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The differences between backroom associates and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales associate has an average salary of $32,167, which is higher than the $31,395 average annual salary of a backroom associate.
The top three skills for a backroom associate include groceries, customer service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Backroom Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $31,395 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $15.09 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 228,218 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
In retail establishments, a backroom associate processes merchandise from stockrooms to the sales floor. Their other responsibilities include loading and unloading deliveries, inspecting merchandise to ensure its quantity and quality, labeling and tagging items, keeping records of all transactions, and monitoring the inventory of goods. There can also be instances where they must assist clients by answering inquiries and obtaining their orders. Moreover, a backroom associate must maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating every step of the way for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.
Backroom associates and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Backroom Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $31,395 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $38,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a backroom associate and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Backroom Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between backroom associates' and sales associates' demographics:
| Backroom Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |