Sales team member vs retail clerk

The differences between sales team members and retail clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales team member has an average salary of $33,827, which is higher than the $30,046 average annual salary of a retail clerk.

The top three skills for a sales team member include sales floor, wine and cleanliness. The most important skills for a retail clerk are stock shelves, groceries, and retail sales.

Sales team member vs retail clerk overview

	Sales Team Member	Retail Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,827	$30,046
Hourly rate	$16.26	$14.45
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	585,314	470,355
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a sales team member do?

A sales team member is responsible for selling goods and services to the customers, responding to their inquiries and concerns, and updating them with new services and promotional offers. Sales team members play a huge role in generating revenues for the business by maintaining existing clients and attracting potential customers. They assist with developing sales strategies for brand awareness, creating sales pitches, and identifying sales opportunities by researching current market trends. A sales team member must have excellent communication and customer service skills to negotiate with the customers and ensure their highest satisfaction.

What does a retail clerk do?

A retail clerk is responsible for selling goods and services to the customers, recommending products based on their needs, and responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the product. Retail clerks assist with the store's marketing strategies, organize product displays, monitor inventories, endorse promotional discounts, and help customers on their checkout payments. A retail clerk must have excellent communication and customer service skills to handle customers' requests and ensure their highest satisfaction.

Sales team member vs retail clerk salary

Sales team members and retail clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales Team Member	Retail Clerk
Average salary	$33,827	$30,046
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $45,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Bellevue Jr/Sr High School
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between sales team member and retail clerk education

There are a few differences between a sales team member and a retail clerk in terms of educational background:

	Sales Team Member	Retail Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sales team member vs retail clerk demographics

Here are the differences between sales team members' and retail clerks' demographics:

	Sales Team Member	Retail Clerk
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between sales team member and retail clerk duties and responsibilities

Sales team member example responsibilities.

Manage the hardlines department of the store.
Lead a team of eighteen people in the apparel department through development, talent management, and training.
Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
Serve customers, stock shelves, organize products, correct merchandise pricing, train newly hire employees, POS system
Stock merchandise, groceries, clothes, shoes, and household items.
Prepare, print & bound PowerPoint sales presentation packages and investment review reports.

Retail clerk example responsibilities.

Accomplish upselling goals to contribute to company's success.
Handle sales and returns through a POS software system and inventory database, and train new employees on the same tools.
Collect and process payments including accurate maintenance of sales register and jewelry inventory following close of daily business.
Provide excellent customer service while upselling promotional products

Sales team member vs retail clerk skills

Common sales team member skills

Sales Floor, 14%
Wine, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Ladders, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Basic Math, 7%

Common retail clerk skills

Stock Shelves, 31%
Groceries, 21%
Retail Sales, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Basic Math, 5%
POS, 4%

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Sales Team Member
Sales Team Member vs Retail Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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