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Sales assistant

Alternative titles for this job include Shop assistant, store assistant, retail sales assistant

Sales assistants serve customers at checkouts, re-stock shelves and price products in stores.

Average salary (a year)

£19,000 Starter

to

£27,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 42 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on a rota

Meet Mustafe

Mustafe likes working in a fast-paced environment as not every day is the same.

1 minute 30 second watch

View transcript

My name is Mustafe. I work at Currys as a sales colleague. I've been here for about a year and 3 months, and I do it alongside my university course which is cyber security.

Make sure all the, you know, aisles are filled up, make sure everything’s looking presentable. Make sure everything’s priced up correctly so all the tags are correct.

The longer I’ve been here, the more that my skills have actually grown. I think I've built a lot of my problem-solving skills. Being confident in yourself, being able to communicate effectively, and the third thing I’d say is just, you know, being patient, I’d say, being patient with customers, you know, actually getting to know them, building rapport and helping them get the tech they need.

Knowing that you've personally helped someone with a problem that they've had and you're dealing with not just one customer. There's many customers you’re dealing with throughout the day. It is a job that is quite rewarding in that sense.

It's never the same thing every day. Even if there's like different customers are coming for the same item. They may have come in for a different reason, and they've lived a different life to the other person. So when you speak to them and you know, you're kind of going through that life journey with them, it's very different each time.

It's a very like fast-paced environment. So you learn a lot of things through that fast-paced environment, and you build the skills just as fast. So not only is the job interesting, but it's fast-paced, you learn a lot and as well as that, you can build your skills.

Once you join, you learn about different things. You’re given lots of different opportunities to, you know, progress further on. So it's quite a rewarding job as well. You know, I'd like to continue building on and progressing through the ranks because I really enjoy the job.

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • volunteering
  • applying directly

College

You could do a college course in retail skills or retail knowledge, to help prepare you for work as a sales assistant.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Retailer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship with a shop or supermarket.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

Work

You could start as a temporary sales assistant and work at the weekend or during a busy season like Christmas.

You could then apply for a permanent role after getting some experience.

Volunteering

Volunteering in a charity shop is a great way to pick up customer service and retail skills. To do this, contact charities about vacancies or simply drop in to your local shop and speak to the staff. Experience gained here could help you to find paid work.

Direct Application

You can apply directly for sales assistant jobs. It will be helpful if you have retail or customer service experience though this is not essential.

Some employers may want you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), such as English and maths.

More Information

Career tips

When applying for sales assistant jobs, it can help if you:

  • are confident about selling
  • have a positive and helpful attitude
  • get on well with a range of different people

You'll find opportunities in all types of retail, including clothing and footwear, electronic and household items, garden and pet supplies, and food and drink.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • maths knowledge
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

  • be over 18 to sell alcohol and other restricted goods

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a sales assistant you would:

  • answer customer questions about products
  • serve customers at tills and handle returned good and refunds
  • unpack deliveries, stock shelves and arrange displays
  • price up and rotate stock
  • take part in promotional events in store
  • keep the store clean and tidy

Working environment

You could work at a store, in a stock room or at a garden centre.

Your working environment may be physically demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience and training you could:

  • become a retail supervisor, departmental manager or store manager
  • specialise in after-sales customer service, visual merchandising or retail buying
  • start your own independent shop or stall

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Apprentice Parts Retailer - Group 1 Toyota - Warrington

  • Wage: £15,704 a year Annually
  • Location: Paddington, Warrington, Cheshire

Apprentice Parts Retailer - Group 1 Toyota - Burton on Trent

  • Wage: £15,704 a year Annually
  • Location: Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

ESOL Business and Retail Level 1

  • Provider: LEICESTER COLLEGE
  • Start date: 09 September 2025
  • Location: LEICESTER
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

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