General merchandiser vs seasonal associate

The differences between general merchandisers and seasonal associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a seasonal associate has an average salary of $31,132, 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 seasonal associate are PET, sales floor, and loss prevention.

General merchandiser vs seasonal associate overview

	General Merchandiser	Seasonal Associate
Yearly salary	$30,372	$31,132
Hourly rate	$14.60	$14.97
Growth rate	1%	-
Number of jobs	213,261	417,677
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	38	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a general merchandiser do?

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.

What does a seasonal associate do?

Seasonal Associates are employees in a retail store during a particular season, such as holidays or school breaks. They may also be employed in any other business with a high volume of customers or clients, like theme parks, restaurants, or holiday destinations, during the aforementioned seasons. As such, they usually work on administrative or clerical activities. They may help in overseeing the store display, assisting customers, taking inventory, and restocking shelves, among others. In case seasonal associates do exceptionally well, the company may offer them a full-time engagement.

General merchandiser vs seasonal associate salary

General merchandisers and seasonal associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandiser	Seasonal Associate
Average salary	$30,372	$31,132
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $45,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	National Football League
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between general merchandiser and seasonal associate education

There are a few differences between a general merchandiser and a seasonal associate in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandiser	Seasonal Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

General merchandiser vs seasonal associate demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandisers' and seasonal associates' demographics:

	General Merchandiser	Seasonal Associate
Average age	38	41
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.3% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between general merchandiser and seasonal associate duties and responsibilities

General merchandiser example responsibilities.

Manage jewelry stock and inventory balances accurately.
Control inventory and compute pricing and enter inventory in the POS system.
Maintain a sterile and clean work environment and used daily math conversions.
Pack and fulfill web orders, setup pick-ups for delivery with FedEx.
Monitor and update price tags using POS program to make tags as needed for sales demands.
Send out transfers with packing lists, labels using Fedex and getting ready to have it send out.

Seasonal associate example responsibilities.

Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
Greet customers, properly execute their transaction, and bag groceries.
Operate all equipment such as POS register, ticket scanners, sensors, sensor removers, etc.
Major responsibility are to inform customers of the protection policies that every electronic device are eligible for and work the POS registers
Uphold merchandising and store cleanliness requirements.
Maintain organization and cleanliness of the mobile unit on a regular basis

General merchandiser vs seasonal associate skills

Common general merchandiser skills

Sales Floor, 60%
Inventory Management, 21%
Back Room, 6%
Stock Merchandise, 5%
Product Knowledge, 3%
Working Independently, 1%

Common seasonal associate skills

PET, 24%
Sales Floor, 24%
Loss Prevention, 7%
POS, 6%
Customer Inquiries, 5%
Customer Issues, 5%

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General Merchandiser
General Merchandiser vs Seasonal Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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