Sales Assistants and Salespersons

Sales assistants and salespersons in unclassified retail and wholesale settings sell merchandise or services to customers across counter, floor, or online channels. They process transactions, manage stock visibility, and respond to customer enquiries in environments not covered by more specific sales roles. This role requires knowledge of product features, pricing, and payment systems to facilitate sales and maintain customer satisfaction.

Greet customers, assess their needs, and recommend products or services based on customer requirements and product knowledge. Process sales transactions using point-of-sale (POS) systems, including cash, card, and digital payment methods. Operate card payment terminals and reconcile cash floats at start and end of shift. Stack, arrange, and rotate merchandise on shelves and displays to maintain stock visibility and comply with store planogram standards. Conduct physical stock counts and update inventory management systems to track product availability. Respond to customer complaints and resolve issues such as product returns or refunds within store policy. Wrap or package purchases according to customer requirements and store procedures. Answer customer enquiries about product features, pricing, availability, and store policies.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Pay is genuinely low and capped. You'll also work weekends, public holidays, and evenings as standard. Automation is creeping in (self-checkouts, online shopping), which may mean fewer positions over time.

These jobs are everywhere in Australia: shopping centres, supermarkets, and department stores in every metro area and regional town. Practically speaking, most positions cluster in shopping districts and town centres. Remote work is not an option in this role.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 6219, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Complaint Handlingcore
• Customer Complaint Resolutioncore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Multitaskingcore
• Objection Handlingcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Upselling and Cross-Sellingcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Achieve sales targets
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• Digital Literacy
• Feedback Collection and Actioning
• Inventory Tracking
• Negotiation
• Policy and Procedure Adherence
• Returns Processing
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Team Collaboration

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026