RecruitLocalPros

Hiring Retail Salespersons

Employers across the 92 metro areas we have BLS OEWS wage data for pay retail salespersons a median of $27,330 to $44,220 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A search through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340, set by seniority, never by location or salary. Our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

What do retail salespersons do?

  • Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
  • Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.
  • Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
  • Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
  • Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.
  • Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 41-2031.00.

What does it take to become one?

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

O*NET Job Zone 2, SVP (4.0 to < 6.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple macOS for this role.

What do retail salespersons get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for retail salespersons in 92 of the metro areas in this build. The median ranges from $27,330 to $44,220 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $33,820. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 41-2031.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median for retail salespersons in this build is $44,220. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $8,844 to $13,266 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a retail salespersons search fill?
23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.
What if the hire does not work out?
A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.

Price a retail salespersons search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.

Other sales and related roles

All roles we run searches for · Pay by city instead

Where we run retail salespersons searches

The fee does not move with the city. The wage band does, so each page prices the role against what that metro actually pays.