Warehouse associate vs store sales associate

The differences between warehouse associates and store sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse associate has an average salary of $32,863, which is higher than the $30,284 average annual salary of a store sales associate.

The top three skills for a warehouse associate include pallets, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a store sales associate are sales floor, POS, and product knowledge.

Warehouse associate vs store sales associate overview

	Warehouse Associate	Store Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$32,863	$30,284
Hourly rate	$15.80	$14.56
Growth rate	1%	-
Number of jobs	215,910	524,877
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	38	43
Years of experience	-	6

What does a warehouse associate do?

Warehouse associates are employees who take on any task needed at the company warehouse. They receive incoming deliveries, store the items in their proper places, scan the items to log them into the company system, manage stocks and inventory, conduct product inspection to check for damages or defects, and maintain the overall cleanliness of the warehouse. Warehouse associates are also responsible for receiving purchase orders, assembling and packing products related to orders, checking the accuracy of the products relative to the order, and ensuring proper shipment of the products.

What does a store sales associate do?

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.

Warehouse associate vs store sales associate salary

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

	Warehouse Associate	Store Sales Associate
Average salary	$32,863	$30,284
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	Elizabeth, NJ
Highest paying state	North Dakota	New Jersey
Best paying company	Uline	Rooms To Go
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between warehouse associate and store sales associate education

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

	Warehouse Associate	Store Sales Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Warehouse associate vs store sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between warehouse associates' and store sales associates' demographics:

	Warehouse Associate	Store Sales Associate
Average age	38	43
Gender ratio	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%

Differences between warehouse associate and store sales associate duties and responsibilities

Warehouse associate example responsibilities.

Rotate stock by code and receiving date - FIFO.
Create and ship documents for customs using DHL software.
Utilize RF gun for scanning duties include closing out invoices and assigning load plans.
Perform all tasks according to OSHA regulations and also attend daily safety tool box meetings.
Utilize a hand-held RF unit to select products/quantities for retail orders in a high volume warehouse.
Require consistent heavy lifting, math skills (primarily measurements), and fierce attention to detail.

Store sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage to sales KPI's (including sales and expense budget numbers), assuring efficient and effective use of resources.
Earn management trust by serving as keyholder, responsibly opening and closing the store.
Audit all jewelry counts daily, banking deposit log, cashier logs, sales logs.
Utilize the company's POS system to cash customers out or administer returns to the store.
Work as a sales associate and keyholder throughout the summer and a bit of the school year.
Help customers choose jewelry, pierce ears, open and close out register, set up displays.

Warehouse associate vs store sales associate skills

Common warehouse associate skills

Pallets, 15%
Work Ethic, 12%
Customer Service, 8%
Basic Math, 7%
Warehouse Environment, 5%
Math, 4%

Common store sales associate skills

Sales Floor, 20%
POS, 10%
Product Knowledge, 10%
Store Sales, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Stock Room, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Warehouse Associate
Warehouse Associate vs Store Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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