Retail Salespersons
Also called: Art Dealer, Art Objects Salesperson, Auto Dealer, Automobile Accessories Salesperson, Automobile Salesman, Automobiles Salesperson, Automotive Salesperson, Bakery Clerk
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
What retail salespersons do
Typical tasks
- Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
- Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.
- Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
- Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
- Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.
- Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.
- Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.
- Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.
- Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales.
- Inventory stock and requisition new stock.
- Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns.
- Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Retail Salespersons salary
The median annual wage for retail salespersons is $35,410 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $27,210 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $47,890. The mean annual wage is $37,310.
The mean hourly wage of $17.00 is 2.3× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Retail Salespersons (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $35,410 → in 3 years $38,500 → in 5 years $40,800 → in 10 years $47,000 (10-year range $40,400–$54,500). The model assumes pay growth of +2.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Retail Salespersons
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Retail Salespersons? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Retail Salespersons
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Retail Salespersons United States | シューフィッター Japan | CDショップ店員 Japan | デパート店員 Japan | 書店員 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $35,410 | ¥3.85M ≈ $24,468 | ¥3.85M ≈ $24,468 | ¥3.85M ≈ $24,468 | ¥3.85M ≈ $24,468 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $47,000 | ¥5.28M | ¥5.14M | ¥5.26M | ¥5.22M |
| Outlook score | 40 | 53 | 48 | 53 | 49 |
| AI replacement risk | 39% Low | 39% Low | 56% Moderate | 44% Moderate | 51% Moderate |
| Workers | 3.9M | — | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Retail Salespersons
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become retail salespersons
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as retail salespersons
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.