Retail Salesperson

Description of job: Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.

Whether they sit behind a cash register… stand at the ready on the car lot… or walk customers through a labyrinth of shelves… cashiers and retail sales workers are the face of many businesses. With more people employed in the field than in nearly any other job in the United States, retail offers workers the chance to learn skills that are essential for almost any workplace. Cashiers greet customers, ring up their purchases, and answer questions. They often handle product returns, sign customers up for rewards programs, and may stock shelves or clean up. Retail salespersons perform cashiers’ duties with an additional focus on helping customers find and choose items to buy. Items range from lumber, jewelry, clothing, books, plants, and electronics to furniture and cars. Sales positions may require specialized knowledge and training. Appliance salespersons, for example, must explain product specifications, financing, and more. Parts salespersons sell spare and replacement parts, especially car parts. They advise customers, take orders, and inventory supplies. Retail sales hours may be full time, though part-time hours are common, and weekends and holidays are often required. A friendly manner and the stamina to stand for long periods are important. In general, there are no formal education requirements for retail sales workers, and most receive on-the-job training. High school education may be required for positions selling more complex items.

Sources: Minnesota CAREERwise & CareerOneStop

Typical Job ActivitiesSkills & KnowledgeAve Wage/Job OutlookEducation & Training

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

Answer customer questions about goods or services.
Demonstrate products to consumers.
Sell products or services.
Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
Calculate costs of goods or services.
Estimate costs or terms of sales.
Review laws or regulations to maintain professional knowledge.
Set up merchandise displays.
Monitor work areas to provide security.
Reconcile records of sales or other financial transactions.

Typical Working Conditions

Frequent contact with others.
Dealing with external customers.
Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
Frequent decision-making.
The importance of being accurate or exact.
Standing.
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
High levels of competition.

Tools & Technology used by Retail Salespersons

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Retail Salespersons

Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
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.
Negotiating—Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Retail Salespersons

Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Psychology—Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Communications and Media—Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising—Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Wages Per Hour for Retail Salesperson (MN)

Low

$14.11

Median

$15.63

High

$18.17

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing low growth compared to other careers. There will be a 6.2% growth for Retail Salesperson to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career requires at least at least a high school degree, and some professionals have a some college. This career does not require a license (unless for a specialty product), but there are certifications are helpful for growth in some industries.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career: