ScholarshipfarmIf you love helping customers and are good at sales, you might consider applying to be a sales floor associate at your local retailer or department store.
However, before applying to any sales associate position, it’s essential to know what this job entails to prepare for what you’ll need to do every day.
Keep reading below to learn about the responsibilities of this position, how much sales floor associates make per year, which potential employers you should contact, and more.
What Does a Sales Floor Associate Do?
A sales floor associate is responsible for providing excellent customer service, stocking shelves, conducting sales, and more.
Most sales floor associates make minimum wage or slightly above, but some may earn a commission on top of their salary.
Job Description
The job description of a sales floor associate may vary depending on the employer but generally includes:
- Greeting customers.
- Helping them find what they need.
- Ringing up purchases.
- Cleaning the sales floor.
Working as a sales floor associate can be a great way to gain retail experience or earn extra money during the holiday season.
If you’re want to become a sales floor associate, research the position requirements at your desired place of employment and then apply.
Job Duties
The following are the duties and responsibilities of a sales floor associate
- Interact with customers in person or on the phone to provide information about products and services
- Respond to customer inquiries about prices, product availability, and delivery times
- Provide recommendations for product purchase
- Maintain inventory by checking items for damage or defects
- Count money received from customers
- Perform light cleaning tasks such as sweeping floors, vacuuming, dusting shelves, wiping down counters and other fixtures
- Operate cash register
- Assist other employees
- Accurately process orders
- Handle returns
Education requirement
Minimum of high school diploma or GED equivalent required. Minimum of three years experience in retail or customer service position preferred.
Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Physical Demands for This Position
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, retail salespersons must be able to lift, carry, push, and pull objects that weigh up to 25 pounds.
They must also be able to stand for long periods and do repetitive tasks such as stocking shelves or taking inventory.
In addition, they may be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays.
Some employers may also require that their sales floor associates have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sales Floor Associate Skills
Communication Skills
A sales floor associate must communicate effectively with customers, coworkers, and other associates.
They should also be good listeners to understand the customer’s needs.
Salesfloor associates are often responsible for taking phone orders and helping customers in person.
Some knowledge of accounting is necessary to make changes for purchases or credit card payments.
Flexibility
A sales floor associate will work all shifts, including evenings, weekends, early mornings, etc., and holidays depending on the retail company’s needs.
The ability to work different hours is crucial for this position, so applicants should ask about their availability before applying.
Teamwork
Working together with coworkers is essential to doing the job well. There are always many tasks that need to be done at once, so there’s never enough time or people available to complete them.
Efficiency
Sales floor associates may do some of these tasks independently, but typically it takes more than one person to get everything done.
By working efficiently together, these tasks can get finished much faster, and customers can receive better service.
Understanding each task is essential for an efficient team member because not everyone knows how every job works.
Organization
Salesfloor associates must keep track of what items have been sold during each shift so that things can be reordered if needed.
Knowledgeable
Associates should know how products are priced and where they’re located throughout the store when answering customer questions.
Sales Floor Associate Salary & Outlook
A Sales floor associate’s salary varies based on the location. For example, a sales floor associate’s salary in New York City can range from $34k to $67k.
The average salary for a sales floor associate is $55k.
It’s not uncommon for companies to offer health benefits and vacation time.
The employment of sales floor associates is expected to grow by 12% between now and 2026, faster than the national average of 7%.
Job opportunities should be excellent.
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Conclusion
If you’re interested in a career in retail sales, then working as a sales floor associate is a great entry-level position to consider.
In this role, you’ll be responsible for helping customers find the products they need, providing them with information about those products, and ringing up their purchases.
The average salary for this position is $18 per hour, but the pay can vary depending on the company you work for and your experience level.