Retail Sales Worker Career

retail-sales-worker-500The world of retail is changing rapidly. Working in retail allows you to experience this change up close. As a retail worker, you will be responsible for setting stores and interacting with customers on a daily basis. A lot of people are excited about the change and want to be involved in this process.

If you enjoy interacting with people and adding value in business, retail can be a great career for you. You just need to commit yourself to embracing change on a daily basis and get used to working long hours in an stressful environment in order to succeed.

Retail Sales Worker Career Snapshot

Retail workers usually spend most of their day within the store. There are times of year, especially during the holidays, where the hours can be really long. You need to make sure you can work in a fast-paced environment if you want to succeed in this industry.

Further details on a career as a retail sales worker are listed below (statistics from the May 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):

$29,786

is the average annual salary for retail sales workers.

7%

increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.

76%

have a High school diploma or equivalent while 11% have less than a High school diploma.

Retail Sales Worker Education

There are many people who want to rise up rapidly in this field through their education. To be a retail worker, you usually just have to graduate from high school. However, getting a degree in a business field can help you advance quickly through the store level at your company.

Retail Sales Worker Job Duties

For retail workers, the most important job they have is making the stores look presentable and interacting with employees. During certain times of year, the stores will have to concentrate on setting planograms and making sure their seasonal merchandise is out. From a company perspective, higher levels of store execution end up increasing sales and profits over time.

Retail Sales Worker Salaries

Working in the retail field can be financially viable over time. However, when you are starting out, you can expect pay on the low side, around $22,900 according to BLS.gov reports. Median salaries over time have risen, but you are still looking at roughly $50,000 a year during the biggest earning potential of your career.

Retail Sales Worker Job Outlook

With all of the change in the retail industry, no one really knows what to expect in the future. There are a lot of retail companies that are going out of business because so many people now shop online. As a retail worker, you will have to be ready to endure a lot of change in the coming years within this industry.

Retail Sales Worker Skills & Traits

Retail Sales Worker Skill Set:Required Abilities:Tools Used by Retail Sales Workers:Typical Work Activities:
• Active Listening
• Persuasion
• Speaking
• Service Orientation
• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Barcode scanners
• Sewing machines
• Electronic funds transfer EFT terminals
• Telecheck processing terminals
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Selling or Influencing Others
• Getting Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

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