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The differences between retail merchandisers and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $28,678 average annual salary of a retail merchandiser.
The top three skills for a retail merchandiser include customer service, store management and POS. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $28,678 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $13.79 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 477,794 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A retail merchandiser is responsible for determining the accuracy of sales and analyzing market trends to ensure that the business can follow stock movements and adjust plan budgets as needed. Retail merchandisers' duties also include planning strategies that would provide satisfaction for the customers while meeting the company's objectives, and coordinating with the suppliers and distributors for timely deliveries and price negotiations. Retail merchandisers also assist customers, analyze sales performance, and monitor inventories regularly.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Retail merchandisers and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate | |
| Average salary | $28,678 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Wayfair | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a retail merchandiser and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between retail merchandisers' and associates' demographics:
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |