Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure

What they do

Plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions.

Kinds of work

  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $39,390 Median per year · $18.94/hr Most earn $30,760–$58,370

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
  • Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product.
  • Prepare sketches, floor plans, or models of proposed displays.
  • Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations.
  • Consult with advertising or sales staff to determine type of merchandise to be featured and time and place for each display.
  • Select themes, lighting, colors, or props to be used.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 17,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods31.0%
  • General merchandise retailers12.4%
  • Building material and supplies dealers11.6%
  • Advertising, public relations, and related services8.5%
  • Other support services5.7%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Most people do not start in this job straight out of school. It usually takes a high school diploma, about 6 months to 1 year of related retail work, and then on-the-job training or a certificate or apprenticeship in display work.

  1. High school diploma

    About 4 years

    Build basic skills in art, math, and communication, and get some hands-on work experience while you are still in school.

  2. Retail Salesperson

    6 months to 1 year

    Work on the store floor to learn how products are arranged, how customers move through a store, and what sells, which gives you the store-level experience employers look for in display roles.

  3. Merchandise Displayer and Window Trimmer

    Ongoing, with on-the-job training or a certificate or apprenticeship

    Plan and set up window and in-store displays, often while training under experienced display staff or completing a certificate program.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Visual Merchandiser

    1-3 years of experience first

    You take charge of display teams and plan layouts across several stores or sections, which requires strong planning and leadership skills.

  2. Visual Merchandising Manager

    3-5 years of experience first

    You oversee display strategy for a store, region, or brand, set budgets and schedules, and coordinate with marketing and buying teams.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take art and design classesDrawing, painting, and graphic design classes help you understand balance, color, and layout, which are the core skills of good displays.
  • Get a part-time retail jobWorking in a store teaches you how products are handled, how customers shop, and how to work with a team, all of which build toward a display career.
  • Join a business, marketing, or art clubClubs like these give you chances to design posters, plan events, and practice presenting ideas to others.
  • Help with school plays or school store displaysSetting up sets, props, and bulletin boards gives you practical experience with arranging objects in a space.
  • Practice sketching store layoutsDraw simple floor plans or window designs for stores you know. This builds planning skills you will use every day in the job.

In college

  • Take visual merchandising, retail, or marketing coursesThese classes teach how displays support sales and how brands present products, which is useful to employers in this field.
  • Work a retail or campus jobA job on a store floor, or helping with campus displays and events, gives you the retail experience that often comes before this career.
  • Look for an internship with a retailer's display or marketing teamAn internship lets you see how displays are planned, built, and changed, and gives you names to list on future applications.
  • Consider a certificate in visual merchandising or displayIf your school or a local community college offers one, a certificate can show employers you have formal training in display work.
  • Build a portfolio of your display workPhotos of displays you have designed or helped set up show employers your creative judgment and hands-on skills.

Tips for getting started

  • Photograph your work, including school event displays, store windows you have helped with, and any layouts you designed. A simple portfolio can matter more than grades when applying for display jobs.
  • Look closely at the windows and displays in stores you visit. Think about why they catch your eye, then try to recreate a similar idea on a small scale.
  • Ask a local store's display or visual team whether you can shadow them or ask questions. Many people in this field are happy to share how they work.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

Related careers