Retail Salespersons

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations.
• Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items.
• Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.
• Estimate cost of repair or alteration of merchandise.
• Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
• Maintain records related to sales.
• Bag or package purchases and wrap gifts.
• Help customers try on or fit merchandise.
• Estimate and quote trade-in allowances.
• Estimate quantity and cost of merchandise required, such as paint or floor covering.
• Sell or arrange for delivery, insurance, financing, or service contracts for merchandise.
• Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.
• Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits.
• Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
• Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.
• Clean shelves, counters, and tables.
• Inventory stock and requisition new stock.
• Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.
• Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.
• Inventory stock and requisition new stock.
• Rent merchandise to customers.
• Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
• Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.
• Sell or arrange for delivery, insurance, financing, or service contracts for merchandise.
• Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
• Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
• Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales.
• Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns.
• Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.

Skills

• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

Abilities

• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

Knowledge

• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Education

Education

No formal educational credential

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

38350/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

18.44/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

118,630

Yearly Projected Openings

18330

Personality

Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:

• Optimism
• Social Orientation
• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Perseverance
• Empathy

Tools

• Adjustable widemouth pliers
• Adjustable wrenches
• Bar code reader equipment
• Cash registers
• Desktop computers
• Domestic clothing irons
• Domestic sewing machines
• Electronic funds transfer point of sale equipment
• Fluid regulators
• Garment steamer
• Hammers
• Label dispensers
• Ladders
• Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
• Personal computers
• Pocket calculator
• Point of sale POS terminal
• Point of sale payment terminal
• Screwdrivers
• Tape measures
• Ticket dispensing machines

Technology

• Accounting software
• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Desktop publishing software
• Development environment software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Human resources software
• Instant messaging software
• Internet browser software
• Inventory management software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Point of sale POS software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Video conferencing software
• Video creation and editing software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Word processing software