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Retail Associate Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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A Retail Associate, or Retail Sales Associate, provides excellent service to customers within a retail environment. Primary responsibilities of a Retail Associate include helping customers with any questions or concerns they have while in the store, replenishing stock on the floor, and processing payments at the cash register.

Retail Associate duties and responsibilities

When writing a job description for a Retail Associate, it is essential to specify the duties and responsibilities required to excel in the role. Some of these duties and responsibilities may include: 

  • Serving customers by developing rapport, building customer confidence, providing accurate information, and helping with product selection
  • Demonstrating knowledge of products and inventory to ensure customer satisfaction
  • Maintaining a clean and orderly workspace or retail floor
  • Performing all required cash register transactions efficiently and accurately
  • Contributing to store profitability by receiving, handling, replenishing, and processing incoming product flow
  • Providing excellent customer service by responding to customer questions or issues regarding product features and benefits
  • Resolving customer complaints

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Retail Associate Job Description Examples:

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines
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What does a Retail Associate do?

A Retail Associate is responsible for communicating with and assisting store customers. The main objective of the role is to sell products. Retail Associates are required to provide excellent customer service by maintaining a positive attitude and helping customers when needed. Retail Associates help customers with product selection, so they must be familiar with the details of the products their store offers. Lastly, the Retail Associate processes transactions or returns for the customer.

Retail Associate skills and qualifications

A successful Retail Associate needs various prerequisite skills and qualifications required for the duties performed in this job, including: 

  • Working as an individual contributor and as part of a team
  • Exceptional attention to detail
  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to maintain a positive attitude
  • Excellent customer service skills
  • Good organizational skills
  • Ability to perform basic math when required

Retail Associate experience requirements

Retail Associates can start working without previous experience. Look for candidates with strong communication skills and enthusiasm for the products and the customers your business serves. You may seek candidates who are already familiar with the company or industry. Retail Associates learn product or service details on-the-job and can shadow more experienced employees to improve their knowledge of the role. Some candidates apply to work as a Retail Associate for their first job, so look for relevant soft skills if applicants don’t yet have work experience.

Retail Associate training and education

Look for a candidate who has received, or is working towards, a high school diploma or GED. Retail Associates often work part-time while pursuing higher education as well. For specialty or high-end goods, like technology, candidates who have completed vocational training or industry-specific courses are likely to succeed.

Retail Associate salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Retail Associate in Canada is $15.58 per hour. Pay varies depending on a candidate’s previous experience, store location, and company that is hiring.

Job descriptions for similar roles

If a Retail Associate job description is not what you are looking for, other related descriptions include: 

Create a culture of innovation
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Retail Associate job description FAQs

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Job Description Examples

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