AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 41-2031.00
Will AI replace Retail Salespersons?
Retail Salespersons: AI can already handle 2 of 24 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 24 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Retail Salespersons, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers. | Observed | Standard | |
| Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare sales slips or sales contracts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inventory stock and requisition new stock. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Estimate and quote trade-in allowances. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Bag or package purchases and wrap gifts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Help customers try on or fit merchandise. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Sell or arrange for delivery, insurance, financing, or service contracts for merchandise. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Estimate quantity and cost of merchandise required, such as paint or floor covering. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean shelves, counters, and tables. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Rent merchandise to customers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain records related to sales. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Estimate cost of repair or alteration of merchandise. | Estimated | Standard |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 4 of 24 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 24. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 95% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 3,897,860
- Median annual wage
- $35,410
- Middle half of earners
- $29,900 to $38,670
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -0.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Parts Salespersons 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure68
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure61
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure40
- Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure71
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure41
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Retail Salespersons and AI
Will AI replace Retail Salespersons?
AI already handles 2 of the 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 36 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -0.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Retail Salespersons?
36 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 4 of the 24 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Retail Salespersons tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires; Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 95% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Retail Salespersons, and what do they earn?
3,897,860 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $35,410 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -0.5% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Retail Salespersons. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/retail-salespersons
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