Seasonal associate vs general sales associate

The differences between seasonal associates and general sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a seasonal associate has an average salary of $31,132, which is higher than the $29,328 average annual salary of a general sales associate.

The top three skills for a seasonal associate include PET, sales floor and loss prevention. The most important skills for a general sales associate are POS, work ethic, and food preparation.

Seasonal associate vs general sales associate overview

	Seasonal Associate	General Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$31,132	$29,328
Hourly rate	$14.97	$14.10
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	417,677	383,009
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a seasonal associate do?

Seasonal Associates are employees in a retail store during a particular season, such as holidays or school breaks. They may also be employed in any other business with a high volume of customers or clients, like theme parks, restaurants, or holiday destinations, during the aforementioned seasons. As such, they usually work on administrative or clerical activities. They may help in overseeing the store display, assisting customers, taking inventory, and restocking shelves, among others. In case seasonal associates do exceptionally well, the company may offer them a full-time engagement.

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.

Seasonal associate vs general sales associate salary

Seasonal associates and general sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Seasonal Associate	General Sales Associate
Average salary	$31,132	$29,328
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $38,000	Between $21,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	National Football League	Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between seasonal associate and general sales associate education

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

	Seasonal Associate	General Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Seasonal associate vs general sales associate demographics

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

	Seasonal Associate	General Sales Associate
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%	Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.3% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	7%	7%

Differences between seasonal associate and general sales associate duties and responsibilities

Seasonal associate example responsibilities.

Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
Greet customers, properly execute their transaction, and bag groceries.
Operate all equipment such as POS register, ticket scanners, sensors, sensor removers, etc.
Major responsibility are to inform customers of the protection policies that every electronic device are eligible for and work the POS registers
Uphold merchandising and store cleanliness requirements.
Maintain organization and cleanliness of the mobile unit on a regular basis

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.

Seasonal associate vs general sales associate skills

Common seasonal associate skills

PET, 24%
Sales Floor, 24%
Loss Prevention, 7%
POS, 6%
Customer Inquiries, 5%
Customer Issues, 5%

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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Seasonal Associate
Seasonal Associate vs General Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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