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Sales clerk vs real estate agent

The differences between sales clerks and real estate agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a real estate agent has an average salary of $91,788, which is higher than the $25,739 average annual salary of a sales clerk.

The top three skills for a sales clerk include customer service, stock shelves and sales floor. The most important skills for a real estate agent are customer service, real estate license, and excellent interpersonal.

Sales clerk vs real estate agent overview

Sales ClerkReal Estate Agent
Yearly salary$25,739$91,788
Hourly rate$12.37$44.13
Growth rate-5%
Number of jobs372,65141,399
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4149
Years of experience--

What does a sales clerk do?

A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.

What does a real estate agent do?

A real estate agent helps owners in the selling or renting of houses, land, offices, buildings, or any piece of property. They should be knowledgeable in the area they work in, which local properties are in the market, and the competitive prices for various properties. It is their responsibility to either market or sells in the best possible and reasonable price and conditions. Negotiating is a vital skill for real estate agents as they act as the middleman for buyers and sellers. Most agents bill the client with a percentage of the final sale price as the fee, but some would get a fixed commission for every sale.

Sales clerk vs real estate agent salary

Sales clerks and real estate agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales ClerkReal Estate Agent
Average salary$25,739$91,788
Salary rangeBetween $16,000 And $39,000Between $66,000 And $126,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCLong Beach, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkWest Virginia
Best paying companyHawaii Pacific HealthSanta Clara Valley Water District
Best paying industryEnergyFinance

Differences between sales clerk and real estate agent education

There are a few differences between a sales clerk and a real estate agent in terms of educational background:

Sales ClerkReal Estate Agent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Sales clerk vs real estate agent demographics

Here are the differences between sales clerks' and real estate agents' demographics:

Sales ClerkReal Estate Agent
Average age4149
Gender ratioMale, 35.3% Female, 64.7%Male, 43.4% Female, 56.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 70.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%13%

Differences between sales clerk and real estate agent duties and responsibilities

Sales clerk example 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.
  • Improve customer solicitation pitch to increase Kohl's credit card application solicitations.

Real estate agent example responsibilities.

  • Manage all accounting, cash management, budgeting and financing for individual LLC's and for corporate entity.
  • Manage extremely complex REO and short sale transactions, coordinating sellers, buyers, and lenders in order to complete them.
  • Create ad campaigns via Google ad-words and Facebook.
  • Determine whether title transfers are assessable for taxation.
  • Learn all phases of real estate ethics, practice and procedures.
  • Review and analyze corporate leases, securities offerings, and secure transactions.
  • Show more

Sales clerk vs real estate agent skills

Common sales clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 26%
  • Stock Shelves, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 8%
  • Retail Sales, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • POS, 5%
Common real estate agent skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Real Estate License, 11%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 10%
  • Real Estate Market, 10%
  • Open Houses, 7%
  • Develop Marketing Materials, 6%