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First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints, hiring, training and keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI is already taking a real slice of the routine work here: keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions. That is a slice of tasks, not of you.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

That slice is not coming back; the core of the job, providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints, stays yours. The tools change hands, the accountability doesn't.

Your week, as this page understands it

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties. The job title says “first-line supervisors of retail sales workers”. The real job is the part underneath: providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But first-line supervisors of retail sales workers is not one task. It is 21 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI
25%
changing shape
14%
staying human
62%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 39 out of 100 (33–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 21 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

Shifting to AI

6 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

  • Keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions

    This is reading one thing and writing another: records of purchases, sales and requisitions in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Recording purchases, sales and requisitions is routine data entry that software does accurately.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Estimating consumer demand and determining the types and amounts of goods to be sold

    This is reading one thing and writing another: consumer demand in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Estimate consumer demand and determine the types and amounts of goods to be sold.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Predicting demand and deciding what to stock is forecasting from sales history, which software does well.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Reviewing inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments

    This is reading one thing and writing another: inventory in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Review inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Turning inventory and sales records into management reports is structured analysis software does well.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Planning and preparing work schedules and keeping records of employees' work schedules and time cards

    This is reading one thing and writing another: work schedules in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (86–100 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Building rotas and tracking timecards is exactly what scheduling software already does to a high standard.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Changing shape

3 tasks

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

  • Assigning employees to specific duties

    The software now makes the first pass at employees, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Assign employees to specific duties.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (41–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Allocating staff to duties against a rota is scheduling work software does quickly.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Establishing and implementing policies, goals, objectives and procedures for the department

    The software now makes the first pass at policies, goals, objectives and procedures, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for the department.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Drafting departmental goals and procedures is document work software produces to a usable standard.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Planning budgets and authorizing payments and merchandise returns

    The software now makes the first pass at budgets, but someone has to be answerable for the result, and it cannot be the software. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Plan budgets and authorize payments and merchandise returns.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; someone qualified has to answer for it.

    The rating behind it: Budgets can be drafted by software, but companies expect a named person to approve payments and refunds.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

12 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

  • Providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints

    This work happens in the physical world: customer service, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 5 · Core
    Source: “Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Greeting shoppers and calming complaints on the shop floor depends on a person actually standing there.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Directing and supervising employees engaged in sales

    This work happens in the physical world: employees, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 5 · Core
    Source: “Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Overseeing staff as they serve and count stock means being on the floor watching how it is going.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Monitoring sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods

    This work happens in the physical world: sales activities, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Sales figures can be tracked automatically, but judging service quality means seeing how customers are treated.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Show the other 11 tasks

  • Formulating pricing policies

    shifting to AI

    This is reading one thing and writing another: policies in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Formulate pricing policies for merchandise, according to profitability requirements.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Setting prices against margin targets is calculation and comparison that software handles well.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Establishing credit policies and operating procedures

    shifting to AI

    This is reading one thing and writing another: credit policies in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Establish credit policies and operating procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 66 out of 100 (59–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Drafting credit policies is document work, with a finance or legal sign-off happening separately.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Inventorying stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: stock, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Inventory stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Reorder triggers are automatic, but counting what is physically on the shelf is not.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Planning and coordinating advertising campaigns and sales promotions and preparing merchandise displays and advertising copy

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: campaigns, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Plan and coordinate advertising campaigns and sales promotions and prepare merchandise displays and advertising copy.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Campaign plans and ad copy suit software, but building the in-store displays is hands-on.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Instructing staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles staff and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Guidance notes can be written by software, but coaching someone through a hard sale is a person-to-person job.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Conferring with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles company officials and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Working out growth plans with company officials happens in discussions where reading the room matters.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Hiring, training and evaluating personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles personnel and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Hire, train, and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing workers when appropriate.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (17–25 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Hiring, promoting and firing are decisions people expect a trusted manager to make face to face.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Examining merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: merchandise, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (7–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Checking that goods are priced right and actually work means picking them up and looking.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Examining products purchased for resale or received for storage to assess the condition of each product or item

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: products, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to assess the condition of each product or item.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (4–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Judging the condition of arriving goods means handling and looking at them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Enforcing safety, health and security rules

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: safety, health and security rules, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Enforce safety, health, and security rules.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (0–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Rules can be written down, but enforcing safety and security on the floor needs someone present.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Performing work activities of subordinates

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: work activities of subordinates, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Stocking shelves and serving customers directly is physical work on the shop floor.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay
$48,520a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this

Source: bls-oews

Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

Rounding: Shown as published.

People doing this job
1,121,800in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: records of purchases, sales and requisitions in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions and estimating consumer demand and determining the types and amounts of goods to be sold. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where customer service gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions is going; providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints is not.

So, given all that: 25% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 14% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 62% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 21 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.

This week: one thing

Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.

What you end up holding
your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
How long it takes
about twenty minutes

If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.

Over the next 90 days

Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.

