Retail salespersons
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
Retail salespersons sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers. The role reports a median annual salary of $34,580 in the US and is projected to decline by 50% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a No formal educational credential, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.65 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Persuasion, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking, Negotiation.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £25,056 a year for Sales and retail assistants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £21,970 to £29,846 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 7111). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Service and sales workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Retail salespersons, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 5. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Sales and Marketing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Psychology
- Computers and Electronics
A day in the life
You arrive before the store opens, tidying displays, checking price tags and learning about this week's promotions and any new stock. When the doors open, you greet each customer warmly and ask what they are looking for. A father wants a gift for his daughter, so you ask a few questions and show him options that fit her interests. You answer questions about sizes, colours and the exchange policy, and fetch an item from the stockroom. Mid-morning you ring up purchases, taking cash and card payments and wrapping items neatly. After lunch a delivery arrives, and you help unpack and price new merchandise, then restock the shelves. Later you deal politely with a customer who wants to return a faulty item. On busy afternoons you juggle several shoppers at once. Standing all day can be tiring and some customers are difficult, but helping someone find exactly what they wanted is very satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Retail salespersons do?
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
What does a typical day look like in Retail salespersons?
You arrive before the store opens, tidying displays, checking price tags and learning about this week's promotions and any new stock. When the doors open, you greet each customer warmly and ask what they are looking for. A father wants a gift for his daughter, so you ask a few questions and show him options that fit her interests. You answer questions about sizes, colours and the exchange policy, and fetch an item from the stockroom.
How much does Retail salespersons earn?
The median annual salary for Retail salespersons in the US is $34,580.
What is the job outlook for Retail salespersons?
The role is projected to decline by 50% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 3,936,700 workers.
How do I become retail salespersons?
The typical entry education is a No formal educational credential. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Retail salespersons need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Persuasion, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking, Negotiation, Social Perceptiveness. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Retail salespersons?
Our AI-durability model gives Retail salespersons a score of 0.65 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Retail salespersons has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.