First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

What it pays

A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage

Pay over time

Median up 54% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.

BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.

Where the jobs are

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

• Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
• Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
• Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.
• Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
• Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.
• Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
• Assign employees to specific duties.
• Hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.
• Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
• Plan and coordinate advertising campaigns and sales promotions and prepare merchandise displays and advertising copy.
• Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
• Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag

What this work is actually like

Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2018-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2018-08

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale

How this job is advertised

The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

What changed since 2015

Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 9 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.

Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.

Related jobs

O*NET 30.3 related occupations