Sales/stock associate vs general sales associate

The differences between sales/stock associates and general sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales/stock associate has an average salary of $30,494, which is higher than the $29,328 average annual salary of a general sales associate.

The top three skills for a sales/stock associate include kids, store locations and store shelves. The most important skills for a general sales associate are POS, work ethic, and food preparation.

Sales/stock associate vs general sales associate overview

	Sales/Stock Associate	General Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$30,494	$29,328
Hourly rate	$14.66	$14.10
Growth rate	1%	-
Number of jobs	401,752	383,009
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	38	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a sales/stock associate do?

Sales/stock associates or stock clerks receive shipments or goods to a store and prepare them for marketing. Their job involves checking the accuracy of the shipment, stocking items in the warehouse, and maintaining the store inventory. They are the ones who locate the misplaced stocks or relocate them anywhere. Among their minor duties are shelve arrangement, facility cleanup, and correspondence handling. Also, they help assist the unloading of the shipments to factor, warehouse, or store.

What does a general sales associate do?

The job of a general sales associate is to provide great customer service and increase the revenue of a business. They sell products and services and help customers find the right product. Depending on the retail store, their responsibilities may involve organizing store shelves, answering customers' questions, ringing up purchases, operating the cash register, and greeting customers. They may also be expected to take full charge of the managing of all financial transactions and balancing drawers.

Sales/stock associate vs general sales associate salary

Sales/stock associates and general sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales/Stock Associate	General Sales Associate
Average salary	$30,494	$29,328
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $21,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between sales/stock associate and general sales associate education

There are a few differences between a sales/stock associate and a general sales associate in terms of educational background:

	Sales/Stock Associate	General Sales Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sales/stock associate vs general sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between sales/stock associates' and general sales associates' demographics:

	Sales/Stock Associate	General Sales Associate
Average age	38	41
Gender ratio	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%	Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between sales/stock associate and general sales associate duties and responsibilities

Sales/stock associate example responsibilities.

Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
Stock shelves with books using RF technology.
Scan inventory into system using a RF scanner.
Can operate a POS system cash register and count the money to ensure the correct amount.
Used in-house POS to ring up purchases in-store and by phone as well as to search national inventory database.
Maintain cleanliness according to regulate standards throughout the facilities, both inside and outside per organizations regulations.

General sales associate example responsibilities.

Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
Exhibit rudimentary math skills and advance communication skills when efficiently cashiering in a fast pace environment.
Perform minor repairs on Kohl's jewelry like changing watch batteries and removing watch links.

Sales/stock associate vs general sales associate skills

Common sales/stock associate skills

Kids, 40%
Store Locations, 20%
Store Shelves, 7%
Stock Room, 6%
Stock Shelves, 3%
Product Knowledge, 3%

Common general sales associate skills

POS, 15%
Work Ethic, 14%
Food Preparation, 11%
PowerPoint, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Lead Generation, 9%

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Sales/Stock Associate
Sales/Stock Associate vs General Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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