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The differences between shop clerks and store sales associates 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 store sales associate takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a shop clerk has an average salary of $34,468, which is higher than the $30,284 average annual salary of a store sales associate.
The top three skills for a shop clerk include basic math, math and top quality. The most important skills for a store sales associate are sales floor, POS, and product knowledge.
| Shop Clerk | Store Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $34,468 | $30,284 |
| Hourly rate | $16.57 | $14.56 |
| Growth rate | -5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 106,275 | 524,877 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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 store sales associate is responsible for assisting store customers, directing them to the correct area of their needs, and responding to their inquiries and concerns regarding a product. Store sales associates also support the store's promotional campaigns, selling goods and services to the customers by demonstrating the product and its benefits. They keep the store premises clean and tidy to avoid any potential hazards during operations. A store sales associate must have excellent communication skills, especially on resolving customer complaints, processing replacements, and issuing refunds.
Shop clerks and store sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Clerk | Store Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $34,468 | $30,284 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $44,000 | Between $23,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Elizabeth, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Rooms To Go |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a shop clerk and a store sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Shop Clerk | Store Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between shop clerks' and store sales associates' demographics:
| Shop Clerk | Store Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| 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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |