Who's on the clock?

Cashiers vs Retail Salespersons

Side by side: how much of the shift AI and robots touch, pay, outlook and training.

Time card for cashiers: 3h 47m of an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsTime card: Cashiers →

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Cashiers or retail salespersons: which will AI change more? AI and robots touch more of the day for retail salespersons: 4h 39m of an 8-hour shift, against 3h 47m for cashiers. Retail salespersons earn more, a median of $35,410 against $32,880.

The two jobs share related skills, including service orientation, mathematics, so moving between them is realistic for many people.

Cashiers
3h 47mof an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsLess AI time
  • 4h 13mDone by people
  • 0mPeople do it with AI's help
  • 59mAI mostly does it alone
  • 2h 48mRobots have done it somewhere
Median pay
$32,880
U.S. workers
3.1 million
Outlook to 2035
-6.5%
Openings a year
521,000
Typical preparation
High school diploma, some training
See the full time card →
Retail Salespersons
4h 39mof an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robots
  • 3h 21mDone by people
  • 0mPeople do it with AI's help
  • 2h 50mAI mostly does it alone
  • 1h 49mRobots have done it somewhere
Median pay
$35,410
U.S. workers
3.9 million
Outlook to 2035
-0.3%
Openings a year
521,000
Typical preparation
High school diploma, some training
See the full time card →

Cashiers

Where AI or robots show up most

  • Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits. 1h 41m
  • Issue receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers. 34m
  • Assist customers by providing information and resolving their complaints. 34m

Biggest tasks still done by people

  • Establish or identify prices of goods, services, or admission, and tabulate bills, using calculators, cash registers, or optical price scanners. 1h 7m
  • Greet customers entering establishments. 25m
  • Help customers find the location of products. 17m

Retail Salespersons

Where AI or robots show up most

  • Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires. 1h 10m
  • Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment. 1h 2m
  • Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales. 46m

Biggest tasks still done by people

  • Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs. 46m
  • Clean shelves, counters, and tables. 23m
  • Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental. 16m

Swap in a different job Highlighted numbers are the higher of the two. Hours are estimates from each job's time card.