1,000+ Retail Jobs in Denver, CO

Government wage data show standard frontline pay around the high teens per hour in Denver: retail salespersons had a median hourly wage of $17.94 and mean of $19.21 in May 2025, while cashiers were at $16.12 and the broader sales and related group had a $19.82 median. Recent postings split into two lanes: hourly listings centered on about $17 to $20 / hour, while annual posted ranges centered on about $60k to $78k, which is too high to treat as typical associate pay.

Full August 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 920 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $36,637 at the 25th percentile, $40,841 at the median and $50,175 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of September 25, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

Showing 30 of 250+ openings.

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What our analysts see this month

Competitive market | next 3-6 months

This is a workable retail market, but not an easy one. Denver still has a large base of store-floor work, with 39,570 retail salesperson jobs and 28,020 cashier jobs in the metro, and recent hiring activity showed more than 1,300 postings across more than 350 companies. The catch is that Colorado retail employment is essentially flat year-over-year while active retail postings are down 4.8%, so most openings look like steady replacement demand rather than a hiring surge. Competition is real; a 2025 national retail benchmark averaged about 43 applications per opening, above the overall labor-market average of 34. Pay is moderate for Denver living costs: median local pay was $17.94 for retail salespersons and $16.12 for cashiers, while the metro's 2025 rent index was 146.9 relative to a U.S. baseline of 100.

Best positioned: The best odds right now go to applicants who can show recent in-store experience plus inventory management, merchandising, customer service, and cash-handling skills, especially for on-site entry and lead-track roles.

Main caution: Do not assume the higher annual salary ranges in postings are standard associate pay; the clearest local hourly signal still centers on about $17 to $20 / hour, and higher annual bands likely skew toward supervisors and specialty-store roles.

From the August 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 1,094 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. The Kroger Co.: 43 open roles
2. Panda Express: 35 open roles
3. EssilorLuxottica: 28 open roles
4. Macy's, Inc.: 27 open roles
5. Walgreens Co.: 25 open roles
6. AutoZone, Inc.: 20 open roles
7. Natural Grocers: 20 open roles
8. VF Corp.: 19 open roles
9. Bath & Body Works: 18 open roles
10. Target Corp: 16 open roles

Where the openings are

• Denver: 246
• Aurora: 122
• Broomfield: 84
• Littleton: 83
• Lone Tree: 77
• Lakewood: 74
• Thornton: 56
• Arvada: 39

Work arrangement

on-site 1,040 (99%), hybrid 10 (1%), remote 2 (0%)

Where the demand is

Opportunity is spread across many employers rather than dominated by one chain. Over the last 90 days, local Retail hiring showed more than 1,300 postings across more than 350 companies, and the employer mix is fragmented. The most consistently active names in the local sample include Tailored Brands, Gamestop, FashionUnited, Walgreens Co., EssilorLuxottica, The Kroger Co., and Spirit Halloween, while statewide retail hiring leaders include King Soopers, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot. That is good news if you are willing to run a broad, brand-by-brand search instead of waiting for one perfect employer. Most of the immediate opportunity sits in standard store-floor formats. In the local sample, about 80% of postings sit in general retail, with smaller pockets in apparel and fashion, department/clothing/shoe stores, and food and beverage. Work is overwhelmingly on-site, and the mix skews entry-level, which means availability, speed, and recent customer-facing experience matter as much as formal credentials. A proposed Sprouts store in RiNo is also a reminder that grocery openings can create clusters of cashier and sales-associate roles when new locations move forward.

• Grocery, big-box, and home improvement chains (high): Statewide leaders include King Soopers, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot, and a proposed Sprouts store in RiNo would add another grocery-style hiring node if it proceeds.
• Mall, apparel, and specialty retail (moderate): Tailored Brands, Gamestop, FashionUnited, Athleta, and EssilorLuxottica all show current or recent local activity, which makes specialty retail a real but more selective lane.
• Lead-track and inventory-heavy store roles (moderate): Posted annual pay bands skew well above frontline hourly pay, suggesting better upside for roles that combine merchandising, inventory ownership, training, opening/closing, or store leadership responsibilities.

Where to focus: Focus first on grocery, big-box, pharmacy/optical, and seasonal specialty chains where inventory, merchandising, and customer service appear together; apply separately to entry-floor and lead-track roles rather than using one generic resume.

