How to hire a merchandising associate

How to hire a merchandising associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step merchandising associate 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 associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new merchandising associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a merchandising associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the merchandising associate you need to hire. Certain merchandising associate roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a merchandising associate to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a merchandising associate that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Merchandising Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Merchandising Associate	Retail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, (called retail salespersons) and those who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts (called parts salespersons). Both types of workers help customers find the products they want and process customers’ payments.	$12-20
   Merchandising Internship	In a merchandising internship, an intern's duties will depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Their tasks may involve preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files within the company, answering calls and correspondence, running errands, and participating in creating marketing strategies... Show more	$12-22
   Merchandising Representative	Merchandising representatives are professionals who are responsible for providing point-of-purchase and shelf management services to produce sales. These representatives are required to plan and develop merchandising strategies so that they can balance the expectations of customers and the organization's objectives... Show more	$12-19

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cleanliness
   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Service
   • Loss Prevention
   • Store Management
   • Visual Standards
   • Visual Displays
   • Ladders
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Pallets
   • Drive Sales
   • Brand Awareness
   • Promotional Events
   • Markdowns

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage e-commerce websites to maintain accurate information and maximize sales.
   • Maximize sales by displaying merchandise and maintain store cleanliness while executing superior customer service.
   • Assist customer with picking groceries in the absence of other staff.
   • Create monthly PowerPoint presentations for the team to use in high-level meetings.
   • Conduct market research in the sale of pet products, identifying consumer trends.
   • Complete reports for products end of life and prepare merchandise for shipments back to depot.

   More merchandising associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the merchandising associate job description is a good way to get more applicants. A merchandising associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a merchandising associate in Georgia may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level merchandising associate. Additionally, a merchandising associate with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average merchandising associate salary

   $15.96hourly

   $33,201 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level merchandising associate salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average merchandising associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$42,385	$20
   2	Washington	$41,522	$20
   3	District of Columbia	$40,070	$19
   4	Oregon	$39,781	$19
   5	California	$39,288	$19
   6	New Jersey	$35,938	$17
   7	Michigan	$35,276	$17
   8	Massachusetts	$35,247	$17
   9	Minnesota	$35,129	$17
   10	Colorado	$34,916	$17
   11	Nebraska	$34,643	$17
   12	Illinois	$34,626	$17
   13	Utah	$33,507	$16
   14	Nevada	$33,402	$16
   15	North Carolina	$32,539	$16
   16	New Mexico	$32,399	$16
   17	Ohio	$32,145	$15
   18	Virginia	$31,736	$15
   19	Florida	$31,723	$15
   20	Texas	$31,267	$15

   Average merchandising associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Uline	$40,646	$19.54	2
   2	Lucky Brand	$37,238	$17.90	86
   3	Hinda Incentives	$36,328	$17.47
   4	Green Mountain Coffee Roasters	$36,040	$17.33
   5	Southern States Cooperative	$35,869	$17.24	9
   6	Altria	$35,730	$17.18	6
   7	Meijer	$35,536	$17.08	94
   8	Ralph Lauren	$34,682	$16.67	19
   9	Wolverine World Wide	$34,614	$16.64	12
   10	The Wine Company	$34,368	$16.52
   11	Macy's	$34,334	$16.51	804
   12	Total Wine & More	$34,100	$16.39	10
   13	Gap Inc.	$34,062	$16.38
   14	Columbia Sportswear	$34,057	$16.37	150
   15	Mattel	$33,917	$16.31	8
   16	Tyson Foods	$33,909	$16.30
   17	PVH	$33,807	$16.25	454
   18	Retail	$33,696	$16.20
   19	Nike	$33,639	$16.17	262
   20	Legends Hospitality	$33,634	$16.17

4. Writing a merchandising associate job description

   A merchandising associate 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a merchandising associate job description:

   Merchandising associate job description example

   Starting pay up to $19.00 per hour depending on experience.

   Do you enjoy working with your hands and the satisfaction of seeing a completed project? Is the idea of a flexible schedule that you create appealing to you? If so, we would like to talk to you!

   Responsibilities:

   Retail Merchandising Reps perform resets, merchandise, maintain product planograms, place price labels, place/install point of purchase signage, down stock inventory, suggest and place orders, and share product information with customers and store associates. We service DIY stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot.

   We offer:

   • Highly competitive starting pay
   • Opportunities for career development and advancement
   • 401k plan with employer matching
   • Self-adjusting gas-mileage plan
   • Paid drive time from first to last store visit of day
   • Smartphone allowance
   • Bi-weekly direct deposit

   Requirements:

   • 18 years of age or older and authorized to work in the United States
   • Valid driver's license, current auto insurance, and access to a reliable personal vehicle
   • Smartphone (android or apple) with access to internet, phone, text, and email
   • Able to and willing to lift, pull, and push items weighing up to 50 pounds without assistance
   • Willing to use rolling staircase/step ladders while working in stores

   READY TO JOIN OUR TEAM OF MERCHANDISERS?

   We understand your time is valuable and that is why we have a very quick and easy application process. If you feel that you would be right for this part-time merchandiser job, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application . We look forward to speaking with you!

   
   

   Equal opportunity employer.

   Veterans encouraged to apply.

   We participate in E-Verify.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right merchandising associate for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with merchandising associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit merchandising associates who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your merchandising associate job on Zippia to find and attract quality merchandising associate candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting merchandising associates requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 associate

   Once you've selected the best merchandising associate 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new merchandising associate first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 associate?