retail work

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   the activity of selling goods directly to customers in shops or online stores.

   Grammar: No plural and no article: say 'retail work is hard', not 'a retail work'.

   Patterns

   • do retail work
   • find retail work
   • retail work in a store

   She does retail work at a clothing store on weekends.

   Many students take retail work to pay for their studies.

   Retail work often means standing for long hours and helping customers.

2. 2noununcountable

   jobs in shops or stores, considered as a type of employment.

   Grammar: Used to talk about the sector or kind of job, not one specific position.

   Patterns

   • retail work experience
   • a career in retail work
   • look for retail work

   He has years of retail work experience behind him.

   The agency specializes in finding retail work for young people.

   Retail work can be a good way to learn customer service skills.

Common combinations

do retail work

I did retail work during the summer holidays.

retail work experience

The course includes a month of retail work experience.

find retail work

It is not always easy to find retail work in a small town.

retail work environment

She enjoys the fast-paced retail work environment.

Synonyms and how they differ

shop work

More common in British English and slightly more informal; it means the same kind of job in a shop.

sales work

Focuses on selling and persuading customers, while retail work also includes tasks like stocking shelves and handling payments.

Word family

retail noun

The business of selling goods to the public, usually in shops.

retailer noun

A person or company that sells goods directly to customers.

retail verb

To sell goods to the public, often used in business contexts.

Commonly confused: retail work or wholesale work?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “retail work”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words