Retail representative vs associate

The differences between retail representatives 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 $31,790 average annual salary of a retail representative.

The top three skills for a retail representative include flexibility, store management and certification programs. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.

Retail representative vs associate overview

	Retail Representative	Associate
Yearly salary	$31,790	$69,556
Hourly rate	$15.28	$33.44
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	402,132	569,041
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a retail representative do?

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.

What does an associate do?

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 representative vs associate salary

Retail representatives and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Retail Representative	Associate
Average salary	$31,790	$69,556
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $34,000 And $140,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between retail representative and associate education

There are a few differences between a retail representative and an associate in terms of educational background:

	Retail Representative	Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Retail representative vs associate demographics

Here are the differences between retail representatives' and associates' demographics:

	Retail Representative	Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%	Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
Race ratio	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%	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%

Differences between retail representative and associate duties and responsibilities

Retail representative example responsibilities.

Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.
Execute the proper POS in accounts, particularly with products on sale.
Befriend category managers and backroom personnel to positively impact on OSA, POS placement, and other sell-in tactics.
Educate consumers about products and services and troubleshoot any existing customer concerns relate to service or equipment.
Collaborate with board members to prepare PowerPoint presentations and other written reports and present concepts to management.

Associate example responsibilities.

Manage the sale of smoothies at different educational institutes while interacting with hundreds of students and ensuring their happiness and satisfaction.
Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
Lead the team by exemplify reliability through punctuality and personal integrity.
Help drive sales by providing excellent customer service in gourmet cheese, wine, beer, and coffee departments.
Utilize teamwork, communication, customer service, responsibility, and organizational skills.
Work according to ISO standards.

Retail representative vs associate skills

Common retail representative skills

Flexibility, 36%
Store Management, 36%
Certification Programs, 11%
PET, 7%
Customer Service, 2%
Product Knowledge, 1%

Common associate skills

Customer Service, 16%
Sales Floor, 13%
Patients, 10%
Cleanliness, 8%
Windows, 4%
HR, 4%

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Retail Representative
Retail Representative vs Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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