The retail sector is one of the most common industries for job seekers all over the world. Working in retail is an experience that many people share as it is the most common first job for everyone. According to stats, around 32% of Americans headed to the retail sector for their first job. Statistics also show that a whopping 6 out of 10 Americans spend at least some time working in the retail sector.
This shows that it doesn’t matter how small or how big a retail job role is you can work there without feeling any shame as many known billionaires also worked at Mcdonald’s or KFC before making it to the top. That being said, our career experts have complied with the highest-paying retail job and employers who are willing to pay high wages to people looking to make it in the retail industry. Carefully read this article from start to finish if the idea of the highest-paying retail sector jobs appeals to you. Here is how you can get there!
What Are Retail Jobs?
Before we dig deep into what are the best and highest paying retail jobs and how you can get one, let’s spend a few minutes understanding what retail is. Understanding the retail industry will also enable you to understand its scope, extent, and future career aspects. One thing is for sure, the retail industry is incredibly broad, which is why it’s very hard to master everything and nail it down. According to define the meaning of retail is “they sell goods in small quantities to the customer”. In simpler words, any business or person who sells finished products or goods to the customers is a part of the retail industry.
Approximately 6 out of 10 Americans served the retail industry in some part of their life. Most people work as cashiers, salespeople, and clerks in the retail industry before switching to their desired role. Much to your surprise, the stockers, warehouse managers, support staff, and even buyers who buy products that are later to be sold are also part of the retail business.
Are you interested in knowing how to create a Job-Winning Retail Resume with no experience? Continue reading this article until the end to know everything!
Highest Paying Retail Jobs
The median hourly wage for retail workers right now is around $13 USD in the US, Australia, and some other countries. However, the best retail jobs offer much better salary packages for their employees.
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Assistant Store Manager
Assistant store managers are responsible for managing in-door and out-door operations of the store. They usually have a keen eye for ongoing marketing trends and they are the ones who execute plans from higher management in the physical store environment. Assistant store managers make around $70,000 USD per year.
How to become a store manager?
To become a store manager you must have a bachelor’s degree in sales, MBA, marketing, or a related field. Other than that you must possess 2-3 years of retail experience. You must have excellent communication skills along with a keen eye for ongoing trends. You must also possess great team management and leadership skills in order to lead a team to the desired monthly and yearly sales goals.
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Sales Associates
Sales associates fill in one of the main key roles for a retail company. With revenue as their main priority sales associates are very important for scaling a business. A sales associate is always there to help customers, from answering customers’ queries to helping people with product-related questions, sales associates have got it all. If your retail business offers different perks like local pickup and appointment-based shopping then sales associates can also help manage these tasks. If your retail business offers perks like appointment-based shopping or local pickup, a sales associate can also help manage those experiences.
Sales associates make around $15 per hour in the US with a salary ranging from $10 to $23 per hour.
How to become a sales associate?
It is not difficult to get a basic sales associate job. You just need to have a minimum education of a high-school degree and good communication and customer service skills. You will receive on-the-job training at your workplace to know how to deal with customers and help them with different products.
Some high-paying sales associate jobs require a bachelor’s degree in sales along with some experience and certifications to prove that they can get to business right away.
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Cashiers
No store can run without cashiers (except the advanced Amazon stores: Amazon Go). Cashiers are responsible for managing the bulk influx of customers that are in need of paying for the goods they bought. Well-trained cashiers, experienced, and agile cashiers are an asset to the retail business. Cashiers also manage records of everyday sales and also take care of the physical and electronic cash for the store.
The average base salary for a cashier in the US is $13 per hour. Some reputable stores even pay $18 to $20 an hour.
How to become a cashier?
In terms of education, a GED diploma or a high school degree is enough to become a cashier. In addition to this, no prior training is required and an in-job training of 2-4 weeks is provided prior to letting them work in a professional environment. Generally, they don’t require any certifications, however, they must possess some skills that include:
- Customer service skills
- Basic mathematic skills
- Good communication skills
- Computer literacy
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Customer Service Representatives
Customer service representatives generally work over the phone and do not physically manage a floor like sales associates. CSRs are expected to provide email, phone, and social media support to customers and other stakeholders.
CSRs make an average of $15 per hour with good employers paying experienced CSR’s around $16 to $18 USD per hour.
How to Become a CSR?
The main role of a CSR is to share product knowledge and information with customers over the phone, email, or any other digital form of communication. CSR must have great communication skills along with attention to detail. They must also have good listening skills as well as issue resolution skills. Nowadays CSR is also required to know how to operate CRM and appointment booking platforms along with all other skills.
Retail Jobs That Pay $20 an hour in the US
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Crate and Barrel
Crate and Barrel is one of the highest-paying retailers that pay an average of $15 per hour to all its employers. The Crate and Barrel management also pay an average of $22 to good-performing employers and top management. In addition to great salaries, they also offer a 30% discount to all employees at their employment site.
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Gucci
Gucci is an Italian luxury fashion house headquartered in Florence. They offer generous per-hour pay to all employees ranging from $21 to $23 an hour.
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LVMH
Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is commonly known as LVMH. It is a French-holding multinational corporation with a strong focus on luxury goods. LVMH pays an average of
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Chanel
Chanel is a French luxury fashion house that was founded by couturière Coco Chanel in 1910. It focuses on women’s ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, and accessories. $40
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PUMA
According to Glassdoor the German athletic giant recently announced the minimum wage for all retail workers to be $15 per hour. They also pay generously to trained staff and higher retail management.
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Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby a crafts chain giant pays its retail employees between $18 to $22 per hour. Their top management also gets a more per hour salary.
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Amazon
Amazon the online retailer giant deals in all kinds of consumer products. Amazon declared the minimum hourly wage to be $18 per hour for all of its employees.
Earning $20 Per Hour for Students: Summary
In order to land a high-paying retail job, you will need to spend at least 2 years in your current role retail role no matter if you are working as a sales associate, cashier, or any other retail role.
Remember, the power of landing a higher-paying job, far above the federal minimum wage, is that it not only improves your income today but also fuels your job growth by serving as a baseline for future annual salary raises as you progress through your career.
So, this isn’t just about earning a few more dollars per hour — it’s about earning substantially more money over your lifetime.
Are you interested in knowing how to create a Job-Winning Retail Resume with no experience? Continue reading this article until the end to know everything!
How to Create a Retail Job Resume
Retail firms all around the world are in need of retail staff that have some professional retail experience, good analytical skills, along with a customer-oriented attitude. However, you will have to include all these experiences in your resume in the most optimal way to win a retail Job from your dream employer.
Enlisting all your experiences and emphasizing your professional expertise is not an easy task for retail experts. A retail professional doesn’t always have to be an expert in making resumes, therefore our resume writing professionals along with career experts have teamed up to help you with your resume.
Here is everything you need to know about how to create a professional retail resume or a resume for a retail job with no experience.
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Retail Job Resume Summary (Sample)
A professional retail resume summary must include two things. First, one is a career objective, and the second being the most important thing is your most notable achievement from your whole retail career.
Our experts recommend that you always put your best feet forward when writing the summary of your resume. After listing your career objective immediately add some big numbers to make the hiring manager more attentive and interested in knowing more about you.
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Retail Job Resume Points (Sample)
Here is what you should include in the bullet points while explaining your role at some company:
- Served as a retail sales associate in a leading outlet where I fulfilled all the duties of a sales associate as well as a cashier in time of need.
- Enhanced customer relationships and increased the returning customer count by 15% in the first three months.
- Carried out business-related communication with both customers and other business representatives to smoothly manage store preferences.
- Reached individual sales goals consistently for 6 months.
- Operated POS system with 98% accuracy.
- Always got commended by the sales manager and other members of team management for my dedication and smart work ethic.
Pro Tip: Add 4-6 bullet points at max per job. Try to avoid unnecessary details.
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Retail Job Resume With No Experience (Pro Tips)
Have you just completed high school and are looking for some work to manage expenses? Don’t have any prior retail job experience? Our resume experts can help you write the best retail job resume with zero experience. Here is what you need to know:
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Use a Resume Format That is Functional
Most employers only take 5-6 seconds to scan your resume before deciding to take a closer look at it. Keeping your resume format functional will guarantee that you will at least ensure consideration for that role. Use headings and appropriately space your cv to make it look more presentable. Use a reverse chronological order and try to keep it within one page unless it is absolutely necessary to move to the next page.
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You Can Still Add Relevant Experience
It doesn’t matter if this is the first job you are ever applying for you can still add some meaningful stuff to your resume. Career experts agree that making a resume and properly applying for a job is 50 times better than walking up to a store owner and asking him/her for employment.
- Add your related high school/diploma projects that relate to retail. Add your education details along with any educational projects that relate to this field.
- Focus on your transferable skills and don’t worry if you don’t have any prior experience. This format of making a resume focuses more on your skill set and less on your lack of experience.
- Mention your certifications and even your grades to prove how quick of a learner and hard worker you are. Add your volunteer experience even if is not directly relevant to the role you are applying for.
- Focus on your unique skill, for instance, you should mention if you are bilingual or if you have a ton of knowledge about the company and you are good at market research.
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Keep your resume concise
Keep it short, one page is more than enough for an entry-level retail position.
Get Help From a Resume Writing Professionals: Resume That Works!
Investing some time and money to take the next step in progressing your career won’t hurt you. This is not necessary that a sales manager or a sales associate is also good at creating a wonderful resume, however, hiring managers only consider people with great first impressions that are made by a professional-looking CV.
Highly qualified and well-experienced career experts and resume writing experts have teamed up at ResumeThatWorks to help you land a retail job with your dream employer. We are just a chat away make a wise choice and allow our experts to help you with your job search!