Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between consumer sales associates and general sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a consumer sales associate has an average salary of $79,429, which is higher than the $29,328 average annual salary of a general sales associate.
The top three skills for a consumer sales associate include product knowledge, customer service and outbound calls. The most important skills for a general sales associate are POS, work ethic, and food preparation.
A Consumer Sales Associate works on the sales floor to assist customers so that they can have a positive shopping experience. Their responsibilities include greeting customers, identifying their needs and preferences, answering inquiries, helping locate items, and offering promotions. There are instances when they must discuss product specifications, conduct product demonstrations, and produce sales reports. There are instances when they may also participate in arranging products on shelves, resolving issues, and maintaining the cleanliness of the sales floor.
The job of a general sales associate is to provide great customer service and increase the revenue of a business. They sell products and services and help customers find the right product. Depending on the retail store, their responsibilities may involve organizing store shelves, answering customers' questions, ringing up purchases, operating the cash register, and greeting customers. They may also be expected to take full charge of the managing of all financial transactions and balancing drawers.
Consumer sales associates and general sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consumer Sales Associate | General Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $79,429 | $29,328 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $128,000 | Between $21,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a consumer sales associate and a general sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Consumer Sales Associate | General Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between consumer sales associates' and general sales associates' demographics:
| Consumer Sales Associate | General Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% | Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |