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The differences between retail merchandisers and associate retailers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate retailer has an average salary of $28,763, 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 retailer are ladders, sales floor, and loss prevention.
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate Retailer | |
| Yearly salary | $28,678 | $28,763 |
| Hourly rate | $13.79 | $13.83 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 477,794 | 474,522 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| 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.
An Associate Retailer is responsible for keeping the sales area up to standard and assisting customers while inside the store's premises. Most of the tasks revolve around keeping items on shelves clean and well-organized, greeting and offering assistance to customers, responding to inquiries and locating products, and even providing suggestions or recommendations when necessary and in adherence to the store's policies and regulations. In other stores and retail outlets, the Associate Retailer may also process payments and returns while still putting importance to customer satisfaction.
Retail merchandisers and associate retailers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate Retailer | |
| Average salary | $28,678 | $28,763 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $23,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Wayfair | Mars |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a retail merchandiser and an associate retailer in terms of educational background:
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate Retailer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between retail merchandisers' and associate retailers' demographics:
| Retail Merchandiser | Associate Retailer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% |
| 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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |