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Stylist vs sales associate

The differences between stylists and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a stylist has an average salary of $37,985, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.

The top three skills for a stylist include good time management, POS and data entry. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.

Stylist vs sales associate overview

StylistSales Associate
Yearly salary$37,985$32,167
Hourly rate$18.26$15.46
Growth rate11%-
Number of jobs49,296579,849
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age4041
Years of experience2-

What does a stylist do?

A stylist is responsible for providing fashion advice, choosing the appropriate clothing for models, maintaining the fashion style, and supervising photoshoots. Stylists must always be updated with the latest fashion trends for recommendations. A stylist must have excellent communication skills to connect with various brand management and fashion stores for purchasing items or inquiring about clothing collections. In some cases, stylists are usually consulted by a team of the fashion brand to give inputs on the appropriate style, including color schemes and overall design.

What does a sales associate do?

Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.

Stylist vs sales associate salary

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

StylistSales Associate
Average salary$37,985$32,167
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $53,000Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityDenver, CONew York, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyColumbia International UniversityBarclays
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between stylist and sales associate education

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

StylistSales Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorCosmetologyBusiness
Most common college--

Stylist vs sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between stylists' and sales associates' demographics:

StylistSales Associate
Average age4041
Gender ratioMale, 13.6% Female, 86.4%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%7%

Differences between stylist and sales associate duties and responsibilities

Stylist example responsibilities.

  • Manage salon, payroll, purchasing and inventory utilizing corporate policies.
  • Manage cleaning up activities after hair care appointments by ensuring appropriate cleanliness and sterilization of cutting and trimming equipment.
  • Perform general receptionist tasks such as answering phones, using POS system, handling money transactions, and scheduling appointments.
  • Create personal``Lookbooks"for clients through social media.
  • Assist in marketing and social media via Instagram, Facebook and USD club meetings.
  • Contract great clips for service to hire temps on a temporary basis to assist shifts salons need.
  • Show more

Sales associate example responsibilities.

  • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
  • Gain experience with credit cards, mathematics, as well as customer service.
  • Utilize forklift, order picker reach truck, electric ladder, or roll ladders to transfer merchandise to the sales floor.
  • Create Facebook page for Ohco Import/Export division.
  • Increase sales by upselling products and follow up sales calls.
  • Assist customers with the purchase of the perfect piece of jewelry
  • Show more

Stylist vs sales associate skills

Common stylist skills
  • Good Time Management, 14%
  • POS, 11%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • Excellent Training, 8%
  • Safety Standards, 8%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
Common sales associate skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Cash Handling, 9%
  • Retail Sales, 9%
  • Loss Prevention, 7%
  • Basic Math, 5%

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