient. This was about 3 weeks before Black Friday and they wanted made it clear during the interview that they wanted a CSM in place as quick as possible to train prior to it.
This was my first in-person interview since I was back on the Job market. Looking back, I frankly wasn't prepared. It was mostly behaviorial questions that I simply did not have specific examples prepared for. I did not "have any questions for them" at the end of the interview. They asked me what I knew about the company, I was very general/broad.
I learned a lot FROM the interview. I would have liked to have this position, but at least I learned my lesson for the next positions that I would also be a good fit for. I know I've learned a lot since my last time on the job market however... I had 7 years of CompUSA and Gateway Country experience last time I applied, and I failed the online test. This time I breezed through that without a hitch.
My advice to those who earned management elsewhere and are now looking for a management job from start... study the interview process, prepare scenarios for behavioral interviews, be prepared with questions for them at the end of the interview, dress formally, check out sites like Monster and Careerbuilder and Glassdoor for further advice...
The interview was with a district employee (district HR?) and the store manager who were both very friendly. I got a call the next day from the store manager; I missed the call and called him back.