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What is a customer service retail associate and how to become one
A customer service retail associate interacts with customers in a retail environment. They provide assistance, answer questions, and resolve complaints. They must be knowledgeable about the products and services offered by the store and communicate effectively with customers. The job involves stocking shelves, processing transactions, and maintaining a clean store. Customer service retail associates must have strong interpersonal skills and be willing to go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.
What's a day at work look like for a customer service retail associate?
Joseph Hancock
Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Avg. Salary $30,002
Avg. Salary $59,228
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%
Asian 6.54%
Black or African American 9.84%
Hispanic or Latino 21.73%
Unknown 5.04%
White 56.31%
Genderfemale 66.68%
male 33.32%
Age - 39American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 39Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a customer service retail associate?
Pros
Opportunities for career advancement within the company
Access to employee discounts and perks
Ability to earn commission or bonuses based on sales performance
Paid training and development opportunities
Flexibility in work hours and scheduling
Cons
High-stress environment, especially during peak periods
Low pay and benefits for entry-level positions
Limited advancement opportunities in some companies
Inconsistent schedules and hours, making it difficult to plan personal life
Pressure to meet sales targets and quotas
Customer service retail associate career paths
Key steps to become a customer service retail associate
Explore customer service retail associate education requirements
Start to develop specific customer service retail associate skills
Skills Percentages POS 20.27% Customer Service 15.79% Customer Orders 13.08% Retail Environment 10.21% Bank Deposits 9.93% Complete relevant customer service retail associate training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New customer service retail 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 service retail associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real customer service retail associate resumes.Research customer service retail associate duties and responsibilities
- Reconcile POS drawers on a daily basis, correct any problems accordingly and manage bank transactions.
- run the registerSkills Usedfork lift, reading, writing, math
- Perform cash handling duties, bag customers groceries, assist customers with groceries when necessary.
- Assist cashier in boxing groceries, stocking merchandise, reorganizing shelves, and performing inventory.
Prepare your customer service retail associate resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your customer service retail associate resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a customer service retail associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable customer service retail associate resume templates
Build a professional customer service retail associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your customer service retail associate resume.
Apply for customer service retail associate jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a customer service retail associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first customer service retail associate job
Are you a customer service retail associate?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average customer service retail associate salary
The average customer service retail associate salary in the United States is $30,002 per year or $14 per hour. Customer service retail associate salaries range between $23,000 and $37,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do customer service retail associates rate their job?
Customer service retail associate reviews
I got to do a variety of tasks daily. Got treated with respect from management and other coworkers.
Sometimes I had to finish up job tasks that were assigned to others that were not completed.
I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.
Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have
I love animals so I want to care for them when their owner can’t
Updated January 8, 2025
