Sales and
retail assistants

Description

Sales and retail assistants demonstrate and sell a variety of goods and services in shops, stores, showrooms and similar establishments.

Tasks

• discusses customer requirements, including type and price range of goods/services desired
• advises customer on selection, purchase, use and care of merchandise and quotes prices, discounts and delivery times
• advises customer making major purchase on credit terms and arranges finance as appropriate
• receives full or partial payment, checks validity of form of payment, writes or prints bill, receipt or docket and packages merchandise for customer
• arranges and replenishes goods on display stands, undertakes stock checks and assists with the receipt of deliveries from suppliers into the stock room
• handles returns and deals with customer complaints.

Educational Requirements

No minimum academic qualifications are required although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically provided on-the-job. Apprenticeships and NVQs/SVQs in Retail Operations are available at various levels.