Woolworths (the South African retailer) was first started by its founder, Max Sonnenberg, who opened the very first store in Cape Town in October 1931. Today, it’s not owned by a single person but is a public company listed on the JSE. The person in charge of the whole company is the Group CEO, Roy Bagattini. From that one store, it has grown into a famous retailer known for its high-quality food, clothing, and homeware.
Those two jobs, Sales and Merchandising, are both essential for the store’s success. The Sales role is customer-facing; this person directly helps customers, provides product knowledge, answers questions, and works to meet sales targets. A Merchandiser (often called a Visual Merchandiser) is responsible for the store’s presentation. They are the creative ones who design window displays, dress mannequins, and arrange products on the floor to look appealing, which encourages customers to buy.
For Sales Roles
These are the most common in-store sales jobs:
- Customer Assistant: This is the most frequent job title. It’s an all-rounder role that includes sales, customer service, and sometimes till operations.
- Sales Assistant: A similar role, focused specifically on helping customers and driving sales.
- Store Specialist: Beauty: This is a sales job for someone with a passion for cosmetics and skincare.
- Customer Assistant (Multiskilled): This job (as seen in a recent posting) officially combines sales, merchandising (packing shelves, stock rotation), and till work.
For Merchandising Roles
For Merchandising Roles
- Store Specialist: Visuals / Visual Merchandiser: This is the exact job you are asking about. The responsibilities include creating displays, dressing mannequins, and making the store look impressive.
- Visual Department Manager: This is a more senior version where you would lead the team of visual merchandisers in a store.
Woolworths stores and would be key locations for those jobs:
- Menlyn Park Shopping Centre (Pretoria)
- Clearwater Mall (Roodepoort / West Rand)
- Cresta Shopping Centre (Randburg)
- The Glen Shopping Centre (Johannesburg South)
- Rosebank Mall (Rosebank, Johannesburg
typical requirements
Requirements for a Sales Job
(Job titles like “Customer Assistant”, “Sales Assistant”, or “Store Specialist: Beauty”)
Education:
- Grade 12 (Matric) or an equivalent NQF level is “preferred” or “advantageous.” It is not always a strict requirement, but it helps.
Experience:
- No experience is often required. This is a common first job.
- Any previous experience in retail, customer service, or hospitality is a big advantage.
- For specialised sales roles (like Beauty), experience in that specific field is an advantage.
Skills & Personal Attributes:
- Customer Service: Must be friendly, polite, and enjoy helping people.
- Communication: Must be able to speak clearly and listen to customers.
- Flexibility: You must be able to work flexible shifts, including weekends and public holidays.
- Teamwork: Able to work well with other people in a team.
- Numeracy: Basic maths skills are needed for handling cash at the tills.
- Stamina: You must be able to be on your feet for long periods.
Requirements for a Visual Merchandiser Job
Job titles like “Store Specialist: Visuals” or “Visual Merchandiser”)
Education:
- Grade 12 (Matric) is almost always a minimum requirement.
- A Diploma or Degree in Visual Merchandising, Fashion Design, or Interior Design is often “advantageous” or “preferred,” and sometimes required for manager roles.
Experience:
- This role requires experience.
- A minimum of 1-2 years of experience in a visual or retail role is a common requirement. They want to see that you have done this kind of work before.
Skills & Personal Attributes:
- Creativity: You must have a strong “eye for detail” and a good understanding of fashion, colour, and style.
- Trend Awareness: You need to know the current fashion trends.
- Practical Skills: You must be physically able to dress mannequins, handle props, move displays, and often climb ladders.
- Planning: Good planning and time management skills to update displays for new promotions.
- Communication: You need to work with store managers and sales teams to implement the company’s vision.
- Flexibility: Like the sales roles, you must be able to work flexible hours.
Here is a special tip from NewTime for tackling your Woolworths application:
Woolworths is a brand built on quality and presentation. Your CV is your first “product” they see, so make it just like their stores: simple, neat, and professional. Use a clean font and make sure it’s 100% free of spelling errors.
But the most valuable advice is to customise your application for the specific job you want. These two roles are very different, so one CV won’t work for both.
