Shop sales assistants

55.4%

ADI · 167th of 433 · 95% interval 40.9–69.7

An AI agent can at least partly carry out 55.4% of the task time of shop sales assistants, and finish 6.3% alone. The barrier that holds most of the rest back is access to the systems the work runs on.

ADI · partial or full55.4%

167th of 433 · interval 40.9–69.7

ADI3 · full delegation6.3%

60th of 433 · interval 0.0–15.7

ADIs · share of time42.8%

172nd of 433 · interval 35.6–50.3

Evidence43

task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 128.0 million.

Task weight by level

How the tasks rate

13%

32%

49%

L0No meaningful role · 12.8%L1Augmentation · 31.8%L2Partial delegation · 49.1%L3Full delegation · 6.3%

Barriers

What stops the agent

Physical presence

68%

Accountability

Trust and care

34%

Access to systems

67%

Share of task weight flagged by each barrier; a task can carry several.

43 task statements, heaviest first

Task statement (O*NET occupation)	Weight	Level	Sonnet · Haiku	Share	Human time	Barriers
Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.Parts Salespersons	3.4%	L2	L2L2	50%	8 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Receive and fill telephone orders for parts.Parts Salespersons	3.4%	L2	L2L2	70%	7 min	Access to systems
Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.Parts Salespersons	3.4%	L2	L2L2	55%	14 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.Parts Salespersons	3.2%	L3	L3L3	85%	9 min	Access to systems
Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices.Parts Salespersons	3.2%	L3	L3L3	85%	6 min	Access to systems
Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.Parts Salespersons	3.1%	L2	L2L2	60%	15 min	Trust and care, Access to systems
Determine replacement parts required, according to inspections of old parts, customer requests, or customers' descriptions of malfunctions.Parts Salespersons	3.0%	L2	L2L2	58%	12 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock.Parts Salespersons	3.0%	L1	L1L2	35%	45 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.Retail Salespersons	2.9%	L1	L1L2	35%	5 min	Physical presence, Trust and care
Mark and store parts in stockrooms, according to prearranged systems.Parts Salespersons	2.7%	L1	L1L1	18%	20 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Maintain and clean work and inventory areas.Parts Salespersons	2.6%	L0	L0L0	4%	30 min	Physical presence
Manage shipments by researching shipping methods or costs and tracking packages.Parts Salespersons	2.6%	L2	L2L3	75%	25 min	Access to systems
Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.Retail Salespersons	2.6%	L2	L2L2	48%	12 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.Retail Salespersons	2.6%	L2	L2L2	52%	4 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.Retail Salespersons	2.6%	L2	L2L3	62%	4 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems

Show the other 28 tasks

Task statement (O*NET occupation)	Weight	Level	Sonnet · Haiku	Share	Human time	Barriers
Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.Retail Salespersons	2.5%	L1	L1L2	20%	12 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	2.5%	L1	L1L2	25%	25 min	Physical presence, Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems
Bag or package purchases and wrap gifts.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	2.4%	L0	L0L0	2%	6 min	Physical presence
Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.Retail Salespersons	2.4%	L2	L2L2	58%	30 min	Access to systems
Examine returned parts for defects, and exchange defective parts or refund money.Parts Salespersons	2.4%	L1	L1L2	30%	15 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.Retail Salespersons	2.4%	L1	L1L2	42%	12 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	2.3%	L2	L2L3	68%	8 min	Access to systems
Advise customers on substitution or modification of parts when identical replacements are not available.Parts Salespersons	2.3%	L2	L2L2	58%	12 min	Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems
Maintain records related to sales.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	2.3%	L2	L2L3	72%	25 min	Access to systems
Discuss use and features of various parts, based on knowledge of machines or equipment.Parts Salespersons	2.3%	L2	L2L2	60%	12 min	Trust and care, Access to systems
Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.Retail Salespersons	2.2%	L1	L1L1	10%	12 min	Physical presence, Trust and care
Help customers try on or fit merchandise.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	2.1%	L0	L0L1	12%	14 min	Physical presence, Trust and care
Demonstrate equipment to customers, and explain functioning of equipment.Parts Salespersons	2.1%	L1	L1L2	30%	18 min	Physical presence, Trust and care
Place new merchandise on display.Parts Salespersons	2.1%	L0	L0L1	8%	30 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales.Retail Salespersons	2.0%	L1	L1L2	22%	1.0 h	Physical presence, Access to systems
Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns.Retail Salespersons	2.0%	L1	L1L2	35%	9 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Measure parts, using precision measuring instruments, to determine whether similar parts may be machined to required sizes.Parts Salespersons	1.9%	L0	L0L1	8%	15 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Sell or arrange for delivery, insurance, financing, or service contracts for merchandise.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	1.9%	L2	L2L2	48%	22 min	Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems
Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations.Retail Salespersons	1.9%	L1	L1L1	12%	25 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Pick up and deliver parts.Parts Salespersons	1.8%	L1	L1L1	15%	38 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Estimate and quote trade-in allowances.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	1.8%	L2	L2L2	48%	20 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Inventory stock and requisition new stock.Retail Salespersons	1.7%	L2	L2L2	48%	1.3 h	Physical presence, Access to systems
Repair parts or equipment.Parts Salespersons	1.6%	L1	L1L1	18%	52 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Clean shelves, counters, and tables.Retail Salespersons	1.6%	L0	L0L0	2%	18 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Estimate quantity and cost of merchandise required, such as paint or floor covering.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	1.6%	L2	L2L3	72%	15 min	Physical presence, Access to systems
Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items.Retail Salespersons	1.5%	L2	L2L2	55%	18 min	Access to systems
Rent merchandise to customers.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	1.3%	L2	L2L2	42%	15 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems
Estimate cost of repair or alteration of merchandise.Retail Salespersons · supplemental task	1.1%	L2	L2L2	45%	11 min	Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems

Level: consensus of the two models (the lower level when they disagree). Share: part of the task’s working time an agent could take over. Human time: minutes a competent person needs for one instance, as estimated by the models.

Against other measures

Exposure is not delegation

Measure	Value	Percentile
ADI (this index)	55.4%	62
Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β	0.353	54
Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure	-0.016	51
Webb (2020), AI patent exposure	11.5	5
Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure	0.209	57
Anthropic Economic Index, observed use	0.161	79

Earlier indices measure whether AI can touch a task; ADI measures how much of it an agent can carry out from a goal. – : the source does not cover this occupation.

Same sub-major group (52)

Neighbouring occupations

Occupation	ADI	%
Contact centre salespersons 5244		100.0
Shop keepers 5221		92.3
Sales workers not elsewhere classified 5249		82.2
Shop supervisors 5222		54.9
Sales demonstrators 5242		35.8
Fashion and other models 5241		35.4
Stall and market salespersons 5211		32.4
Door to door salespersons 5243		32.4
Cashiers and ticket clerks 5230		25.9
Service station attendants 5245		21.9
Food service counter attendants 5246		11.6
Street food salespersons 5212		10.8

Dashed line: shop sales assistants (55.4%).

Cite this record

Text

Espinal Maya, Cristian, and Santiago Jiménez Londoño. 2026. ADI v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and MCP server. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918. Record: Shop sales assistants (ISCO-08 5223), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/5223

BibTeX

@misc{espinal2026adidata,
  title     = {{ADI} v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and {MCP} server},
  author    = {Espinal Maya, Cristian and Jim{\'e}nez Londo{\~n}o, Santiago},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {v2026.1},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
  note      = {Record: Shop sales assistants (ISCO-08 5223)}
}

Machine-readable

The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/5223.json.

Compare with another occupation How it is measured