Will AI replace door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 5h 56m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The breakdown: 1h 28m that AI mostly does alone, 4h 29m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 2h 4m (26%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 10.4% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 3 of 12 tasks, about 1h 28m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Answer questions about product features and benefits. (36m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Write and record orders for merchandise or enter orders into computers. (29m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Develop prospect lists. (22m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 4 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 4h 29m of a typical shift. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

• Circulate among potential customers or travel by foot, truck, automobile, or bicycle to deliver or sell merchandise or services. (1h 49m a shift; e.g. Dot autonomous delivery robot, in use)
• Explain products or services and prices and demonstrate use of products. (1h 13m a shift; e.g. Mornine (AiMOGA Robotics / Chery), in use)
• Deliver merchandise and collect payment. (58m a shift; e.g. Starship delivery robot, in use)
• Distribute product samples or literature that details products or services. (29m a shift; e.g. Ottobot / Ottobot 2.0, in use)

2h 4m of a typical shift, or 26%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Persuade customers to purchase merchandise or services. (51m a shift)
• Set up and display sample merchandise at parties or stands. (22m a shift)
• Stock carts or stands. (22m a shift)
• Arrange buying parties and solicit sponsorship of such parties to sell merchandise. (15m a shift)
• Order or purchase supplies. (15m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 75% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 52% are in constant contact with other people

For the 2 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 3h 23m for a person alone and about 15m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Develop prospect lists (about 6h 8m alone, 21m with AI)
• Answer questions about product features and benefits (about 37m alone, 9m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Sales sector are at 92% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 1.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 4,800 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $41,380 a year ($19.89 an hour), 19% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $32,010 and $51,470 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 10.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 46,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 4,800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 2,760 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 766th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 46,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 57% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 1 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: little or no preparation. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Persuasion, Service Orientation, Negotiation, Social Perceptiveness
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 2h 4m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Contact customers to ensure their satisfaction with products or services.
• Train new recruits or other employees.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Demonstrators and Product Promoters (1h 47m touched, $39k median pay)
• Retail Salespersons (4h 39m touched, $35k median pay)
• Cashiers (3h 47m touched, $33k median pay)
• Counter and Rental Clerks (1h 30m touched, $41k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 3 observed in real AI use, 4 with robots in real deployments, 5 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.