How To Become A General Merchandise Sales Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is a general merchandise sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a general merchandise sales representative. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.03 an hour? That's $56,221 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 63,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreGeneral Merchandise Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,221

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 4.30%

Black or African American 3.11%

Hispanic or Latino 9.78%

Unknown 3.62%

White 78.97%

Gender

female 44.12%

male 55.88%

Age - 48

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 - 48

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a general merchandise sales representative

Explore general merchandise sales representative education requirements

Most common general merchandise sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

31.8 %

High School Diploma

27.3 %

Associate

22.7 %

Start to develop specific general merchandise sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Delivery Schedules	83.25%
Customer Service	12.71%
Sales Floor	4.04%

Complete relevant general merchandise sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New general merchandise sales representatives 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 general merchandise sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real general merchandise sales representative resumes.

Research general merchandise sales representative duties and responsibilities

Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
Develop and implement marketing programs for distributors and retailers, including co-op advertising plans, promotional events, and merchandising techniques.
Provide training which include seminars and PowerPoint presentations.

Prepare your general merchandise sales representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general merchandise sales representative 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 general merchandise sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable general merchandise sales representative resume templates

Build a professional general merchandise sales representative 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 general merchandise sales representative resume.