Occupation Profile

Retail Salespersons

(SOC Code : 41-2031)

in California

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel in a retail establishment. Exclude "Cashiers" (41-2011).

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$12.75	$9.20	$10.71	$13.91

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	436,900	540,500	103,600	23.7	23,200

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority

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License Title

License Authority

Vehicle Salesperson License

Department of Motor Vehicles
Occupational Licensing
The Individuals
www.dmv.ca.gov

Manuf. Home, Mobilehome, Commercial Modular Salesperson Lic.

California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
Division of Codes and Standards
Occupational Licensing Program
http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/ol

Manufactured Home, Mobilehome 90 Day Salesperson Certificate

California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
Division of Codes and Standards
Occupational Licensing Program
http://www.hcd.ca.gov/codes/ol

Yacht and Ship Broker`s License

Department of Boating and Waterways
Operations Division
Yacht and Ship Broker Licensing Unit
www.dbw.ca.gov

Yacht and Ship Salesperson`s License

Department of Boating and Waterways
Operations Division
Yacht and Ship Broker Licensing Unit
www.dbw.ca.gov

Furniture Retailer

Department of Consumer Affairs
Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation
www.dca.ca.gov/bhfti

Bedding Retailer

Department of Consumer Affairs
Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation
www.dca.ca.gov/bhfti

Furniture and Bedding Retailer

Department of Consumer Affairs
Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation
www.dca.ca.gov/bhfti

About Licenses

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Clothing Stores

24,363

19.2%

Department Stores

3,486

13.9%

Building Material and Supplies Dealers

16,446

8.6%

Sporting Goods/Musical Instrument Stores

12,651

6.9%

Electronics and Appliance Stores

20,134

6.5%

Automobile Dealers

8,134

5.2%

Home Furnishings Stores

7,114

2.9%

Other General Merchandise Stores

4,598

2.8%

Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers

16,190

2.7%

Office Supply, Stationery & Gift Stores

9,674

2.7%

Jewelry, Luggage & Leather Goods Stores

7,204

2.2%

Furniture Stores

5,592

2.0%

Book, Periodical, and Music Stores

2,481

1.7%

Auto Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores

9,715

1.3%

Grocery Stores

16,120

1.2%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.

Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.

Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.

Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.

Compute sales prices, total purchases and receive and process cash or credit payment.

Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.

Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.

Maintain records related to sales.

Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.

Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items.

More Tasks for Retail Salespersons

Top Skills used in this Job

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.

Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

More Skills for Retail Salespersons

Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

More Abilities for Retail Salespersons

Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

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.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

More Work Values for Retail Salespersons

Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

More Interests for Retail Salespersons

Alternate Titles

Clerks; Customer Assistants; Design Consultants; Sales Associates; Sales Clerks; Sales Consultants; Sales Representatives; and Salespersons