Retail Jobs in Kansas City, MO

Observed local pay is modest for frontline retail. Kansas City retail salespersons averaged $36,840 a year in 2025, with a $34,320 median and a $30,400 25th percentile. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers were materially higher at $52,620 mean and $48,620 median, which is the clearest local step-up path into store leadership pay. Current posting data should be read separately: hourly-paid ads center on about $15 to $16 / hour, while annual posted salary ranges center on about $55k to $72k because the sample mixes frontline and supervisory roles.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 331 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $31,200 at the 25th percentile, $33,800 at the median and $41,340 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

Kansas City's labor market is still healthy enough for a retail job search: metro unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, total nonfarm employment was up 0.7266% year over year, and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was up 0.2174%. But retail-specific direction is more mixed: Revelio Public Labor Statistics shows Missouri retail employment down 0.6% year over year even as retail postings were up 19.2%, which usually signals replacement hiring and churn more than broad expansion. For applicants, that means real opportunity is there, but speed, schedule flexibility, and proof of store-ready skills matter more than just having general customer-facing experience.

Best positioned: Candidates with recent on-site store experience and clear examples of inventory management, merchandising, cash handling, and customer service should have the best odds, especially because the opening mix is heavily entry level and overwhelmingly on-site.

Main caution: Do not read current posted annual salary bands as typical entry-level pay; local BLS retail-salesperson pay was $34,320 at the median in 2025, while current posted ranges are pulled upward by supervisor and manager roles in the sample.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 526 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Lowe's: 25 open roles
2. Petco: 14 open roles
3. AutoZone, Inc.: 12 open roles
4. Hibbett, Inc.: 12 open roles
5. Signet Jewelers Limited: 11 open roles
6. The TJX Companies, Inc.: 11 open roles
7. Dollar Tree, Inc.: 9 open roles
8. Dry Goods, Inc.: 9 open roles
9. CVS Health Corporation: 8 open roles
10. Hibbett: 8 open roles

Where the openings are

• Kansas City: 210
• Overland Park: 95
• Olathe: 30
• Leawood: 29
• Independence: 28
• Lenexa: 23
• Lee's Summit: 21
• Shawnee: 18

Work arrangement

on-site 498 (99%), remote 2 (0%), hybrid 1 (0%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunity is concentrated in mainstream store operations. In the local sample, about 85% of retail postings come from core retail, with retail apparel and fashion about 5% and department, clothing, and shoe stores less than 5%. The work is overwhelmingly on-site—about 95% or more on-site, with less than 5% hybrid and less than 5% remote—and the mix skews heavily entry level, at about 80% entry and about 15% mid. That means the volume play is associate, stock, replenishment, merchandising, and loss-prevention-adjacent work rather than remote support or headquarters jobs. Hiring is fragmented across employers rather than dominated by one chain, and the most consistently active names in the sample were Dollar General, Westlake Hardware, Inc., and Gap Inc. Smaller but real pockets of store-level demand also show up around local retail turnover and expansion, including four Kansas City-area Toys "R" Us holiday locations, Country Club Plaza's pace of nearly one new store opening per month since March 2026, and recent openings or expansions tied to Costco, rag & bone, and Rainy Day Books.

• Core store operations (high): Associate, cashier, stock, replenishment, and floor-support roles make up the biggest opportunity pool because most postings sit in mainstream retail and the market is heavily entry level and on-site.
• Store leadership (moderate): Key-holder, assistant manager, and supervisor tracks offer better pay, but they are a smaller slice of openings and usually require evidence of scheduling, shrink control, team leadership, or merchandising ownership.
• Apparel and specialty retail (moderate): There are pockets of opportunity in apparel and destination retail, helped by Plaza turnover and planned openings, but the volume is smaller than core retail.
• Holiday and pop-up demand (limited): Seasonal opportunities should appear around holiday footprint changes such as Toys "R" Us locations and other new stores, but national signals suggest leaner seasonal hiring than last year.

Where to focus: Prioritize on-site chain and neighborhood-store roles where inventory, merchandising, and closing or opening responsibility can move you from the broad applicant pool to the shortlist.

