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The differences between store assistants and sales clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a store assistant has an average salary of $32,372, which is higher than the $25,739 average annual salary of a sales clerk.
The top three skills for a store assistant include payroll, retail sales and customer service. The most important skills for a sales clerk are customer service, stock shelves, and sales floor.
| Store Assistant | Sales Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $32,372 | $25,739 |
| Hourly rate | $15.56 | $12.37 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 511,874 | 372,651 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
As the name entails, a store assistant helps the store supervisor or manager. You will typically perform various tasks that include processing inventory and replenishing items when they get low, assisting stock clerks in receiving and processing shipments, and performing tasks related to store opening and closing. Additionally, you are expected to provide customer service, including handling customer complaints and facilitating transactions utilizing point of sale software. A store assistant also checks for any product breakage or damage.
A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.
Store assistants and sales clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Store Assistant | Sales Clerk | |
| Average salary | $32,372 | $25,739 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $16,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jacksonville, NC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Busch's Fresh Food Market | Hawaii Pacific Health |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Energy |
There are a few differences between a store assistant and a sales clerk in terms of educational background:
| Store Assistant | Sales Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | - |
Here are the differences between store assistants' and sales clerks' demographics:
| Store Assistant | Sales Clerk | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |