What is a retail sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

Joseph Hancock

Retail sales representatives work in a store or retail environment, selling products and services to customers. Their job duties include greeting customers, providing information and recommendations about products, demonstrating product features, processing transactions, and handling customer complaints or concerns. Retail sales representatives must have excellent communication skills and be knowledgeable about the products they sell. Overall, a retail sales representative is focused on ensuring a positive customer experience and driving sales for their employer.

What general advice would you give to a retail sales representative?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreRetail Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,907

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 6.93%

Black or African American 10.16%

Hispanic or Latino 20.87%

Unknown 5.09%

White 56.40%

Gender

female 45.44%

male 54.56%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a retail sales representative?

Pros

Discounts on products sold in the store
Developing sales skills that can be applied to other industries
Building customer relationships
Exposure to new and trending products
Developing problem-solving skills

Cons

Dealing with difficult or rude customers
Pressure to meet sales goals and quotas
Working weekends and holidays
High-stress environment during busy periods
Repetitive tasks, such as stocking shelves or folding clothes

Key steps to become a retail sales representative

Explore retail sales representative education requirements

Most common retail sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

57.8 %

Associate

17.5 %

High School Diploma

16.1 %

Start to develop specific retail sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Retail Sales	30.20%
Retail Store	16.78%
POS	12.34%
Store Management	6.67%
Customer Relationships	4.05%

Complete relevant retail sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New retail sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a retail sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real retail sales representative resumes.

Gain additional retail sales representative certifications

Retail sales representative certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific retail sales representative certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for retail sales representatives include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

More About Certifications

Research retail sales representative duties and responsibilities

Track leads, manage business opportunity, and initiate sales promotions using Siebel CRM.
Achieve quarterly and yearly bonus goals by controlling business expenses and effectively managing payroll costs.
Train new RSC members on sales techniques.
Complete daily office visit entries through CRM.

Get retail sales representative experience

Prepare your retail sales representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your retail sales representative resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a retail sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable retail sales representative resume templates

Build a professional retail sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your retail sales representative resume.

Apply for retail sales representative jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a retail sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do retail sales representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Retail sales representative reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.

What is a retail sales representative and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a retail sales representative?

What are the pros and cons of being a retail sales representative?

Retail sales representative career paths

Key steps to become a retail sales representative

Explore retail sales representative education requirements

Most common retail sales representative degrees

Start to develop specific retail sales representative skills

Complete relevant retail sales representative training and internships

Gain additional retail sales representative certifications

Research retail sales representative duties and responsibilities

Get retail sales representative experience

Prepare your retail sales representative resume

Choose from 10+ customizable retail sales representative resume templates

Apply for retail sales representative jobs

How did you land your first retail sales representative job

Average retail sales representative salary

How do retail sales representatives rate their job?

Retail sales representative reviews

Retail sales representative jobs by state