Five Below has become a dominant force in the discount retail sector, known for its fun, trend-right products and energetic store environment. For job seekers, it represents a significant opportunity to enter the retail industry and build a career. But what can you expect to earn? While salaries vary widely based on role and location, hourly wages can range from state minimum wage to over $15 per hour, with salaried management positions earning upwards of $65,000 or more annually.
This guide breaks down the salary structures at Five Below, exploring the factors that influence your earning potential and the career outlook for professionals in this dynamic retail environment.
What Do Employees at Five Below Do?
It's important to clarify that "Five Below" is the name of a company, not a specific job title. The company employs thousands of people across a wide spectrum of roles, from in-store associates to corporate executives. Understanding the primary in-store roles is the first step to understanding salary potential.
- Sales Associate / Cashier: The face of the company, these employees are responsible for customer service, operating the cash register (or "register ninja" in Five Below's fun lingo), stocking shelves, organizing merchandise (known as "recovering the store"), and maintaining a clean and welcoming environment.
- Support Lead (Key Holder): A step above a Sales Associate, a Support Lead takes on more responsibility, including opening and closing the store, handling manager-level register functions, and leading the team when a manager is not present.
- Assistant Store Manager (Merchandise Manager / Customer Experience Manager): These managers oversee specific areas of the store. The Merchandise Manager focuses on inventory, shipment processing, and visual merchandising, while the Customer Experience Manager focuses on front-end operations, team training, and ensuring a positive customer journey.
- Store Manager: The leader of the entire store, the Store Manager is responsible for overall profitability, hiring, training, staff management, inventory control, and executing corporate directives to ensure the store meets its sales and performance goals.
Average Five Below Salary
Salaries at Five Below are role-dependent. Entry-level, part-time positions are typically paid hourly, while management roles are salaried.
Here is a breakdown of typical salary ranges for key positions, based on aggregated data from leading salary reporting platforms.
- Sales Associate: The average hourly wage for a Sales Associate at Five Below typically falls between $11.00 and $15.00 per hour. According to Payscale, the average is around $12.33 per hour (as of late 2023). This rate is highly dependent on the local state and city minimum wage laws.
- Support Lead: With added responsibilities, Support Leads can expect to earn slightly more, generally in the range of $13.00 to $17.00 per hour.
- Assistant Store Manager: This is typically the entry point into salaried management. Salary.com reports that the average Assistant Store Manager salary in the U.S. retail sector is around $49,058 per year, with a typical range between $42,000 and $58,000. Five Below's compensation generally aligns with this industry standard.
- Store Manager: Leading the entire operation comes with higher compensation. Glassdoor data indicates that the average salary for a Five Below Store Manager is approximately $62,500 per year, with a likely range falling between $54,000 and $73,000 annually, including potential bonuses.
*Sources: Payscale.com, Salary.com, Glassdoor.com (Data accessed in 2023/2024)*
Key Factors That Influence Salary
Your specific salary at Five Below, or any retailer, isn't just about the job title. Several critical factors come into play.
### Level of Education
For hourly roles like Sales Associate, a high school diploma or equivalent is typically sufficient, and level of education has a minimal impact on the starting wage. However, for management and corporate positions, education becomes more significant. A Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, or a related field can be a strong asset for candidates seeking Store Manager or District Manager roles, often leading to a higher starting salary and faster career progression.
### Years of Experience
Experience is one of the most significant drivers of salary in retail. An experienced retail manager with a proven track record of increasing sales and managing profitable stores will command a much higher salary than a newly promoted Assistant Manager. Within the hourly roles, an experienced associate may be the first to be considered for a promotion to Support Lead. Loyalty and internal experience are often rewarded with incremental pay raises and promotions.
### Geographic Location
Where you work matters immensely. A Store Manager in a high-cost-of-living area like San Francisco, CA, or New York, NY, will earn a significantly higher salary than a manager in a low-cost-of-living area like Mobile, AL. This is due to two factors:
1. Cost of Living Adjustments: Companies adjust salary bands to ensure wages are competitive and livable in different markets.
2. State and City Minimum Wage Laws: The base pay for hourly employees is directly tied to local wage laws, which vary dramatically across the country.
### Company Type
When evaluating a salary offer from Five Below, it's helpful to understand where it fits within the broader retail landscape. As a "value" or "discount" retailer, its pay structure may differ from other types of stores.
- Discount Retailers (e.g., Five Below, Dollar General): These companies operate on high volume and thin margins, and their compensation for store-level roles is often competitive but may be on the leaner side compared to premium retailers.
- Big-Box Retailers (e.g., Target, Walmart): These larger corporations often have more structured pay scales and may offer slightly higher average starting wages for hourly employees and competitive benefits packages.
- Specialty Retailers (e.g., Best Buy, Sephora): These stores may require specialized product knowledge and often compensate their employees accordingly, sometimes offering sales commissions in addition to an hourly wage.
### Area of Specialization
Within the Five Below corporate structure, salaries diverge significantly based on specialization. A role in store operations (like a District Manager) will have a different pay scale than a role at their corporate headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. Corporate specializations like Merchandising (Buyers), Logistics and Supply Chain Management, IT, Finance, and Human Resources are professional career tracks with salaries benchmarked against other corporate jobs, often reaching well over $100,000 for experienced professionals.
Job Outlook
While the BLS does not track job growth for specific companies, it provides data for the retail sector as a whole. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for Retail Salespersons is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032. This reflects the broader shift in the retail industry, including the growth of e-commerce.
However, the outlook for managers is more stable. The BLS projects a 3% growth for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers over the same period, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. This indicates that while the nature of retail work is changing, the need for skilled and effective leadership on the ground remains constant. For those looking to build a career, the path to management offers long-term stability.
*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (accessed 2024)*
Conclusion
Working at Five Below can be an excellent entry point into the workforce or a solid step in a long-term retail management career.
Key Takeaways:
- Salaries are Role-Specific: Your earnings depend entirely on your position, ranging from an hourly wage for associates to a competitive annual salary for store managers.
- Experience and Location are King: Your professional background and the local cost of living are the two biggest factors influencing your pay.
- Management is the Goal for Growth: The most significant financial opportunities lie in advancing into management roles like Assistant and Store Manager.
- It’s a Stepping Stone: A job at Five Below provides valuable experience in customer service, inventory management, and teamwork—skills that are transferable across the entire retail industry and beyond.
For anyone considering a career with the company, research the specific roles that align with your skills and career goals, and use this guide to benchmark your salary expectations.