Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between shop clerks and shop assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a shop clerk, becoming a shop assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a shop clerk has an average salary of $34,468, which is higher than the $31,216 average annual salary of a shop assistant.
The top three skills for a shop clerk include basic math, math and top quality. The most important skills for a shop assistant are customer vehicles, CNC, and customer service.
| Shop Clerk | Shop Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,468 | $31,216 |
| Hourly rate | $16.57 | $15.01 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 106,275 | 11,156 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A shop clerk is primarily in charge of assisting clients in a retail store, ensuring efficient service for client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting and identifying the clients' needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions, and recommending alternatives as needed. They must also maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor, clearing the obstructions and disposing of expired or defective products. Furthermore, a shop clerk must manage the product displays, devising strategies to make them more presentable to the customers.
A shop assistant is primarily responsible for handling customers and maintaining the upkeep of a sales floor in a retail store. They are in charge of greeting customers, answering inquiries, offering assistance, recommending products, and handling complaints. A shop assistant also has duties that involve receiving, verifying, processing, and sorting shipments from suppliers, managing inventory, and re-stocking shelves while keeping them presentable. To maintain the sales floor's cleanliness, a shop assistant may also perform light chores and keep all equipment organized. Furthermore, it is essential to accomplish tasks while adhering to the policies and regulations of the company.
Shop clerks and shop assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Clerk | Shop Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,468 | $31,216 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $44,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Spokane, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Steel Dynamics |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Construction |
There are a few differences between a shop clerk and a shop assistant in terms of educational background:
| Shop Clerk | Shop Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | - |
Here are the differences between shop clerks' and shop assistants' demographics:
| Shop Clerk | Shop Assistant | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |