Sample Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position (with Answers)

This post provides lots of samples of interview questions for retail assistant position to boost your preparation for the real interview.

If you plan to take a job interview for a retail assistant position, it’s a good idea to learn about the common questions usually asked by interviewers and use them in your preparation.

This will enable you to get familiar with the retail assistant interview questions and build knowledge and confidence in responding to questions at the actual interview.

Please, read on:

What do Interviewers look for in a Retail Assistant?

When hiring for a retail assistant position, interviewers generally look for candidates who are at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma, and have a caring personality.

They want to make sure that the right retail assistant can work well with others and is willing to learn from experienced staff.

 It is important to be honest about your availability because interviewers do not want their employees to be overworked.

They also look for candidates who have worked at a retail store before, as well as those who have experience in other service industries such as food services or hospitality.

10 Most Common Retail Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the most common interview questions for a retail assistant job for you to practice with:

1. Have you worked at a retail store before?

No, I haven’t had the opportunity to work at a retail store before.

2. Do you have any experience working in the service industry?

I’ve been working as a waitress for four years now.

3. What is your availability?

I’m available from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday and 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Sundays.

4. How much do you expect to be paid for this position?

I was hoping I’d be making $10 an hour for this job.

5. Do you have any experience with customer service?

I worked in the clothing department at my last retail job for about three months. I learned how to work well with customers while helping them find sizes and styles that fit their needs.

6. What are your strengths?

My strengths are my interpersonal skills; I’m very good at working with others. I have a very caring personality and I’m good at being patient with people.

7. What are your weaknesses?

I’d say my biggest weakness is that I have trouble saying no to people. I also have trouble prioritizing tasks sometimes.

More Common Retail Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

8. What is your biggest accomplishment at work?

My biggest accomplishment was once convincing a customer not to return a dress she had just bought. She wanted her money back because she thought the dress made her look fat, but I convinced her that it looked great on her and that she should wear it more often.

9. Why should we hire you?

I am an extremely hard worker and will do my best to make sure your customers are happy with their purchase. I also want this job very badly, so I promise to work as hard as possible if you give me the chance!

10. What do you know about our company?

I’ve been shopping here for about five years now and I think that your store has some of the greatest clothing at great prices. I hope that I can add something positive to your team because you guys are such a wonderful store to work for.

More Sample Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

Here are additional samples of common retail assistant interview questions you can apply in your preparation for your interview:

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. What is your most positive quality?
2. Who would you say are your heroes, and why?
3. When was the last time you disagreed with a co-worker, and how did you go about resolving it?
4. Give us an example of when you had to make an unpopular decision. How did it work out in the end?
5. If I were to ask all of your co-workers what they think about you, what would they say?

Sample Case Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. What made you choose to work in retail?
2. How do retail companies make money?
3. What is the purpose of signs in stores?
4. What are some benefits of working in a retail store? Which would be most important for your particular position and why?
5. Is it okay to take merchandise home with you on days off?

Sample Competency Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1.  How long are you available to work per day?
2.  Have you ever worked in a similar position or store? What was your experience like?
3.  Why do you want to work in this position with us over all of the other opportunities that are out there?
4.  What is your availability for coming in early or staying late when needed?
5.  Do you have any availability issues on weekends?

Sample Problem-Solving Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. How quickly can you work under pressure?
2. What is your experience with customer service?
3. Tell me about a time you’ve had to solve a problem.
4. What would be your dream job?
5. Why do you want to work in retail, what are your main interests and motivations?

Sample Situational Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What’s the best experience you’ve had with customer service in the past.
3. What is your availability for this job?
4. Why do want to work in retail?
5. Can you name an example of when you went above and beyond at work?

Sample Communication Skills Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. Do you like making sales and building relationships one on one with customers?
2. Could you give me an example of a difficult customer situation and how did it play out?
3. Can you tell me about a time when one of your co-workers gave you constructive feedback to improve on something at work, and what did it involve?
4. You might need to handle some sensitive situations or talk with people who are angry. Describe a time this has happened for you in the past, what was going through your mind beforehand, during, and afterward.
5. How would you handle a situation with an angry customer or co-worker? How would you resolve conflicts within your team?

Sample Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. Describe a time when your actions affected goal attainment.
2. Talk about a disagreement you have had in the workplace. What advice do you have for resolving this type of situation?
3. Given two solutions to something, how would you choose between them?
4. How does your experience prepare you for a retail position?
5. Are there any moments that come to mind when somebody criticized, helped, motivated or inspired you and how did those moments affect your life?”

Sample Company Culture Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. What is your favorite motivational quote?
2. What does customer service mean to you?
3. How would you handle an irate customer?
4. Describe the best way to make changes.
5. How well do you collaborate with others?

Sample Sales Interview Questions for Retail Assistant Position

1. What are your three best qualities?
2. Tell me about a time you failed at something and how it made you feel.
3. When have you been most satisfied in a job?
4. What is the favorite aspect of your work?
5. Who is the best boss that you have ever had & why?

Retail Assistant Interview Success Tips

You’ve landed the interview and now you’re probably wondering how to make a good impression. Here are some helpful hints to assist you in doing so:

• Research the company before your interview, ask questions about what they do and why it’s important to them.  
• Find out more about the position that you’re interviewing for by looking at their website, social media pages, and/or blog. 
• Practice answering common interview questions so that when they arise during your meeting with HR or hiring manager, you’ll feel confident in your answers and be able to share an impressive story if necessary. 
• Arrive 10 minutes early and dress professionally! It will show the interviewer that you care enough about this opportunity to take those extra few steps.

Conclusion

This post has provided samples of likely questions you might face in a retail assistant interview, to help you prepare effectively for the interview.