For retail workers, if you’re looking for the best retail jobs, you want to consider many factors such as the job, the company, salary and benefits.
These are a few of the things you should think about when picking the ideal retail job for you. More goes into the process than just the position. It’s important to know everything that comes along with your job role and that’s what you’ll learn about in this article.
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Quickstart Guide To Landing The Best Retail Job
- Start by updating your resume. Think about it like this: you’re selling the company on a major investment in you, so you need to do everything you can to stand out. Using an online resume writing service is an affordable way to get resume help and this can help you stand out from other job seekers.
- Brush up on your interview skills. If you're looking to break into retail or brush up on your interview skills, consider The Break's Exclusive Personal Branding & Interview Guide to set you apart from the crowd.
- Apply for jobs. We recommend searching for retail positions on ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is free and makes applying for jobs simple!
Discover Your Dream Job Find jobs near you and apply with 1 click! New jobs posted daily.
12 Of The Best Retail Jobs
Here are 12 of the best retail jobs and the best retail companies to work for.
1. Costco
Costco is a wholesale warehouse grocery store. They sell items in bulk to its warehouse members. Buying in bulk is largely a cost-savings strategy by savvy shoppers, saving up to 25%.
For retail workers, Costco offers a nationwide average salary of just over $46,000/year.
Employees rate Costco 4.4 out of 5 for the best places to work. Their benefits like health insurance, dental, vision insurance, and other perks are rated above average. Other benefits offered include:
- Life insurance
- Mental health care
- Occupational accident insurance
- Disability insurance
- Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- Health savings account
Costco offers a variety of good retail jobs from different warehouse positions to work from cashier to recruiter, customer service representative, pharmacy technician, supervisor, stocker, cake decorator, etc.
2. Nordstrom
Nordstrom is a retail department store that operates in the U.S. and Canada. They offer a variety of retail positions to help run their organization from positions in human resources, fraud prevention, customer service representatives, and more.
According to Glassdoor, employees rank Nordstrom 3.8 out of 5. They’re considered an “engaged employer” according to Glassdoor and reviews share that employees are happy with Nordstrom’s:
- Great pay
- Benefits
- Coworkers
- Company culture
Salaried and hourly positions are available. The sales associate job is one of the most common positions paying between $26,000 and $36,000 per year. Sales managers earn around $68,000 per year, on average.
Benefits include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Mental health care
- Supplemental life insurance
- Flexible spending account
3. Apple
Apple has been named in Glassdoor’s Top 100 Best Places to Work over 10 times, including in 2022. Indeed, out of over 10,000 reviews, Apple is ranked at 4.2 out of 5 with employees saying Apple is “the best job ever” and a “fun environment to work.”
Apple is a tech company. They’re known for popular products like the iPhone, iPad, Macbook, Apple watch, and other products.
Headquartered in California, they have 10,000+ employees working in a variety of salaried and hourly positions.
If you look at the retail store positions at Apple stores across the U.S., a common position is an Apple Genius who is a sales and support associate. The average salary of this job is just over $53,000/year.
Benefits include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Stock grants
- Tuition assistance
- Employee discounts
- 401k plan
- Paid holidays and sick days
- Volunteer time off
4. Wegmans
Wegmans is a grocery store chain. Headquartered in New York, they have over 100 stores located across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic U.S.
They have been ranked in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work Awards multiple times. They’ve also won Top CEO more than once.
Most of the positions across Wegmans are in the food and service sector.
This includes jobs like cashier, front-end cashier, bakery customer service, etc.
The average salary of a cashier is around $30,000/year. The other jobs like stockers, dishwashers, department associates, and other positions seem to hover around this amount as well with team leaders making the most money, averaging $43,000/year, according to Glassdoor.
Benefits offered include:
- Health and dental insurance
- Adoption assistance
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Free lunch or snacks
- Paid holidays and sick days
- 401k
5. H-E-B
H-E-B is a retail grocery chain based out of Texas. They’ve also made Glassdoor’s Top Places to Work list multiple times including their Top CEO’s list and Best Places to Interview list.
At H-E-B, they hire for various departments including retail and food services, administrative, customer service and support, and general business. Cashiers earn an average of $32,300/year with the highest earning store positions going to grocery managers and directors.
The benefits include:
- Health insurance plan
- Partner stock plan
- 401k
- Valued partner perk card
- Mental health care
- Paid holidays and sick time
6. Starbucks
Starbucks, based out of Washington is a well-known coffee shop and makes the list for their attractive benefits packages including benefits for part-time employees! They’ve ranked high on Best Places to Work lists for publications like Glassdoor and Fortune.
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They are ranked 4.3 out of 5 on Glassdoor and employees are saying Starbucks is a great place to work, especially for the long term. Free drinks and food, a stock and savings plan, education and commuter benefits are among some of the perks Starbucks employees get.
Other benefits include:
- Health insurance (including for part-time employees)
- 100% tuition coverage for a Bachelor’s degree
- Retirement plan
- Performance bonus
- 30% in-store discount
- Paid holidays and sick time
A common position at Starbucks is a barista, which is a worker who greets customers, takes orders and fulfills drink and food orders. The average pay for a barista is around $29,400/year.
7. Nike
Nike is a sportswear retailer known for athletic apparel, footwear, and equipment. They have made Glassdoor’s list for Best Places to Work, Top CEO’s, and Best Places to Interview.
81% of workers would recommend Nike to a friend and 83% approve of the CEO.
Sales associates earn an average of $31,500/year and benefits include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- On-site healthcare
- Tuition assistance
- Nike scholarship fund
- Charitable gift matching
- Performance bonus
- Commuter expense reimbursement
8. Best Buy
Best Buy is a retailer that operates in the home electronics industry selling a wide range of products including TVs, home audio/visual equipment, car electronics and more.
Best Buy has placed in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work, Top CEO’s, and Best Places to Interview. Employees say Best Buy is a great company to work for with good pay and great people to work with.
They employ over 10,000 workers in various positions across their retail stores and organization including sales, customer service and support, merchandising, and management.
The average pay for a sales associate is $32,447/year.
Benefits you can expect from Best Buy include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Prescription drug and behavioral health coverage
- Disaster relief and personal hardship funds
- Tuition assistance
- Adoption assistance
- Family medical leave
9. Discount Tire
Discount Tire calls themselves home to the best prices for tires, wheels, and customer service. Based out of Arizona, the retail tire company has over 10,000 workers with the most common positions being service coordinators and technicians, apprentices, and management.
Workerrs rank them 3.9 out of 5 with 71% saying they would recommend Discount Tire to a friend and 78% of workers approving of the CEO.
The average pay for a service technician is $31,497/year with assistant managers earning closer to $40,000/year.
The benefits offered include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid holidays and sick time
- Employee discount
- Employee assistance program
- Family medical leave
- Wellness program
- Legal insurance
10. Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club is a retailer in the general merchandise and superstores industry. They’re known for selling grocery and general goods in bulk to their members. The Costco Warehouse competitor is based out of Arkansas and employees have commented on the good pay and good benefits.
Cashiers average $30,746/year while team leaders can make just under $37,000/year and manager’s make $59,778/year, on average.
Sam’s Club benefits include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Mental healthcare
- Family medical leave
- Military leave
- 401k
- Stock options
11. Lowe’s
Lowe’s is a home improvement store based out of North Carolina. They have up to 5,000 employees across the United States and Canada with customer service and sales associates, cashiers, and management being the most common positions.
Lowe’s is ranked 3.4 out of 5 among employees, according to this Glassdoor survey.
Reviews share employees' remarks about good pay, good benefits, and great coworkers.
The average salary for a customer service associate is $28,699/year and department managers average just under $47,000/year.
For benefits at Lowe’s, it includes:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Tuition assistance
- Childcare and dependent care
- Trade skill scholarships
- Vacation and sick time
- Paid holidays
- Employee discount
12. Gap
The Gap is a retail store in the clothing and footwear industry. The California-based company is home to over 10,000 employees with the most common positions being sales associates and management.
The average salary for a sales associate is around $25,600/year, assistant managers average $44,000/year and managers average around $58,400/year.
This Glassdoor survey revealed a ranking of 3.7 out of 5 from workers and The Gap has been recognized for Top CEOs and Best Places to Interview.
Gap benefits include:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance
- 50% off at The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, and 30% off at Outlet stores
- Tuition reimbursement
- Commuter benefits
- Employee discount
- Mobile phone discount
To explore additional options, consider reading our guide to the highest paying retail jobs.
Best Places To Find Best Retail Jobs
Job Posting Sites
We recommend exploring the top job posting sites to find the best careers in retail. Some of our top picks are ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn and CareerBuilder.
Job posting sites are super helpful because you can apply filters based on location, salary, employment type, keywords and more. Some sites, like ZipRecruiter, also allow you to upload your resume so that employers can invite you to apply for roles that may be a good fit.
Discover Your Dream Job Find jobs near you and apply with 1 click! New jobs posted daily.
Retail Websites
If you want to work at a specific retail establishment, consider applying for a role directly on their website. This can help you make it past the applicant tracking systems that are often used on job posting sites.
Some employers will use applicant tracking systems on their own site as well, but it can still give you a leg up to apply directly on the retail establishment website.
Work With A Recruiter
If you are looking for a very specific job in retail or are having trouble landing a role, you could also consider working with a recruiter.
Recruiters can help you land a specific role or help you find positions that will be a good fit. Many recruiters can also help you land short term or temporary work while you find your ideal fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best retail store to work for?
With the Great Resignation pushing 44% of workers out of their jobs in search of more favorable working conditions, the best retail stores to work for are those that offer flexibility and perks employees are seeking like higher pay, flexible schedules, and employee discounts.
What retail store pays the most per hour?
Costco pays the most per hour. An average hourly rate of $23/hour has been reported, with some employees earning as much as $45/hour during holidays.
Can you make a living in retail?
Yes, you can make a living in retail. Retail is a great industry to start your career. Many retailers offer a competitive salary and full benefits to help you support your lifestyle and make a living.
Is retail a good career?
Yes, retail is a good career. Many regard the retail industry as a good entry-level job to start in and you can make it your career, branching into management and other departments within the retail industry.
The Bottom Line
There are plenty of high paying retailers to work for. If you want to work in sales, support, or management, you can find a retail job to fit your needs. Get started by creating your retail resume and applying for jobs on ZipRecruiter today!
