The median hourly wage for parts salespersons was $14.25 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.04, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $24.66.
The median hourly wage for retail salespersons was $10.47 in May 2015.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.35, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $19.33.
In May 2015, the median hourly wages for retail sales workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Motor vehicle and parts dealers
$14.79
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers
12.06
Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores
9.80
General merchandise stores
9.68
Clothing and clothing accessories stores
9.57
Compensation systems vary by type of establishment and merchandise sold. Retail sales workers get hourly wages, commissions, or a combination of the two. Under a commission system, they get a percentage of the sales they make. This system offers sales workers the opportunity to increase their earnings considerably, but they may find that their earnings depend strongly on their ability to sell their product and on the ups and downs of the economy.
Many retail sales workers work evenings and weekends, particularly during holidays and other peak sales periods. Because the end-of-year holiday season is often the busiest time, many employers limit sales workers' use of vacation time between November and the beginning of January.
About 1 in 3 retail salespersons worked part time in 2014.
Retail Sales Workers
Median hourly wages, May 2015
Total, all occupations
$17.40
Parts salespersons
$14.25
Sales and related occupations
$12.34
Retail sales workers
$10.60
Retail salespersons
$10.47
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics