Hourly sales staff vs store sales associate

The differences between hourly sales staff and store sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an hourly sales staff, becoming a store sales associate takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an hourly sales staff has an average salary of $35,089, which is higher than the $30,284 average annual salary of a store sales associate.

The top three skills for an hourly sales staff include customer service, POS and sales floor. The most important skills for a store sales associate are sales floor, POS, and product knowledge.

Hourly sales staff vs store sales associate overview

	Hourly Sales Staff	Store Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$35,089	$30,284
Hourly rate	$16.87	$14.56
Growth rate	4%	-
Number of jobs	352,379	524,877
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	4	6

Hourly sales staff vs store sales associate salary

Hourly sales staff and store sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hourly Sales Staff	Store Sales Associate
Average salary	$35,089	$30,284
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $56,000	Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Elizabeth, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Rooms To Go
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between hourly sales staff and store sales associate education

There are a few differences between an hourly sales staff and a store sales associate in terms of educational background:

	Hourly Sales Staff	Store Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Hourly sales staff vs store sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between hourly sales staff' and store sales associates' demographics:

	Hourly Sales Staff	Store Sales Associate
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between hourly sales staff and store sales associate duties and responsibilities

Hourly sales staff example responsibilities.

Manage accounts and create invoices via QuickBooks.
Gain experience with inventory, cash handling, and POS register use.
Provide direct counter sales to customers, transaction handling via touchscreen POS cash register, and daily housekeeping.
Assist installers with a variety of HVAC systems, making sure the installation is conducted in compliance with local regulations.
Communicate directly with customers to establish long-term relationships and sell HVAC controls solutions base on specific customer needs.
Work with upper management to secure Medicare approval for durable medical equipment provider status to skil nursing facilities and hospitals

Store sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage to sales KPI's (including sales and expense budget numbers), assuring efficient and effective use of resources.
Earn management trust by serving as keyholder, responsibly opening and closing the store.
Audit all jewelry counts daily, banking deposit log, cashier logs, sales logs.
Utilize the company's POS system to cash customers out or administer returns to the store.
Work as a sales associate and keyholder throughout the summer and a bit of the school year.
Help customers choose jewelry, pierce ears, open and close out register, set up displays.

Hourly sales staff vs store sales associate skills

Common hourly sales staff skills

Customer Service, 48%
POS, 9%
Sales Floor, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Customer Relations, 5%
Product Selection, 3%

Common store sales associate skills

Sales Floor, 20%
POS, 10%
Product Knowledge, 10%
Store Sales, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Stock Room, 5%

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Hourly Sales Staff
Hourly Sales Staff vs Store Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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