What is an apparel associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
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There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an apparel associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $11.54 an hour? That's $24,005 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 1,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreApparel AssociateUS Average
Salary
1.9

Avg. Salary $24,005

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
7.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 6.32%

Black or African American 10.65%

Hispanic or Latino 18.86%

Unknown 5.47%

White 58.01%

Gender

female 83.64%

male 16.36%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress Level
6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
4.5

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
8.5

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Apparel Associate career paths

Key steps to become an apparel associate

  1. Explore apparel associate education requirements

    Most common apparel associate degrees

    High School Diploma

    39.3 %

    Bachelor's

    29.3 %

    Associate

    18.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific apparel associate skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Sales Floor36.11%
    Customer Service25.58%
    POS21.47%
    Product Knowledge5.14%
    Inventory Control1.38%
  3. Complete relevant apparel associate training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New apparel associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an apparel associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real apparel associate resumes.
  4. Research apparel associate duties and responsibilities

    • Accomplish upselling goals to contribute to company's success.
    • Respond to POS backup calls when appropriate and solicit credit to interest parties
    • Cashier at POS, bag items carefully, give customers change and receipt.
    • Conduct personal shopping for clients in need of shoes, apparel, and accessories.
  5. Prepare your apparel associate resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your apparel associate resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an apparel associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Apparel Associate Resume templates

    Build a professional Apparel Associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Apparel Associate resume.
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  6. Apply for apparel associate jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an apparel associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Apparel Associate Job

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Average apparel associate salary

The average Apparel Associate salary in the United States is $24,005 per year or $12 per hour. Apparel associate salaries range between $17,000 and $32,000 per year.

Average Apparel Associate Salary
$24,005 Yearly
$11.54 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do apparel associates rate their job?

3/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Apparel Associate reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021
Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

Cons

Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have


profile
3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros

The customers

Cons

That the management will not disapplin workers who have their spouses, and children at their job during much of their work shift, or off the clock employees who like to be in the store for hours every day with their family visiting workers who are on shift at the time.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.