Route sales associate vs merchandise distributor

The differences between route sales associates and merchandise distributors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a route sales associate has an average salary of $48,097, which is higher than the $42,437 average annual salary of a merchandise distributor.

The top three skills for a route sales associate include DOT, customer accounts and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a merchandise distributor are sales floor, merchandise product, and grocery store.

Route sales associate vs merchandise distributor overview

	Route Sales Associate	Merchandise Distributor
Yearly salary	$48,097	$42,437
Hourly rate	$23.12	$20.40
Growth rate	11%	1%
Number of jobs	147,204	10,462
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	38
Years of experience	-	-

Route sales associate vs merchandise distributor salary

Route sales associates and merchandise distributors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Route Sales Associate	Merchandise Distributor
Average salary	$48,097	$42,437
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $61,000	Between $32,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between route sales associate and merchandise distributor education

There are a few differences between a route sales associate and a merchandise distributor in terms of educational background:

	Route Sales Associate	Merchandise Distributor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Route sales associate vs merchandise distributor demographics

Here are the differences between route sales associates' and merchandise distributors' demographics:

	Route Sales Associate	Merchandise Distributor
Average age	48	38
Gender ratio	Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7%	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 3.8% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	4%	6%

Differences between route sales associate and merchandise distributor duties and responsibilities

Route sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage logs and records as per dot regulations.
DOT certify for instances involving driving a Frito-Lay truck.
Utilize point of purchase (POS) materials to drive sales.
Execute merchandise standards and increase impulse sales through POS promotions and special displays.
Use effective communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with customers during pickup and/or delivery of packages.
Deliver and sell Pepsi products to corporate businesses and retail establishments.

Merchandise distributor example responsibilities.

Manage vendor relationships for current season catalogs, UPC codes, and discrepancies in catalog and merchandise data.
Assist with POS advertisement placement.
Lift heavy objects, move large pallets and operate large machinery.
Display promtional materials, such as POS, & signage accordin to company and store policies.
Provide nutritional product educational presentations and recruit potential distributors
Provide nutritional product educational presentations and recruit potential distributors

Route sales associate vs merchandise distributor skills

Common route sales associate skills

DOT, 28%
Customer Accounts, 14%
Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Customer Locations, 7%
Product Inventory, 7%

Common merchandise distributor skills

Sales Floor, 27%
Merchandise Product, 17%
Grocery Store, 16%
Retail Locations, 15%
Increase Sales, 8%
Retail Store, 5%

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Route Sales Associate
Route Sales Associate vs Merchandise Distributor

Updated January 8, 2025

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