Over the next 12 months

Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles providing customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here

Now the roads out, with the honest bill on each one. One route survived the checks. The rest are below with the reason they did not.

  • First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales WorkersFirst-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

    a year or morematched on shared tasks

    You already direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing…. In that job the same thing shows up as direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific…. Take both published task lists together and about 40% of the work in that job that the software is not taking is work you are doing today.

    About 40% of it you could do on Monday. The catch is not the work, it is how few of those jobs there are.

    The work the two jobs share

    • You already do

      “Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.”

      They do

      “Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.”

    • You already do

      “Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.”

      They do

      “Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.”

    • You already do

      “Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.”

      They do

      “Examine merchandise to ensure correct pricing and display, and that it functions as advertised.”

    What you would not already have: Nothing in your task list touches “attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with…”, “listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel” or “visit retailers and sales representatives to promote products and gather information”. That is the part you would be learning from scratch, and it is roughly the 60% of their durable work you do not already hold.

    The honest bill

    Pay: $87,520 against your $48,520 (OEWS May 2025 (both)).

    • The licence gate: Default-closed. This release carries no licence-register snapshot, so I could not check whether that job is regulated, which means I have to assume it might be. Before you spend a penny, look it up on the US Labor Department’s licensed-occupations finder; the free routes below link straight to it. The route is banded a year or more because of that unknown, not in spite of it.
    • The entry ticket: Typical entry-level education is published for only ten occupations in this release, and neither this job nor that one is among them. So I cannot tell you whether a qualification stands in the way. Treat that as an open question to settle before you commit, not as a green light.
    • What the pay gap is telling you: $87,520 against your $48,520, 80.4% more (OEWS May 2025 (both)). A real difference, not a life-changing one. Take the move for the work, not the raise.
    • What you live on meanwhile: Nobody is going to pay you to retrain. This is evenings and weekends alongside the job you already have, for a year or more, and if that is not possible right now then this route is not open right now, which is worth knowing before you start. The free American Job Center service listed below will talk training funding through with you before you pay anyone.
    • How many seats there are: About 214,390 of those jobs against 1,121,800 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 19% as many seats. A real door, not a wide one.
    • Is the target job itself holding up: First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers scores 46/100 on this site’s own exposure measure (partial), with 38% of its tasks in the top band. Employment projections are not published for this occupation in this release, so this is the exposure leg of the check only. It passed, which is the only reason it is here.

    How long: A year or more, part-time, alongside the job you have. That band is set by the unchecked licence question and by the 60% of their work you would be learning, not by any one course.

    See what AI is doing to first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

  • Retail Salespersons

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries…, and their equivalent is to greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs. Across both published task lists that is about 9% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 9% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $35,410 against your $48,520, 27.0% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Cashiers

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries…, and their equivalent is to greet customers entering establishments. Across both published task lists that is about 7% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 7% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $32,880 against your $48,520, 32.2% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Order Clerks

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries…, and their equivalent is to receive and respond to customer complaints. Across both published task lists that is about 6% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 6% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. I will not move you off one melting floe onto another: 68% of its own task list already scores in the top exposure band (72/100 in this release), so the same software is eating it. And it is a narrow door: about 75,200 of those jobs against 1,121,800 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 7% as many seats.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

  • The headline number you read somewhere

    The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 25% of its task weight, across 21 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.

  • The whole-job doom story

    Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.

  • Panic-buying a course

    Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.

  • The “obvious” next job everyone suggests

    I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

If you run a team doing this job

If you run a team doing this job, the conversation you owe them is the one on this page, and sooner than feels comfortable. Show them the ledger rather than a reassurance: the rows moving toward the software are keeping records of purchases, sales and requisitions, and the rows that are not are where you want your people visible. Ask each of them to do the this-week move and bring the list to your next one-to-one. It turns a rumour into a piece of work, and it tells you which parts of your team's week are actually at stake. And say the thing out loud that a team lead usually leaves unsaid: a shrinking team is your exposure too, so do the move yourself as well.

You are reading the United States figures

The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Sales supervisors - retail and wholesale is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match

In UK official statistics this job is counted as Sales supervisors - retail and wholesale. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it

Nothing Collab365 runs is built for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 25% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.

Try The AI Authority free →

7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.

The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.

Nearby moves

The jobs above, as pages you can read the same way as this one. Your job shares its core work with these. That is what the match is, and it is all it is.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers?
Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 21 official task statements scored for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (United States, SOC 41-1011), 25% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 39 out of 100 (range 33–45, band: low). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers” can AI already do?
The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions” (93/100, very high); “Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards” (93/100, very high); “Review inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments” (93/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers” stay human?
About 62% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise” (0/100, minimal); “Enforce safety, health, and security rules” (6/100, minimal); “Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to assess the condition of each product or item” (8/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers” do about AI?
Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 25% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 62% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers calculated?
Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 21 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

Worth knowing about these figures

  • The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
  • 1 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
  • Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Task statements
onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights
onet-db (im-rt)
Scores
Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-04.
Pay and employment
bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

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Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.