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The differences between apparel sales associates and merchandising associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchandising associate has an average salary of $33,201, which is higher than the $29,897 average annual salary of an apparel sales associate.
The top three skills for an apparel sales associate include cash handling, customer engagement and retail sales. The most important skills for a merchandising associate are cleanliness, sales floor, and customer service.
| Apparel Sales Associate | Merchandising Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $29,897 | $33,201 |
| Hourly rate | $14.37 | $15.96 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 438,252 | 370,401 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An apparel sales associate works with customers and makes sales. A sales associate's primary responsibility is to communicate with customers, answer their inquiries about the products, and promote its benefits to encourage a purchase. The apparel sales associate is expected to be knowledgeable about the company's products or services. The associate's other responsibilities are to develop sales techniques to encourage purchases, make a store inventory of products, and receive feedback and comments from customers. They will also work with the sales and marketing department.
Merchandise associates ensure that customers get a complete shopping experience. They pleasantly arrange and stock merchandise on shelves for customers to purchase. Also, they assemble product displays and make sure popular and on-sale products are visible to customers. Part of their duty is to place the appropriate sales tag on items and record new developments in the store's inventory. Skills required for the job include excellent customer service, being detail-oriented, and relevant experience in sales.
Apparel sales associates and merchandising associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Apparel Sales Associate | Merchandising Associate | |
| Average salary | $29,897 | $33,201 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Uline |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an apparel sales associate and a merchandising associate in terms of educational background:
| Apparel Sales Associate | Merchandising Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between apparel sales associates' and merchandising associates' demographics:
| Apparel Sales Associate | Merchandising Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4% | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |