How to hire a merchandising assistant

How to hire a merchandising assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step merchandising assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a merchandising assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new merchandising assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a merchandising assistant do?

Post a merchandising assistant job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your merchandising assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a merchandising assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A merchandising assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, merchandising assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of merchandising assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Merchandising Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Merchandising Assistant	A Merchandising Assistant is responsible for doing paperwork, placing orders, preparing sales reports, and assisting with inventories. They also maintain and reconcile accounts, create invoices, and send checks.	$12-22
   Team Leader	Team leaders are responsible for managing a team for a specific project or work component. They primarily guide the team members and ensure that they are still working towards the set goals... Show more	$17-60
   Key Holder	A keyholder is responsible for ensuring the store's daily security before and after the operation. Keyholders' duties include assisting with administrative tasks, handling customers' inquiries, managing and escalating customers' complaints, monitoring the alarm system, keeping track of the deliveries, supporting staff training, cooperating in company's events, and recommending operational strategies to meet business goals and objectives... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Issues
   • Purchase Orders
   • Data Entry
   • Vendor Relations
   • PowerPoint
   • POS
   • Inventory Management
   • UPC
   • Product Development
   • E-Commerce
   • Order Entry
   • Distribution Centers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
   • Update photo packets in PowerPoint deck.
   • Engage in coaching and development for MEA team members.
   • Process transactions through the POS system, shipping, process adjustments, ticketing of merchandise and return of damage merchandise.
   • Work with warehouse to assist in resolving problem orders and invoicing as well as troubleshoot issues in the POS system.
   • Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.

   More merchandising assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your merchandising assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A merchandising assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a merchandising assistant in Georgia may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level merchandising assistant usually earns less than a senior-level merchandising assistant. Additionally, a merchandising assistant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average merchandising assistant salary

   $16.67hourly

   $34,679 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level merchandising assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average merchandising assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$47,396	$23
   2	Massachusetts	$41,374	$20
   3	Illinois	$41,173	$20
   4	California	$40,462	$19
   5	Minnesota	$38,656	$19
   6	Colorado	$37,000	$18
   7	Wisconsin	$36,119	$17
   8	Michigan	$36,036	$17
   9	Washington	$35,304	$17
   10	Virginia	$34,283	$16
   11	Missouri	$33,935	$16
   12	Kansas	$32,388	$16
   13	North Carolina	$30,999	$15
   14	Pennsylvania	$30,271	$15
   15	Texas	$29,159	$14
   16	Florida	$29,036	$14

   Average merchandising assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Softpath System	$51,280	$24.65
   2	ALDI USA	$49,890	$23.99
   3	KIWANIS CLUB OF CHINATOWN FOUNDATION	$41,491	$19.95
   4	Target	$40,571	$19.51	21
   5	The Andersons	$39,933	$19.20
   6	Reyes Holdings	$39,825	$19.15	2
   7	Gap Inc.	$39,622	$19.05
   8	Sysco	$39,134	$18.81	6
   9	Ashley HomeStore	$38,544	$18.53	11
   10	TalentBurst	$38,205	$18.37
   11	Macy's	$37,685	$18.12	35
   12	Ralph Lauren	$37,582	$18.07	3
   13	Troon	$37,260	$17.91	1
   14	Belk	$37,172	$17.87	5
   15	Guitar Center	$37,053	$17.81	1
   16	Coach	$37,014	$17.80
   17	Fashion Nova	$36,959	$17.77	3
   18	The Coca-Cola Company	$36,706	$17.65	14
   19	RH	$36,519	$17.56	11
   20	Akhan Semiconductor	$35,276	$16.96

4. Writing a merchandising assistant job description

   A merchandising assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a merchandising assistant job description:

   Merchandising assistant job description example

   At RH we believe deeply that the \"right\" people are our greatest asset. We value people with high energy, who possess the ability to energize others. People who are smart, creative and have a point of view. People who see the answer in every problem, versus those who see the problem in every answer. People who are driven, determined and won't take \"no\" for an answer. We value team players, people who are more concerned with what's right, rather than who's right.
   Restoration Hardware is looking for a Web Merchandising Assistant to join our Ecommerce Department.
   
   The perfect candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Values (People, Service, Quality and Innovation). This candidate will be extremely flexible and enjoy a \"startup\" mentality and environment that changes day to day and will \"assume positive intentions\" at all times. Candidates who are personable, open to learning, collaborate well with others and have a positive attitude, and are more apt to saying \"yes\" or \"we'll try\" (rather than \"no\" or \"that's impossible\") will be at the top of our list.
   
   The Web Merchandising Assistant is responsible for the quality of presentation of their designated category online, under the direction of the Web Merchandising Leader.
   
   RESPONSIBILITIES
   Act as a liaison between creative, design, product management, photography, product development, copy and merchants to execute site plan and changes for daily site maintenance and seasonal assortment launches under the direction of the Web Merchandising Leader. Own daily site maintenance, including management of SKUs, database hierarchy, data relationships, internal record maintenance, QA of live site assets and answering inquiries from internal partners as it relates to products live on the site. Execute page and category level presentation of product, including selling order, select copy fields, hero and alternate imagery, cross-sells and upsells. Responsible for website photography framework build and tracking to completion Accountable for the accuracy of sellable inventory online. Includes partnering with Merchandising, Planning, and Merchandising Operation teams to ensure online availability of merchandise. Responsible for site QA on merchandise, category and landing pages. Includes use of collection galleries, order of product within galleries, zooms, alt views, copy and promotional messaging at the category level (sale banners, category promotions, etc.) to ensure relevance and accuracy of product information. Model and teach the core values of our company.
   REQUIREMENTS
   Strong character and personality, ethics, and high standards of performance. Expects accountability to come with autonomy. A bright, creative individual who is business savvy and demonstrates good judgment. Mature, grounded, and serves as a resource to others. Open-minded and not complacent; proactive; detail-oriented and organized. Works in collaboration with others. Able to prioritize, multitask, and work efficiently. Positive attitude with an enthusiastic, can-do outlook. Effective in change management Gains others' respect and trust. Able to positively influence those around them. Able to work on multiple projects in a deadline driven environment. Strong Organizational Skills. Strong written & verbal communication skills are required. Committed to providing excellent customer service. Strong knowledge of computers including Word/Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook. Experience with web merchandising metrics and analytics strongly preferred. ATG/BCC work experience beneficial. Understanding of project management tools and service software desired (JIRA, ServiceNow, Trello). 1-5 years of experience in eCommerce, Brick and Mortar, or Print merchandising. BA/BS required. ABOUT US
   RH is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find merchandising assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your merchandising assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit merchandising assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with merchandising assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new merchandising assistant

   Once you've selected the best merchandising assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new merchandising assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a merchandising assistant?