Reference check questions for retail sales associates

An interview shows you how a retail candidate talks to one person in a quiet room. Their references saw them on a Saturday afternoon with a line at the register, a customer waiting for a size from the stockroom and a table of sweaters that needed refolding. That is the job, and neither the interview nor a background check shows it.

The most useful reference is whoever made the candidate’s schedule and counted their drawer: a store manager, an assistant manager or a key holder. They know whether the candidate came in for the shifts they were given, whether the drawer balanced and whether regular customers asked for them by name. Start each call by asking which shifts the reference shared with the candidate, so you know how much of the work they saw.

Who to ask

• A store manager or assistant manager who built the candidate’s schedule, reviewed their performance and handled customer complaints.
• A shift lead or key holder who worked the same shifts and saw the candidate on the floor, at the register and on freight days.
• For a first job, a teacher, coach or volunteer coordinator who can speak to showing up on time and treating people well.

Questions to ask, by competency

Choose the competencies that matter most for the position and two or three questions from each. Ask every reference the same set, and when an answer is a rating, ask for the example behind it.

Customers on the sales floor

Customers judge a store by the first associate they meet. A manager saw whether the candidate approached people or waited to be asked.

1. On a busy weekend, did the candidate approach customers who were browsing, or wait for them to ask for help? Can you give me an example?
2. Tell me about a customer who wanted to return something outside the policy. What did the candidate say, and at what point did they call a manager?
3. How well did the candidate know their department’s products, and what did they do when they could not answer a customer’s question?
4. Compared with the other associates you have scheduled, how would you rate the candidate with customers, and what are you basing that on? (rating)

Register and cash handling

A short drawer, a refund without approval or a skipped ID check on an age-restricted sale costs the store money, and managers keep track of all three.

1. When the candidate counted down their drawer at the end of a shift, did it balance? What happened on the days it did not?
2. How closely did the candidate follow the rules on voids, refunds, price overrides and the employee discount?
3. Did the candidate ever spot a suspicious return, a counterfeit bill or a customer using a card that was not theirs? What did they do?
4. Did you trust the candidate with keys, a closing shift or the bank deposit? How did they handle it?

Reliability on peak days

Retail schedules are built around weekends, holidays and sale events. One missed shift on a peak day means a closed register or an unstaffed fitting room.

1. When the candidate was scheduled for a weekend or holiday shift, could you count on them to be there and ready on time?
2. How did they handle shift swaps and changes to their availability: did they follow the store’s process, or leave the gap for you to fill?

Store standards and teamwork

Between customers, associates recover the floor, work freight, set displays and cover each other’s breaks. A manager quickly learns who does that work without being told.

1. When there were no customers at the register or in their area, what did the candidate do without being asked?
2. Tell me about a truck day, inventory count or floor set the candidate worked. Which part of it did they take on?
3. How did the candidate respond to coaching from a shift lead, for example about recovery standards or a missed sign-up goal?

Close the reference

End every reference the same way: ask whether they would hire or work with the candidate again and why, what support would help the candidate do their best work, and whether there is anything else you should know. The general question bank explains why the first of these matters most.

Checks a reference does not replace

• Dates, job title and rehire status with the former employer’s HR team.
• A background check, if a third party runs it for you. The FTC’s guidance says to tell the candidate in a stand-alone written notice that you may use a consumer report, and to get their written permission. If the report leads you to turn them down, give them a copy of it and a summary of their rights first.

Warning signs to follow up

• A manager who scheduled the candidate for months but cannot say whether their drawer balanced or how they treated customers.
• A pause, or very careful wording, when you ask whether the candidate followed the rules on refunds, discounts and voids.
• References who are all coworkers or friends, with nobody who made the schedule or counted the drawer.
• A seasonal job listed as year-round, or employment dates that do not match what the store confirms.

One warning sign is a reason to ask another question, not a verdict. Reference check red flags covers how to check a concern fairly.

Questions to leave out

Ask only about the work. Before an offer, the EEOC’s guidance says an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, any question it could not ask the candidate directly. Leave out health, medical leave, age, family plans and other protected characteristics. What to leave out has the full list.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your organization, and in your state, with your counsel or HR policy office.