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The differences between department specialists and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a department specialist has an average salary of $49,764, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.
The top three skills for a department specialist include product knowledge, drive sales and cleanliness. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Department Specialist | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $49,764 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $23.93 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 55,038 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A department specialist drives the profitable sales growth of a company through proper planning and execution of corporate merchandise direction. Department specialists develop plans and strategies to achieve corporate sales results through action planning, consistent accountability, and effective communication. They initiate and carry out business-wide software and hardware standardization. Also, they coordinate space utilization or facility scheduling optimization for programs focused on members.
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.
Department specialists and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Specialist | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $49,764 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Springs Charter Schools | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a department specialist and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Department Specialist | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between department specialists' and sales associates' demographics:
| Department Specialist | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |