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The differences between retail merchandisers and retail representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a retail representative has an average salary of $31,790, 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 a retail representative are flexibility, store management, and certification programs.
| Retail Merchandiser | Retail Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $28,678 | $31,790 |
| Hourly rate | $13.79 | $15.28 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 477,794 | 402,132 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| 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.
A retail representative is in charge of assisting customers with their shopping needs in retail stores, ensuring customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting customers and identifying their needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions and recommendations, and conducting demonstrations when possible. There are also instances where they must process payments or refunds. Furthermore, as a retail representative, it is essential to arrange products on shelves to make it look attractive to customers, all while maintaining the cleanliness of the sales floor.
Retail merchandisers and retail representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Merchandiser | Retail Representative | |
| Average salary | $28,678 | $31,790 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $26,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Wayfair | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a retail merchandiser and a retail representative in terms of educational background:
| Retail Merchandiser | Retail Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between retail merchandisers' and retail representatives' demographics:
| Retail Merchandiser | Retail Representative | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |