What is a customer sales associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Joseph Hancock

A customer sales associate is someone who works in retail or other sales environments to assist customers in making purchases. They provide product information, answer questions, and help customers find items they are looking for. Sales associates may also work to upsell or cross-sell products, handle transactions, and manage inventory and displays. They must have strong communication and interpersonal skills, be knowledgeable about their products and services, and be able to work well under pressure.

What's a day at work look like for a customer sales associate?

Joseph Hancock

Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

New graduates will need to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you "get to work" or you will soon be looking for a new job. The new world may be one where you don't go to an office, but instead work right from home, scheduling appointments and doing your own calendar. My last years working for Target in a regional field position taught me that no one was going to motivate me each day, I had to motivate myself. Also, it can be lonely working from home as a new graduate, so find outside interests and ways to make friends. I am from the old fashion ideologies that getting a hobby is extremely important, and that hobby is not going to the gym or watching television. It includes something that enriches your life to be a better person in society.

ScoreCustomer Sales AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,024

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 6.98%

Black or African American 11.08%

Hispanic or Latino 20.48%

Unknown 5.50%

White 55.21%

Gender

female 49.37%

male 50.63%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a customer sales associate?

Pros

Opportunity to earn commission and bonuses
Develop sales skills and experience
Interact with a variety of customers and personalities
Potentially flexible scheduling options
Potential for advancement within the company

Cons

High-pressure sales environment
Working on commission can be stressful
Dealing with difficult or unhappy customers
Working weekends or holidays
Meeting sales quotas can be difficult

Key steps to become a customer sales associate

Explore customer sales associate education requirements

Most common customer sales associate degrees

Bachelor's

41.0 %

High School Diploma

25.4 %

Associate

21.4 %

Start to develop specific customer sales associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Sales Floor	11.82%
Customer Satisfaction	8.80%
Customer Service	8.60%
Product Knowledge	8.24%
Outbound Calls	8.09%

Complete relevant customer sales associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New customer sales associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a customer sales associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real customer sales associate resumes.

Research customer sales associate duties and responsibilities

Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
Process merchandise information through store computer system, POS register system, and complete all require paperwork according to policy.
Used mobile POS systems to streamline the customer experience in order to drive full engagement throughout entire interaction with customer.
Provide above average service to customers by bagging groceries appropriately and assist with carryout and loading merchandise into customer's vehicle.

Prepare your customer sales associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your customer sales associate resume.

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