1.For the Sales / Customer Assistant Job: This is all about your personality. Your CV must scream “friendly,” “reliable,” and “helpful.” Use action words in your experience, like “Assisted customers,” “Solved problems,” and “Managed cash.” If you don’t have formal work experience, include any volunteer work or school projects where you worked in a team or helped people. They are hiring you, not just your CV.
2.For the Visual Merchandiser Job: This is all about your skill. Your CV is secondary to your portfolio. You MUST show them your creativity. Create a simple PDF or a free online portfolio with 3-5 examples of your work. This could be displays you did at a previous job, projects from your design course, or even a “mock” Woolworths-style display you created and photographed at home. This proves you have the creative eye they are looking for, and it will make you stand out from everyone else.
Here are the estimated salary ranges for those two jobs, based on what is reported for Woolworths and similar retailers in South Africa.
1. Sales Assistant / Customer Assistant
- Estimated Hourly Rate: R30 – R45 per hour.
- Estimated Monthly Salary (Full-Time): This would translate to roughly R5,200 to R7,800 per month, depending on the number of hours worked.
2. Visual Merchandiser / Store Specialist: Visuals
This is a skilled position, so the pay is higher and depends a lot on your experience and portfolio.
- Estimated Entry-Level Salary: A person just starting out or with 1-2 years of experience could expect an estimated R8,000 to R12,000 per month.
- Estimated Experienced Salary: A senior visual merchandiser with a strong portfolio and several years of experience could earn an estimated R13,000 to R18,000+ per month.
Disclaimer: These are not official figures from Woolworths. They are estimates based on salary data from various job sites. The final offer could be different based on the store’s location, your exact experience, and your skills.
Working Hours
The most important thing to know for both roles is that you are in retail, so your hours are not the traditional 9-to-5. You must be flexible and willing to work shifts.
1. Sales Assistant / Customer Assistant
This role is 100% shift-based and is tied to the mall’s trading hours.
- Shift Work: You will be given a schedule (a “roster”) in advance. You will not work the same hours every day.
- Types of Shifts: You can expect to work a mix of:
- 1.Opening Shifts: (e.g., 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
- 2.Closing Shifts: (e.g., 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, depending on the mall)
- Weekends & Public Holidays: It is a standard requirement of the job. You will be scheduled to work most weekends and public holidays. In South Africa, you are paid a higher rate (1.5x or 2x) for work on Sundays and public holidays.
- Part-Time vs. Full-Time: A full-time week is typically 40-45 hours. Part-time or “flexi-timer” roles are also common, where you are contracted for fewer hours per week.
In short: Expect to work shifts, weekends, and holidays.
Work Hours
2. Visual Merchandiser / Store Specialist: Visuals
This role is more of a specialised 9-to-5, but with major exceptions.
- Standard Hours: Your week is usually more regular, like Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This is because your main job is to prepare the store’s look, which is often done during standard business hours.
- The Big Exception: You will be required to work outside of these hours during big promotions or seasonal changes.
- After-Hours Work: When the store is launching a new season (like Christmas or Winter), you will often work overnight or after the store closes to change all the mannequins and displays. This ensures customers see a “brand new” store in the morning.
- Weekends: You will also likely have to work some weekends, especially during the launch of a big sale or promotion, to make sure the displays are perfect for the busiest time.
In short: Mostly a regular work week, but you must be flexible for big, after-hours projects.
About Woolworths
Founded by Max Sonnenberg in Cape Town in 1931, Woolworths has become a top South African retailer by focusing on premium Food, Fashion, Beauty, and Home products. The company’s core identity is its “Good Business Journey,” a deep commitment to quality, ethical sourcing, and sustainability. As an employee, whether in a Sales or Visual Merchandising role, you are the final step in delivering this promise of quality and responsibility directly to the customer.
Here is the short and direct way to apply:
1. Go to the official Woolworths Careers website: https://careers.woolworths.co.za/
2. In the search bar, type the job title you want (like “Customer Assistant” or “Visual Merchandiser”).
3. Find a job you like in your area and click on it.
4. Click the “Apply” button and follow the instructions to create a profile and upload your CV.
Note: Never pay anyone to apply for a job. All official Shoprite applications are free.
💡 Bonus Tip from NewTime
If you don’t find openings today, check back next week or explore more jobs: