Walmart Sales Associate Jobs and Application

Walmart Sales Associate Job Application, Description, Pay, and Benefits

If you consider yourself an influencer who enjoys working with people, a Walmart Sales Associate position may work out well for you.

Ready to apply?

To apply for a Walmart sales associate position, visit Walmart's careers web site by clicking here.

Primary tasks for a Walmart sales associate:

Everyday tasks for this Walmart employee include:

1. Greeting customers in department areas
2. Asking customers do they need help finding anything
3. Suggesting items that are needed for items in their carts/baskets
4. Keeping aisles clutter free and organized
5. Professionally communicating with supervisors and other Walmart employees from various departments
6. Keeping management and Stockroom Associates informed of inventory shortages
7. Verifying prices, including sales and clearance racks in your department
8. Being open to backup Cashiers for breaks

Although a Walmart Sales Associate position is primarily focused on making sure your department is presentable and appealing to customers, there can be days that are both busy and slow. On slower days, a Walmart Sales Associate should be prepared to maybe help out in other department areas that are understaffed. During holiday seasons, there may be opportunities to train other employees and be more hands-on with seasonal workers. The latter tasks may be a win-win for those who are interested in potential Department Manager positions.

Pay rates for a Walmart sales associate:

Depending on the city you live in, general minimum wage may be anywhere from $7.25 per hour to $10.35 per hour (as of 2018). According to Walmart's official site, hourly associates make a little over minimum wage at $11 per hour. That's an annual, guesstimated salary of $22,880 for a 40-hour workweek. Location, grade level and experience potentially may raise those rates. The store's site also confirms that 70 percent of the managers started as hourly associates so there are opportunities for career growth.

Pros and cons of being a Walmart sales associate:

If you've ever had a bad experience in customer service, you already know exactly what not to do when interacting with customers. While some people are social butterflies, others tend to be introverts. This will not be the best job for you if you are not a people person. Although there may be quiet days where you'll work independently folding and tidying up your department, customers often stroll through the aisles. And if they are there, customers more often than not want to be acknowledged. Even if it's a matter of just saying "hello" and "let me know if you need anything," that is the bare minimum.

Retail surveys often ask whether employees were available to help and what their interaction was like with employees. Employees, no matter how busy, should make customers the priority. Friendly, extroverted and curious employees will enjoy the duties involved in being a Walmart Sales Associate. If you don't know the answer to a customer's question, using your inventory equipment or asking another associate for help is required. There should rarely if ever be a situation in which "I don't know" is the final answer without making your best effort to find a resolution.

Oftentimes Sales Associates may be asked to be backup and complete the tasks of a Cashier, if only for the length of a breaktime. If the tasks above seem overwhelming, a quieter role may be more suitable.

Employees who would much rather have less interaction with people and lean more toward organization may be better compatible with Stockroom work. Both positions require you to be on your feet for hours at a time, with occasional breaks and a lunch.

Benefits for a part-time Walmart sales associate:

With a pharmacy in every store and (often) an optical center nearby, this can make health care needs quite convenient for Sales Associates. Paid vacation days; 401(k) retirement programs and health packages (vision, dental, medical, life insurance); and short-term and long-term disability can be added during your initial enrollment period.

Part-timers usually must work a minimum of 30 hours per week to be eligible for medical benefits, wait a 52-week wait period and have a two-month grace period. So if you're hired on February 1, 2019, and work an average of 30 hours per week without a break in employment for 13 weeks or more, your medical coverage will start on April 1, 2020. Your spouse, domestic partner (together for a minimum of 12 months) and/or dependents (under the age of 26) are also eligible.

Benefits for a full-time Walmart sales associate:

Unlike the part-timer (or temporary worker), full-time employees' initial enrollment period is between their first paycheck and one day prior to their 89th continuous, full-time employment date. So if you're hired on February 1, 2019, your medical coverage may start on April 30, 2019. The start date for medical coverage will be whichever is later between the first day of the calendar month or the eligibility date (i.e., the 89th day of work).

Benefits include medical HMO plans, vision, dental (two full calendar years), accidental death and dismemberment insurance (AD&D), critical illness insurance and accident insurance. Short-term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, business travel accident insurance, and company-paid life insurance are also options after during initial enrollment.

If enrolling for any of the above outside of your initial enrollment period, Sales Associates may have to wait 12 months to sign up.

About Walmart:

Walmart employs more than 2.2 million people worldwide. What once was a single Rogers, Arkansas discount store in 1962 has skyrocketed into approximately 11,200 stores in 27 countries and eCommerce websites in 10 countries. With creator Sam Walton's goal of providing low prices and great customer service, these retail stores provide everything from groceries to auto service (in superstores). Out of approximately 40,000 reviews on Glassdoor, Sales Associates rated their job as a 3 out of 5 rating. More than half of employees (53 percent) would recommend the store job to a friend and 57 percent approve of the CEO.