How long does it take to become a Sales Clerk?

It takes one year or less to become a sales clerk. That is the time it takes to learn specific sales clerk skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Sales Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Meagan Glasco M.S., M.R.,

Joseph Hancock

Ever been into a store with no idea of what you're getting (phew, what a hassle!)? Or have you a hard time picking between two beautiful-colored sneakers (why not get both anyway)? Worry no more! A sales clerk might be who you need to get your shopping spree done.

Sales clerks are usually those employees walking around the store to assist customers with their store experience. They know a lot about certain products, so you can trust them to give you advice on which is the best one for you. They even demonstrate the features of these items and recommend alternatives, if you're on a tight budget. Pretty cool, right? They interact with people for over eight hours, as needed, probably even during weekends, as their job requires. But really, being a sales clerk can be an awesome job. I mean, believe me, if it wasn't for sales clerks, it would be hard to look for your favorite baseball cap or fashion tee.

Being a sales clerk gives you so much exposure interacting with different people and gaining your self-confidence. If you're into customer service, this might be a good stepping stone for gaining professional expertise!

What general advice would you give to a Sales Clerk?

Meagan Glasco M.S., M.R.

Executive Director of Professional Development, Website

As technology evolves rapidly, the significance of universal skills, not bound to particular platforms, will become more important. In particular, the ability and interest to engage in lifelong learning will become more important than ever before. Professionals will need to recognize areas within their industry that are undergoing transformation and proactively pursue new knowledge, integrating it into their work.

ScoreSales ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $25,739

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

7.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 6.85%

Black or African American 10.20%

Hispanic or Latino 19.70%

Unknown 5.08%

White 57.62%

Gender

female 64.72%

male 35.28%

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

Key steps to become a sales clerk

Explore sales clerk education requirements

Most common sales clerk degrees

Bachelor's

33.8 %

High School Diploma

32.4 %

Associate

20.9 %

Start to develop specific sales clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	25.96%
Stock Shelves	9.03%
Sales Floor	8.29%
Retail Sales	5.79%
Product Knowledge	5.45%

Complete relevant sales clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales clerks 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 sales clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales clerk resumes.

Gain additional sales clerk certifications

Sales clerk 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 sales clerk certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sales clerks include Automotive Sales Professional and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

More About Certifications

Research sales clerk duties and responsibilities

Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
Process monetary transactions POS system.
Follow POS procedures daily and complete appropriate paperwork.
Prepare quality food products, process accurate register transactions, maintain general appearance and cleanliness of store premises.

Prepare your sales clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales clerk 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 sales clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Clerk Resume templates

Build a professional Sales Clerk 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 Sales Clerk resume.

Apply for sales clerk jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales clerk 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 sales clerks rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Sales Clerk reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

Cons

Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Handling well cash and serving customers fast and smiling at them

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Being so responsible and concentrate with what i am doing.. Having a small talk with some customers who patiently waiting 😊

What is a sales clerk and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Sales Clerk?

Sales Clerk career paths

Key steps to become a sales clerk

Explore sales clerk education requirements

Most common sales clerk degrees

Start to develop specific sales clerk skills

Complete relevant sales clerk training and internships

Gain additional sales clerk certifications

Research sales clerk duties and responsibilities

Prepare your sales clerk resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Clerk Resume templates

Apply for sales clerk jobs

How Did You Land Your First Sales Clerk Job

Average sales clerk salary

How do sales clerks rate their job?

Sales Clerk reviews

Sales Clerk FAQs

How long does it take to become a Sales Clerk?

Search for sales clerk jobs

Sales Clerk jobs by state