Roles worth searching next

• Customer service representative: The overlap is strong if your retail background includes problem resolution, order issues, payment handling, and de-escalation.
• Bank teller or branch service associate: Cash accountability, customer trust, and cross-selling transfer well from retail.
• Front desk or guest services associate: This is a good bridge for retail workers who are strongest in face-to-face service, scheduling, and issue handling.
• Inventory or operations coordinator: Retail workers with stockroom, replenishment, cycle count, and receiving experience can move toward operations-heavy roles.

What postings ask for

• Inventory management (table_stakes | immediate): It shows immediate usefulness in stocking, replenishment, and shrink control; inventory management appears in about 35% of local retail postings and is also one of the most in-demand retail skills nationally. Who: Entry-level applicants, career switchers, and anyone targeting stock or floor-support roles.
• Merchandising (differentiator | immediate): Merchandising appears in about 30% of local postings and often separates basic associate applicants from people who can maintain standards without close supervision. Who: Applicants aiming for apparel, specialty retail, or fast promotion into key-holder responsibilities.
• Cash handling and POS operation (table_stakes | immediate): Cash handling appears in about 25% of local postings, and point-of-sale system operation is one of the most in-demand retail skills nationally. Who: Anyone applying to cashier, service-desk, convenience, discount, or high-volume floor roles.
• Customer service (table_stakes | immediate): Customer service appears in about 25% of local postings and remains a core national retail skill even as more routine checkout work automates. Who: All retail candidates, especially switchers coming from hospitality, food service, or call-center work.
• Visual merchandising (differentiator | near-term): Visual merchandising appears in about 15% of local postings and matters most in apparel, specialty, and destination-store environments. Who: Applicants targeting apparel, home, beauty, or lifestyle brands.
• Loss prevention awareness (differentiator | near-term): Loss prevention shows up in about 10% of local postings and becomes more valuable when retailers are cautious on demand and margin. Who: Candidates targeting lead, closing, supervisor-track, or high-shrink environments.

Questions about this market

What do Retail roles pay in Kansas City, MO-KS?

Observed local pay is modest for frontline retail. Kansas City retail salespersons averaged $36,840 a year in 2025, with a $34,320 median and a $30,400 25th percentile. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers were materially higher at $52,620 mean and $48,620 median, which is the clearest local step-up path into store leadership pay. Current posting data should be read separately: hourly-paid ads center on about $15 to $16 / hour, while annual posted salary ranges center on about $55k to $72k because the sample mixes frontline and supervisory roles. This is a moderate-pay, broad-access market: among postings that state requirements, high school credentials dominate and certifications are rarely specified, so entry is relatively open even though earnings stay modest.

Where is demand for Retail roles in Kansas City, MO-KS concentrated?

Real opportunity is concentrated in mainstream store operations. In the local sample, about 85% of retail postings come from core retail, with retail apparel and fashion about 5% and department, clothing, and shoe stores less than 5%. The work is overwhelmingly on-site—about 95% or more on-site, with less than 5% hybrid and less than 5% remote—and the mix skews heavily entry level, at about 80% entry and about 15% mid. That means the volume play is associate, stock, replenishment, merchandising, and loss-prevention-adjacent work rather than remote support or headquarters jobs. Hiring is fragmented across employers rather than dominated by one chain, and the most consistently active names in the sample were Dollar General, Westlake Hardware, Inc., and Gap Inc. Smaller but real pockets of store-level demand also show up around local retail turnover and expansion, including four Kansas City-area Toys "R" Us holiday locations, Country Club Plaza's pace of nearly one new store opening per month since March 2026, and recent openings or expansions tied to Costco, rag & bone, and Rainy Day Books.

Which employers are hiring the most Retail talent in Kansas City, MO-KS?

Recent postings show the most activity from Dollar General (40 postings), Westlake Hardware, Inc. (20 postings), Gap Inc. (20 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Retail roles in Kansas City, MO-KS 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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Other roles in Kansas City, MO-KS

• Human Resources, Recruiting & People Operations
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• Transportation & Delivery
• Education & Training

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