Retail Salespersons
Marketing, Sales and ServiceO*NET 41-2031.00United States
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
- Median annual earnings
- $35,354
- Projected change
- +2.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 4.06M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
82.8% of the workforce
Growing to 4.16M by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What retail salespersons do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
- Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.
- Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
- Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
- Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.
- Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.
- Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.
- Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.
- Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales.
- Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns.
- Inventory stock and requisition new stock.
- Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations.
- Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items.
- Clean shelves, counters, and tables.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $26,323
- 25th percentile
- $29,346
- 50th percentile
- $35,354
- 75th percentile
- $39,979
- 90th percentile
- $52,131
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $35,354 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+2.5%average or slower
20254,058,787 jobs
2035 projected4,159,806 jobs
101,019 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 82.8%
- Associate degree
- 9.8%
- Bachelor's degree
- 4%
- Certificate
- 2%
- Some college
- 1.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Sales Associates105,386 postings
- 02Retail Sales Associates72,546 postings
- 03Store Associates22,298 postings
- 04Retail Associates19,660 postings
- 05Team Members18,132 postings
- 06Salespeople13,935 postings
- 07Beauty Advisors13,011 postings
- 08Sales Associates/Cashiers11,587 postings
- 09Retail Store Associates9,786 postings
- 10Seasonal Sales Associates9,677 postings
- 11Seasonal Retail Associates9,369 postings
- 12Retail Sales Specialists7,911 postings
- 13Courtesy Clerks/Baggers7,908 postings
- 14Retail Stock Associates7,015 postings
- 15Front End Managers6,548 postings
- 16Store Sales Associates6,084 postings
- 17Retail Sales Consultants5,995 postings
- 18Store Team Members5,937 postings
- 19Retail Team Members5,883 postings
- 20Budtenders5,634 postings
Top employers
- 01Dollar General19,516 postings
- 02Lowe's13,681 postings
- 03Walmart13,567 postings
- 04AutoZone12,924 postings
- 05Kroger12,879 postings
- 06Macy's12,817 postings
- 07CVS Health9,574 postings
- 08Advance Auto Parts8,736 postings
- 09TJX8,589 postings
- 10Ulta Beauty6,929 postings
- 11T-Mobile US6,731 postings
- 12Best Buy6,564 postings
- 13Albertsons6,226 postings
- 14Goodwill6,065 postings
- 15Dick's Sporting Goods6,041 postings
- 16Harbor Freight Tools5,707 postings
- 17EssilorLuxottica5,483 postings
- 18Tractor Supply5,053 postings
- 19Burlington4,933 postings
- 20Staples4,827 postings
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