Occupation Summary

Retail Salespersons

O*NET 41-2031.00

Description:

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.

Annual Wages:
$33,577.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 11.97%.
Education Level:
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

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


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Retail Salespersons employed Annual Growth Rate
Clothing and clothing accessories retailers 12.2 0.07
Building material and supplies dealers 11.4 0.24
Automobile dealers 6.3 0.16
Health and personal care retailers 4.4 0.37
Furniture and home furnishings retailers 4 -0.31
Electronics and appliance retailers 3.9 -2.60
Shoe retailers 3.1 -0.59
Other miscellaneous retailers 3.1 0.17


Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $16.14
2024 National average hourly wage $17.86
2022 National employment 3,765,600
2022 Texas employment 319,401
Texas projected employment by 2032 357,632
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 52,843




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
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.
90.40%
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.
86.80%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
73.40%
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.
60.80%
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
60.60%
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.
60.20%
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.
57.80%
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
55.00%
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.
53.80%
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.
49.00%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
77.60%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
75.00%
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
75.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
75.00%
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
70.00%
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
70.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
62.40%
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
60.00%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
60.00%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
60.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
80.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
77.60%
Speech Recognition
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
72.40%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
72.40%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
62.40%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
60.00%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
60.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
60.00%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
60.00%
Category Flexibility
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
57.60%


  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    -- Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Selling or Influencing Others
    -- Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    -- Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Other Activities


  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.



Tools

Adjustable widemouth pliers: Adjustable widemouth pliers;

Adjustable wrenches: Adjustable wrenches;

Bar code reader equipment: Barcode scanners;

Cash registers: Cash registers; Computerized cash registers;

Desktop computers: Desktop computers;

Domestic clothing irons: Clothing irons;

Domestic sewing machines: Sewing machines;

Electronic funds transfer point of sale equipment: Electronic funds transfer EFT terminals;

Fluid regulators: Gas consoles;

Garment steamer: Clothing steamers;

Hammers: Hammers;

Label dispensers: Price guns;

Ladders: Ladders;

Magnetic stripe readers and encoders: Magnetic card readers; Credit card processing machines;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Pocket calculator: Handheld calculators;

Point of sale payment terminal: Telecheck processing terminals;

Point of sale POS terminal: Point of sale POS computer terminals;

Screwdrivers: Screwdrivers;

Tape measures: Tape measures;

Ticket dispensing machines: Lottery machines;


Technology

Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks; Sage 50 Accounting;

Cloud-based data access and sharing software: Microsoft SharePoint; Google Drive;

Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD;

Customer relationship management CRM software: Microsoft Dynamics; Salesforce software;

Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access; Data entry software; Database software; FileMaker Pro; Gift registry software;

Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign;

Development environment software: Eclipse IDE;

Document management software: Adobe Acrobat;

Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Outlook;

Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle PeopleSoft; SAP software;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software; Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop; SmugMug Flickr;

Human resources software: Exact business software;

Instant messaging software: GroupMe; Blink;

Internet browser software: Internet browser software;

Inventory management software: Inventory management systems;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Microsoft Windows; Handheld computer device software; Apple macOS;

Point of sale POS software: ASI Point of Sale; Attitude POS itive AccuPOS Retail; Advanced Retail Management Systems Retail Pro; American Precision Instruments Regit; CAP Automation SellWise; Comcash ERP; CompuTant CounterPoint; CyberMatrix; Datasym SYMFINITE; Bibase 4POS Retail; Infocorp Computer Solutions $mart System; Infocorp Softwear/POS; iQmetrix RQ4 Retail Management System; EZ Software Solutions; Plexis Software Plexis POS; Point of sale POS bookstore software; Point of sale POS parts and services software; Point of sale POS software; RiscStation POSSum; LOB RetailPoint; Logisoft Positive Pos System; ManageMore Cellular Manager; Master Merchant Systems Music Store; MicroBiz; Millennium Software Atrex; Sage 50 Accounting Software; SBS Keystroke; Semicron Systems; Softpedia ShopInvo; System3 POS software; The General Store; The Retail Solution; TokenWorks Magnetic Card Reader; True North Computer Retail Plus; VeriFone PC Charge Pro; Vigilant; Visual Retail Plus; WinMan SureSell;

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint;

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel;

Video conferencing software: Google Meet;

Video creation and editing software: YouTube;

Web page creation and editing software: Facebook; LinkedIn; Social media sites;

Word processing software: Google Docs; Microsoft Word;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Retail Salespersons include:
  • 41-2011.00 Cashiers
  • 41-2021.00 Counter and Rental Clerks
  • 43-4051.00 Customer Service Representatives
  • 41-9011.00 Demonstrators and Product Promoters
  • 41-9091.00 Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers
  • 41-1011.00 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
  • 43-4151.00 Order Clerks
  • 41-2022.00 Parts Salespersons
  • 53-7065.00 Stockers and Order Fillers
  • 41-9041.00 Telemarketers


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about the retail industry, visit: National Retail Federation
  • Retail Industry Leaders Association
  • For more information about training for a career in automobile sales, visit: National Automobile Dealers Association
  • Occupational Requirements Survey

  • For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see
  • Retail salespersons (PDF)
  • Parts Salespersons
  • Retail Salespersons

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.