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Sales Assistant

Do you want to become a Sales Assistant? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

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• A sales assistant's job is to offer a friendly and helpful service to customers.
• They work behind a counter or move around the shop floor, offering advice and information to help people find and choose goods.
• They may also be responsible for receiving new stock into the store, re-stocking shelves and setting up new displays.
• They take payments and may wrap goods or arrange delivery.

Full-time sales assistants generally work 37 or 38 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Part-time work is very common. Most shops are clean, warm and well lit. They can vary enormously in size.

The starting salary is around £8,000. Supervisors may earn up to £15,000.

A sales assistant should:

• have good communication skills
• be smart, polite and helpful
• be interested in the products they sell
• be good at mental arithmetic
• be honest.

There are many vacancies for sales assistants, especially part time. They may work in stores of all shapes and sizes.

There are no minimum qualifications for this career although some employers ask for GCSEs/S grades. Older applicants are welcomed.

Sales assistants usually train on the job and take company training courses. Specialist training is provided for work with products such as food or hazardous substances. They may study for qualifications such as GNVQs, NVQs/SVQs or BTEC qualifications.

Promotion prospects can be excellent, particularly in larger organisations. Assistants can progress to supervisor, departmental management and store management.

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