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The differences between general merchandisers and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales associate has an average salary of $32,167, which is higher than the $30,372 average annual salary of a general merchandiser.
The top three skills for a general merchandiser include sales floor, inventory management and back room. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| General Merchandiser | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $30,372 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $14.60 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | 1% | - |
| Number of jobs | 213,261 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A General Merchandiser creates displays and promotes the products and services in retail stores. Among their primary duties and responsibilities include shelf placement strategies and in-store displays for maximum product exposure to potential customers. They train staff to carry out their tasks in the merchandise store effectively. As the brain of almost every decision in retail chains, merchandisers ensure every customer the best experience they can get while shopping.
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.
General merchandisers and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Merchandiser | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $30,372 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $45,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a general merchandiser and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| General Merchandiser | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between general merchandisers' and sales associates' demographics:
| General Merchandiser | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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 | 6% | 7% |