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The differences between general sales associates and apparel sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an apparel sales associate has an average salary of $29,897, which is higher than the $29,328 average annual salary of a general sales associate.
The top three skills for a general sales associate include POS, work ethic and food preparation. The most important skills for an apparel sales associate are cash handling, customer engagement, and retail sales.
| General Sales Associate | Apparel Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $29,328 | $29,897 |
| Hourly rate | $14.10 | $14.37 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 383,009 | 438,252 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The job of a general sales associate is to provide great customer service and increase the revenue of a business. They sell products and services and help customers find the right product. Depending on the retail store, their responsibilities may involve organizing store shelves, answering customers' questions, ringing up purchases, operating the cash register, and greeting customers. They may also be expected to take full charge of the managing of all financial transactions and balancing drawers.
An apparel sales associate works with customers and makes sales. A sales associate's primary responsibility is to communicate with customers, answer their inquiries about the products, and promote its benefits to encourage a purchase. The apparel sales associate is expected to be knowledgeable about the company's products or services. The associate's other responsibilities are to develop sales techniques to encourage purchases, make a store inventory of products, and receive feedback and comments from customers. They will also work with the sales and marketing department.
General sales associates and apparel sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Sales Associate | Apparel Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $29,328 | $29,897 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $39,000 | Between $23,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | - |
| Best paying company | Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck | - |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | - |
There are a few differences between a general sales associate and an apparel sales associate in terms of educational background:
| General Sales Associate | Apparel Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between general sales associates' and apparel sales associates' demographics:
| General Sales Associate | Apparel Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8% | Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |