Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers
Career Overview
Retail salespersons sell, rent or lease goods and services directly to consumers. Due to an increase in online sales, retail salespersons may also assist with a company's e-commerce site.
Visual merchandisers plan and create windows and in-store displays.
They work for stores and other retail businesses, as well as wholesale businesses that sell on a retail basis to the public.
People in this occupation:
- Prepare sales, rental or leasing contracts and/or take payment for services or goods using a cash register
- Can be responsible for maintaining sales records and tidying the store, creating display counters and stocking shelves
- Work in small, medium and large organizations, including stores and other retail businesses and wholesale businesses
- Are polite, friendly and patient
- Should be self starters who can interact well with customers
- Need to be able to explain and answer questions about the products or services they are selling
Job Titles
Duties
Retail salespersons perform some or all of the following duties:
- Greet customers and discuss the goods or services offered for purchase, rental or lease
- Tell customers about the use and care of merchandise, and provide advice concerning specialized products or services
- Explain merchandise to customers (i.e., distinctions between models, manufacturers' specifications, available financing options, details of associated warranties, etc.)
- Describe sales promotions or policies regarding payment and exchanges
- Estimate or quote prices, credit terms, trade-in allowances, warranties and delivery dates
- Prepare merchandise for purchase, rental or lease
- Set up sales, rental or leasing contracts
- Take cash, cheque, credit card or automatic debit payments and operate a cash register
- Create displays and stock shelves
- Keep sales records for inventory control
- Run computerized inventory record keeping and re-ordering systems
- Bag, wrap and/or package purchases
- Order or ship goods
- May do sales transactions through internet-based electronic commerce
- May specialize and give advice on interior decorating, home entertainment systems, computers and other products and services
Visual merchandisers:
- Design and create window and interior displays
- Assemble visual retail displays to promote products, promotional events and seasonal change overs
- Ensure visual displays follow brand guidelines and standards, including organization's culture, image and target market
- Set up lighting systems to create a visual atmosphere
Special duties
Retail salespersons may specialize and act as consultants in home entertainment systems, computers and other products and services.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
86,255% Employed Full Time
33%Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers typically work indoors, though some sales (i.e. car sales) involve working outdoors. Hours tend to be irregular but flexible. Employees often work weekends, evenings and holidays.
Workers typically stand for long periods and may need permission to leave the sales floor. They spend most of the day working directly with the public, answering questions and selling goods and/or services.
Staff may have to stay after closing to clean and organize the sales floor for the next day. Some workers may lift and package or bag heavy products.
Career Pathways
With additional training or experience, progression to retail supervisor is possible. Depending on the size of the company, progression to a regional/provincial manager is possible. In some retail companies it is also possible to move into team training positions.
Due to improvements in and more widespread use of technology, online shopping continues to grow in popularity. Experience or training in this area can be useful for people who would like to move to more senior positions with this career path.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Some positions require little or no prior knowledge (i.e. salesperson in a toy store), while others (i.e. car salesperson) require a lot of training to make sure staff are knowledgeable about the product(s) they are selling.
Other training may include:
- Secondary school graduation
- A university degree or college diploma may be required by some employers
- Specific subject matter courses or training may be required
- Technical or sales training programs may be provided by employers
- Demonstrated sales ability and product knowledge are usually required for retail salespersons who sell complex or valuable merchandise, such as automobiles, antiques or computers
- Previous visual merchandising experience may be required
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Adult Special Education
- Esthetics/Skin Care
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
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.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
86,255Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 2,490 | 2.9% |
| Kootenay | 2,460 | 2.9% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 53,410 | 61.9% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 1,020 | 1.2% |
| Northeast | 1,005 | 1.2% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 11,430 | 13.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 14,445 | 16.7% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
32,830Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 640 | 0.2% |
| Kootenay | 590 | 0.6% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 23,490 | 1.7% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 410 | 1.4% |
| Northeast | 390 | 0.5% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 3,360 | 0.7% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 3,960 | 0.4% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 25,810 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,670 |
| Information, Culture and Recreation | 1,200 |
| Manufacturing | 1,000 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 640 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.
Career Videos
Watch the video below to see what it's like to be a retail salesperson.
Watch the video below to see what it's like to be a retail salesperson.
