Average salary, compensation, and wages for Retail salespersons in the United StatesThe starting wage for many retail sales positions is the Federal minimum wage, which was $5.15 an hour in 2002. In areas where employers have difficulty attracting and retaining workers, wages tend to be higher than the legislated minimum. Median hourly earnings of retail salespersons, including commission, were $8.51 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $7.08 and $11.30 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $6.18, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $16.96 an hour. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of retail salespersons in 2002 were as follows:
Compensation systems vary by type of establishment and merchandise sold. Salespersons receive hourly wages, commissions, or a combination of wages and commissions. Under a commission system, salespersons receive a percentage of the sales that they make. This system offers sales workers the opportunity to increase their earnings considerably, but they may find that their earnings strongly depend on their ability to sell their product and on the ups and downs of the economy. Employers may use incentive programs such as awards, banquets, bonuses, and profit-sharing plans to promote teamwork among the sales staff. Benefits may be limited in smaller stores, but benefits in large establishments usually are comparable to those offered by other employers. In addition, nearly all salespersons are able to buy their store�s merchandise at a discount, with the savings depending upon the type of merchandise. More information on Retail salespersons from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Retail salespersons occupation Number of Retail salespersons in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Retail salespersons Working conditions for Retail salespersons Significant points for Retail salespersons Training requirements for Retail salespersons Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |