SOC 2020 · 7111
Sales and retail assistants
Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations from
Skilled Worker
Not eligible
No Skilled Worker route through this code.
Salary floor
£41,700
The higher of the going rate and the general threshold.
Shortage lists
Not listed
This code is on neither the Immigration Salary List nor the Temporary Shortage List.
What this occupation actually pays
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, full-time gross annual pay.
- UK pay for this occupation
View these figures as a table
| Percentile | Pay |
|---|---|
| 10th | £17,996 |
| 25th | £21,970 |
| 50th | £25,056 |
| 75th | £29,846 |
| 90th | £35,804 |
| Region | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 2025 | £17,996 | £21,970 | £25,056 | £29,846 | £35,804 |
| East 2025 | — | — | £25,292 | — | — |
| East Midlands 2025 | — | — | £23,940 | — | — |
| London 2025 | — | — | £27,637 | — | — |
| North East 2025 | — | — | £25,013 |
Job titles in this code
What the work involves
Sales and retail assistants demonstrate and sell a variety of goods and services in shops, stores, showrooms and similar establishments.
Typical 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
Entry routes and qualifications
No minimum academic qualifications are required although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically provided on-the-job. Vocational qualifications in Retail Operations and relevant apprenticeships are available at various levels.