Retail Salespersons
What Retail Salespersons Do
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 4%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Sales and Marketingimportance 4.5/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
- English Languageimportance 3.7/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.0/5
- Psychologyimportance 2.9/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Contact With Others4.9/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Telephone Conversations4.6/5
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.6/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.3/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Real Estate Sales Agents96% skill match
- Compliance Officers96% skill match
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products95% skill match
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers95% skill match
- Animal Control Workers95% skill match
- Waiters and Waitresses94% skill match
- Flight Attendants94% skill match
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Persuasionimportance 3.9/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.8/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.5/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Instructingimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- ASI Point of Sale
- Advanced Retail Management Systems Retail Pro
- American Precision Instruments Regit
- Attitude POS itive AccuPOS Retail
- Bibase 4POS Retail
- Blink
- CAP Automation SellWise
- Comcash ERP
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Social Orientation
- Optimism
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Perseverance
- Empathy
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- EnterprisingHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- RealisticMedium
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where retail salespersons make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Arecibo, PR2.59× national avg
- 2Ponce, PR2.25× national avg
- 3Aguadilla, PR2.17× national avg
- 4Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC2.12× national avg
- 5Guayama, PR2.09× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related WorkersLateral Move
- TelemarketersLateral Move
- Order ClerksCareer Change
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific ProductsAdvancement