Roles worth searching next

• Customer service representative: Local retail postings heavily emphasize customer service, and national front-line service salary benchmarks put experienced customer service reps around a $42,750 midpoint, a step up from Denver retail associate pay for some workers.
• Food-service counter or café associate: Food-and-beverage employers make up about 5% of local retail postings, and Serve Safe is one of the few certifications that appears at all, so grocery-adjacent and prepared-food work is a plausible bridge.
• Front desk or guest services associate: Retail resumes that show customer service, cash handling, and issue resolution translate well to reception and guest-service work.
• Contact center representative: Retail is about 95% or more on-site in the local posting mix, so contact-center work is a reasonable alternative for people whose main constraint is commute or physical store coverage.

What postings ask for

• Inventory management (table_stakes | immediate): It was the most-requested hard skill in local Retail postings at about 35%, which makes it more valuable than generic "sales" language on a resume. Who: Entry-level applicants, career switchers, and anyone targeting stock-aware associate or lead roles.
• Customer service (table_stakes | immediate): Customer service appeared in about 25% of local postings, so employers are still hiring for service quality and issue resolution, not just transaction speed. Who: Everyone, especially switchers coming from hospitality, food service, or front desk work.
• Merchandising (differentiator | immediate): Merchandising showed up in about 20% of local postings and is one of the clearest signals that you can do more than basic register coverage. Who: Associates trying to move into floor-set, recovery, or lead-track roles.
• Cash handling (table_stakes | immediate): Cash handling appeared in about 20% of local postings, which means employers still want proof that you can close tills, manage drawers, and avoid preventable errors. Who: Entry-level candidates and career switchers without direct retail experience.
• Visual merchandising (premium | near-term): Visual merchandising appeared in about 15% of postings and is one of the cleaner ways to move toward higher-responsibility store roles. Who: Mid-career applicants, apparel candidates, and people targeting lead or specialty-store paths.
• Loss prevention (differentiator | near-term): Loss prevention appeared in about 10% of postings, and it signals trust, shrink awareness, and stronger close/open responsibilities. Who: Applicants aiming for key-holder, supervisor, or high-shrink store environments.

Questions about this market

What do Retail roles pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?

Government wage data show standard frontline pay around the high teens per hour in Denver: retail salespersons had a median hourly wage of $17.94 and mean of $19.21 in May 2025, while cashiers were at $16.12 and the broader sales and related group had a $19.82 median. Recent postings split into two lanes: hourly listings centered on about $17 to $20 / hour, while annual posted ranges centered on about $60k to $78k, which is too high to treat as typical associate pay. For most job seekers, this is a moderate-pay market with broad access, not a high-pay retail market. Denver wages are somewhat better than many lower-cost areas, but the metro's overall cost-of-living index was 105.8 and the rent index was 146.9 in 2025, so housing eats into the advantage quickly.

Where is demand for Retail roles in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO concentrated?

Opportunity is spread across many employers rather than dominated by one chain. Over the last 90 days, local Retail hiring showed more than 1,300 postings across more than 350 companies, and the employer mix is fragmented. The most consistently active names in the local sample include Tailored Brands, Gamestop, FashionUnited, Walgreens Co., EssilorLuxottica, The Kroger Co., and Spirit Halloween, while statewide retail hiring leaders include King Soopers, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot. That is good news if you are willing to run a broad, brand-by-brand search instead of waiting for one perfect employer. Most of the immediate opportunity sits in standard store-floor formats. In the local sample, about 80% of postings sit in general retail, with smaller pockets in apparel and fashion, department/clothing/shoe stores, and food and beverage. Work is overwhelmingly on-site, and the mix skews entry-level, which means availability, speed, and recent customer-facing experience matter as much as formal credentials. A proposed Sprouts store in RiNo is also a reminder that grocery openings can create clusters of cashier and sales-associate roles when new locations move forward.

Which employers are hiring the most Retail talent in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?

Recent postings show the most activity from Tailored Brands (30 postings), Gamestop (30 postings), FashionUnited (30 postings), Walgreens Co. (30 postings), EssilorLuxottica (30 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Retail roles in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 2% are remote and 2% hybrid, with 95% on-site. Use the Remote filter above to see only remote openings.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

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