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Career

Retail Salespersons

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate 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 $35,410 Median per year · $17.03/hr Most earn $27,210–$47,890

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Clean shelves, counters, and tables.
  • Inventory stock and requisition new stock.
  • Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.
  • Help customers try on or fit merchandise.
  • Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
  • Estimate quantity and cost of merchandise required, such as paint or floor covering.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
About the same number of jobs by 2035, little or no change · about 520,600 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

  • General merchandise retailers19.7%
  • Clothing and clothing accessories retailers12.3%
  • Building material and supplies dealers10.0%
  • Automobile dealers5.6%
  • Miscellaneous store retailers4.2%

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: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Retail Salesperson is an entry-level job. Many people start with a high school diploma, and most employers like to see about 6 months to 1 year of related work before you reach this role, often gained in a store job like stocking or cashiering.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school and build strong communication and math skills, since you will talk with customers and count money every day.

  2. Stocker

    6 months to 1 year

    Stocking shelves and helping fill orders teaches you how a store runs, what products it carries, and how to work as part of a team.

  3. Retail Salesperson

    Ongoing

    You help customers find products, explain features, answer questions, and close sales, which is the main work of this career.

Where it can lead

  1. First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers

    2 to 4 years of experience first

    You move from selling to leading a team, handling schedules, training new staff, tracking sales goals, and helping solve customer problems.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and English classesStrong math helps with counting change and understanding sales numbers, and strong writing and speaking help you explain products to customers.
  • Get a part-time job or volunteer at a storeEven a few shifts give you real experience with customers, cash handling, and store routines that employers look for.
  • Join a debate, drama, or public speaking clubThese activities build the confidence needed to talk with strangers and make a sales pitch.
  • Learn about products you enjoyReading reviews and comparing items helps you practice explaining why one product fits a person's needs better than another.
  • Try a school job like office aide or library helperWorking with people and following routines in a school setting builds the reliability employers want.

In college

  • Take business, marketing, or communication coursesThese classes teach how customers make buying decisions and how to present products clearly, which is useful in sales.
  • Work a retail or customer-facing campus jobJobs at a campus bookstore, dining hall, or service desk give you hands-on practice with customers and handling busy shifts.
  • Join a sales or marketing student clubStudent groups often run practice pitches, networking events, and team projects that build selling skills.
  • Seek an internship or part-time sales roleReal selling experience, even short-term, helps you show employers you can meet targets and work with customers.
  • Ask a retail manager for feedbackAsking what you could do better after each shift helps you grow faster and shows initiative when you apply for higher roles.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for part-time or weekend jobs in stores, even if the job is stocking or cashiering. That experience counts toward the 6 months to 1 year most employers look for.
  • Practice being friendly and clear with people. Retail sales depends a lot on listening to what a customer needs and explaining things simply.

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.

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