The Retail Employee Level 3 classification includes a person who’s employed alone, with responsibility for the security and general running of a shop. However, not every employee who works alone in a retail shop will be classified as a Level 3.

Employees must be classified in accordance with the classification definitions in the award.

An employee’s classification depends on all their duties, not just one of them. An employee’s level of responsibility, skill, experience, knowledge, and any required training or qualifications are also relevant.

The classification also depends on the main reason they’re employed.

Retail Employee Level 1

A Retail Employee Level 1 undertakes duties as directed within the limits of their competence, skills and training.

Some of the duties that indicate an employee is a Level 1 in the Retail Award include:

• selling or hiring goods by any means
• delivering goods
• recording a sale or sales by any means
• providing information, advice or assistance to customers
• filling shelves.

Some indicative job titles that are usually within the definition of a Retail Employee Level 1 are:

• shop assistant
• check-out operator
• driver.

Check the award for more examples of Level 1 tasks and job titles.

Retail Employee Level 2

A Level 2 in the Retail Award is an employee performing work at a retail establishment at a higher level than a Retail Employee Level 1.

There are no duties listed in the award to describe a Level 2 employee.

The indicative job titles that are usually within the definition of a Retail Employee Level 2 are:

• forklift operator
• ride on equipment operator.

Retail Employee Level 3

A Level 3 in the Retail Award is an employee performing work at a retail establishment at a higher level than a Retail Employee Level 2.

Some duties that indicate an employee is a Level 3 include:

• opening and closing the premises
• securing cash (which is more than using the cash register)
• providing supervisory assistance.

Some indicative job titles that are usually within the definition of a Retail Employee Level 3 are:

• senior salesperson (including designated second-in-charge of a section)
• designated second-in-charge to a service supervisor
• person employed alone, with responsibility for the security and general running of the shop.

Check the award for more examples of Level 3 tasks and job titles.

If an employee working alone is mainly employed to be a shop assistant, they’re a Level 1.

Examples

Jim

Jim works at Open All Hours convenience store.

Jim works alone in the shop, except for a few minutes at the end of his shift when Granville’s shift overlaps with his or he receives training or attends a staff meeting.

Jim’s duties include:

• serving customers
• using a cash register
• refiling shelves
• loss prevention.

Jim isn’t responsible for securing cash or generally running the shop.

The main purpose of Jim’s job is to be a shop assistant. Jim is classified as a Level 1, even though he usually works alone.

Granville

Granville also works at Open All Hours convenience store.

He often works alone in the shop.

He serves customers, uses the cash register and refills shelves.

Granville is also responsible for:

• securing the cash he and Jim take during their shifts
• ordering stock
• training new staff
• communicating sales targets and promotions to staff
• measuring results
• coaching and motivating staff with sales
• changing confectionary layouts for the store
• marking down products that aren’t selling well
• banking the store’s takings
• ensuring the shop’s security cameras are working.

The main purpose of Granville’s job is to assist the owner to run the shop. Granville is classified as Level 3, even though he spends some of his time doing the same tasks as a Level 1 employee.

Example

Gladys

Gladys works at Sugar Glider fashion boutique. Gladys works alone in the shop Monday to Thursday because the shop doesn’t usually have many customers on those days.

Each day from Monday to Thursday, Gladys must:

• open the shop
• serve customers
• operate the cash register
• take deliveries
• hang clothes after customers have tried them on
• arrange displays
• tidy and vacuum the shop
• get the shop ready for the next day
• deposit the takings at the bank
• secure the premises when she closes the shop.

Bea is the owner of the boutique. On Fridays she works in the shop with Gladys.

While Gladys opens the shop and serves customers, Bea does the paperwork, orders stock, discusses what has and hasn’t been selling with Gladys and serves customers if it’s busy. Gladys finishes earlier on Fridays and Bea does the banking, gets the shop ready for the weekend and closes and secures the shop.

Bea works in the shop on the weekends with other staff members.

Gladys’s main job is to run and be responsible for the shop on her own, so she is classified as Level 3.

For more information on classifying employees under awards, see the classification page on our website.