Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between retail sales representatives and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $37,907 average annual salary of a retail sales representative.
The top three skills for a retail sales representative include retail sales, retail store and POS. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.
| Retail Sales Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $37,907 | $51,007 |
| Hourly rate | $18.22 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | - | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 391,763 | 333,049 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A retail salesperson's responsibility is to sell products and provide necessary information to the consumers to convince them of availing items. Retail salesperson's duties include coordinating with promotional programs, recommending strategies to increase sales, answering customer's inquiries, and escalating any concerns to the management that might affect the company's sales performance. A retail salesperson must have excellent communication skills to build a good rapport with the customers and assist them with their needs. A retail salesperson also helps with inventories and documenting a customer's suggestion for service improvement.
The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.
Retail sales representatives and associate sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $37,907 | $51,007 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Pella | Verint |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a retail sales representative and an associate sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between retail sales representatives' and associate sales representatives' demographics:
| Retail Sales Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |