How To Become A Counter Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a counter associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Counter associates serve customers various types of goods standing behind a counter. They take orders most commonly for food. Ice cream shops, specialty stores, or cafeterias are some of the places where counter associates work. They take orders and deliver food and beverages or other items.

You will have to stand on your feet for long stretches of time doing this job, preparing orders for customers behind the counter. Heavy lifting might be part of your duties as well, so physical fitness is a must for this position.

No specialized education is necessary to get you on board. You will receive on-the-job training once you are hired. All you need to do is be friendly and patient with clients at all times. This is a great place to gain valuable customer service experience that you can use in more complex positions later on.

ScoreCounter AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,115

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.7

Growth Rate -10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%

Asian 4.91%

Black or African American 10.41%

Hispanic or Latino 17.11%

Unknown 6.94%

White 59.91%

Gender

female 58.82%

male 41.18%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress Level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.4

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a counter associate

Explore counter associate education requirements

Most common counter associate degrees

High School Diploma

33.0 %

Bachelor's

31.1 %

Associate

23.9 %

Start to develop specific counter associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Sales Floor	32.04%
Bank Deposits	23.40%
Customer Service	9.29%
Phone Calls	6.54%
Parts Counter	5.04%

Complete relevant counter associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New counter 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 a counter associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real counter associate resumes.

Research counter associate duties and responsibilities

Assist walk-in and call-in customers and contractors with plumbing and electrical equipment and materials ensuring a high level of customer service.
Follow exceptional standards for food preparation and facility cleanliness.
Clean fryers and dispose trash.
General knowledge of ADP operating system.

Prepare your counter associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your counter 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 a counter 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 Counter Associate Resume templates

Build a professional Counter 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 Counter Associate resume.