Retail Sales Clerks Description OES Code: 490110 Sell to the public any of a wide variety of merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel. Include workers who sell less expensive merchandise where a knowledge of the item sold is not a primary requirement. Exclude Cashiers. CA Wages/hour median range New, no experience: minimum minimum – $22.38 New, experienced: $6.00 minimum – $30.90 3 yrs+ experience: $8.00 minimum – $38.00 Some Salespersons are paid a regular and fixed salary, while many earn a combination of salary and commission. The amount of money Salespersons can earn depends on the real value or popularity of the merchandise they sell. Salespersons working for an elegant jewelry shop can naturally expect to earn more than those working in a cut-rate or discount department store. On the other hand, hard work and a lot of sales can make for good earnings in almost any work situation, particularly when working for a combination of salary plus commission. Local Wages • CCOIS Survey • OES Survey Hours & Benefits Many sales positions are part time only with schedules of 20-35 hours per week. These employees are on duty during peak selling hours, including evenings and weekends. Because weekends are busy days in retailing, almost all employees work at least one of these days and have a weekday off. Friday and Saturday are usually the busiest sales days of the week. There aren't many employee benefits in smaller stores, but many retail outfits offer employees (and sometimes their family members) a discount of as much as 10-25 percent on the goods in stock. Large department stores and retail chains offer life insurance policies, and health and pension plans. Employment Trends Employment 1996 421,550 Projected Employment 2006 502,220 Growth Rate 1996-2006 19.1% Openings due to Separations 146,600 Employment Trends by California County The expected growth for Retail Salespersons reflects the needs and wants of California's growing population. There is a high turnover rate in the occupation. The turnover creates many job vacancies. The retail sales industry has been a good source of job opportunities for the high school graduate with not much work experience. It should continue to be full of opportunity, given the size of the industry and its rate of turnover. Getting the Job & Other Information Most beginning jobs are filled from applications made directly to the retail stores. Job announcements for salespeople can be found in the classified ad section of most newspapers, or by visiting a office of the California Employment Development Department. College graduates can apply to stores through their campus placement office, since many major retail stores and chains recruit on campuses for their management trainee positions. Retail outlet shopping centers provide another good way to enter the retail sales industry The months of November and December are usually the busiest for the retail trade industry, and many temporary hires occur during that time. Although people are often hired on as a "temporary", retail's high turnover rate makes it likely that permanent positions will become available. Different products have different peak sales seasons (for example, summer for garden supplies, and winter for wood-burning stoves and ski equipment), when a job seeker's chance to be hired is better in those sales areas For current job listings, browse CalJOBS or America's Job Bank.

Click arrow at bottom left of image to begin. Requires QuickTime Education and Training For most sales jobs, no specific training is needed. Some sales jobs do require detailed knowledge of the product, and perhaps, as is the case with some furniture, antiques, or art work, a knowledge of the history of the item. Some sales positions require a specific expertise, such as carpentry for tool sales, or interior design for furniture sales. However, the average beginning sales job will require no more than a high-school education, good verbal communication skills, an out-going and courteous disposition, cleanliness, neatness of dress and grooming, and practical math. Salespersons may receive on-the-job training on sales techniques, store policies, how to record sales, and classes on the store operations. Skills & Other Requirements Often, they must bend, lift, and stretch in order to arrange, store, or display merchandise. A medium amount of stamina, strength, and flexibility is often needed. Door- to-door salespersons have to be able to walk long distances and must sometimes put up with bad weather to meet their customers. Salespersons will sometimes have to deal with impatient, rude, and other difficult customers. They should have tact, patience, and be able to deal with these situations peacefully in order to make a sale or handle a complaint or return. Advancement Promotions are possible into manager positions, such as assistant manager, department manager, or regional sales manager, but a college education is important for these positions. Large retail businesses generally prefer to hire college graduates as management trainees. There aren't many opportunities for promotion in small stores, where one person, often the owner, does most of the managerial work. Though not a promotion, some salespersons earn enough to become store or franchise owners or partners. References Note: The references below (and/or on other parts of this page) will link to pages on the internet outside the Career Video system. California Occupational Guide #536 Related Occupation: #118, #242, #542, #285 Training: California State Training Inventory                 © State of California EDD/LMID, US Department of Labor Unless indicated otherwise, wage data is based on Statewide aggregated CCOIS survey responses between 1995 and 1997. Questions or Comments? Contact us.