Retail Jobs in Denver, CO

Official local wage data shows a clear split between front-line and leadership pay. In Denver, retail salespersons had a 2025 median wage of $38,470 and mean wage of $41,980, while first-line retail supervisors had a median of $59,100 and mean of $62,640. In the recent posting sample, hourly retail jobs centered on about $17 to $20 / hour, while salary postings centered on about $58k to $77k.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 721 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $35,360 at the 25th percentile, $39,520 at the median and $45,947 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of November 10, 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

Balanced market | next 3-6 months

Denver is still a workable retail market, but it is not an easy one. The metro unemployment rate was 4.6% in August 2026, up +21.1% year-over-year, and the broader trade, transportation, and utilities supersector was down -1.3049% year-over-year, which points to a softer local backdrop for store hiring. At the same time, Colorado retail postings were up 7.8% year-over-year, and the local retail sample shows hiring spread across many employers rather than one dominant chain. For job seekers, that usually means steady openings for on-site store-floor work, but tougher competition for cleaner schedules, better brands, and supervisor tracks.

Best positioned: Candidates with recent on-site retail or service experience, open availability, and clear proof of inventory, cash-handling, merchandising, or shift-lead responsibility have the best odds.

Main caution: Do not assume the higher posted salary bands represent typical associate pay; official local wage data for retail salespeople is much lower than management-heavy posting ranges.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 843 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. The Kroger Co.: 56 open roles
2. EssilorLuxottica: 27 open roles
3. AutoZone, Inc.: 23 open roles
4. Signet Jewelers Limited: 19 open roles
5. Lowe's: 18 open roles
6. Costco Wholesale Corp.: 16 open roles
7. Goodwill Staffing: 16 open roles
8. Petco: 15 open roles
9. Bennetts Company: 11 open roles
10. JCPenney Co.: 11 open roles

Where the openings are

• Denver: 184
• Aurora: 98
• Lone Tree: 65
• Lakewood: 63
• Broomfield: 46
• Thornton: 41
• Boulder: 39
• Westminster: 37

Work arrangement

on-site 805 (99%), hybrid 3 (0%), remote 3 (0%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunity is spread across a long tail of employers, not a single dominant retailer. The local sample captured more than 1,300 retail postings across more than 400 companies over the last 90 days, and hiring was classified as fragmented across employers. Most of that activity sat in general retail at about 75% of the sample, with smaller pockets in retail apparel and fashion at about 10% and department, clothing, and shoe stores at about 5%. The named employer mix suggests a practical pattern for applicants: broad chain retail and food-adjacent formats create steady floor demand, while apparel, optical, and department-store employers create narrower but often cleaner customer-facing opportunities. Among the most consistently active employers were EssilorLuxottica, Tailored Brands, Panda Express, AutoZone, Inc., Macy's, American Eagle, Walgreens Co., and Kroger Co. Higher-paying leadership opportunity exists, but it is a minority slice: about 10% of the sample was lead+ versus about 70% entry-level. There are also local pockets of new demand tied to store openings. QuikTrip said its new Commerce City store would create about two dozen jobs, and Arc Thrift Stores announced a new Denver outlet opening October 5, both of which point to near-term store-floor coverage needs.

• General chain and neighborhood retail (high): This is the volume center of the market, with general retail making up about 75% of sampled postings.
• Apparel, department, and specialty retail (moderate): Employers such as Tailored Brands, Macy's, American Eagle, and EssilorLuxottica show up repeatedly, but this is a smaller slice of the market than broad retail.
• Store leadership and supervisory tracks (limited): Lead+ roles are only about 10% of the local sample, but they align with the stronger local pay band for retail supervisors.

Where to focus: Prioritize broad-format, on-site retail employers first, then layer in specialty or leadership applications where you can prove merchandising, inventory, and team-lead results.

Roles worth searching next

• Patient access representative: It uses check-in discipline, customer service, queue handling, and point-of-service accuracy that retail workers already know.
• Bank teller or universal banker: It is a natural move for candidates strong in cash handling, compliance, customer trust, and in-person service.
• Front desk or guest services coordinator: This keeps the customer-facing part of retail while reducing dependence on floor selling and merchandising.
• Food-service shift lead: It maps well from retail cash control, staffing, rush handling, and opening or closing responsibility.

What postings ask for

• Inventory management (table_stakes | immediate): It was the most-requested hard skill in the local sample, appearing in about 35% of Retail postings. Who: Everyone, especially entry-level applicants who need a concrete skill beyond customer friendliness.
• Customer service (table_stakes | immediate): It showed up in about 25% of sampled postings, so employers are still screening hard for face-to-face service quality. Who: Career switchers from hospitality, banking, healthcare reception, or food service.
• Cash handling and POS accuracy (table_stakes | immediate): Cash handling appeared in about 20% of local postings, making it one of the clearest screening signals for front-line roles. Who: Entry-level applicants and switchers who need a quick credibility boost.
• Merchandising and visual merchandising (differentiator | near-term): Merchandising appeared in about 20% of postings and visual merchandising in about 15%, which matters for apparel, specialty, and higher-presentation stores. Who: Applicants targeting apparel, home, beauty, or mall-based stores.
• Loss prevention (differentiator | near-term): Loss prevention showed up in about 10% of local postings, which can separate candidates for key-holder, closing, and lead-track roles. Who: Anyone aiming for key-holder, supervisor, or higher-responsibility floor roles.
• Serve Safe (differentiator | near-term): It was the certification most often required in the local sample, even if only about 5% of postings asked for it. Who: Applicants targeting convenience, grocery-prepared-food, café, or food-adjacent retail formats.

Questions about this market

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

Official local wage data shows a clear split between front-line and leadership pay. In Denver, retail salespersons had a 2025 median wage of $38,470 and mean wage of $41,980, while first-line retail supervisors had a median of $59,100 and mean of $62,640. In the recent posting sample, hourly retail jobs centered on about $17 to $20 / hour, while salary postings centered on about $58k to $77k. This is a market where entry access is broad, but good pay usually comes from supervision, specialty selling, or employers that bundle floor work with staffing, inventory, or operational accountability.

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

Real opportunity is spread across a long tail of employers, not a single dominant retailer. The local sample captured more than 1,300 retail postings across more than 400 companies over the last 90 days, and hiring was classified as fragmented across employers. Most of that activity sat in general retail at about 75% of the sample, with smaller pockets in retail apparel and fashion at about 10% and department, clothing, and shoe stores at about 5%. The named employer mix suggests a practical pattern for applicants: broad chain retail and food-adjacent formats create steady floor demand, while apparel, optical, and department-store employers create narrower but often cleaner customer-facing opportunities. Among the most consistently active employers were EssilorLuxottica, Tailored Brands, Panda Express, AutoZone, Inc., Macy's, American Eagle, Walgreens Co., and Kroger Co. Higher-paying leadership opportunity exists, but it is a minority slice: about 10% of the sample was lead+ versus about 70% entry-level. There are also local pockets of new demand tied to store openings. QuikTrip said its new Commerce City store would create about two dozen jobs, and Arc Thrift Stores announced a new Denver outlet opening October 5, both of which point to near-term store-floor coverage needs.

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

Recent postings show the most activity from EssilorLuxottica (40 postings), Tailored Brands (30 postings), Panda Express (20 postings), AutoZone, Inc. (20 postings), Macy's (20 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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