Average Retail Shop Salaries

• Sales staff in retail shops earn a median annual salary of $20,260, or an hourly wage of $9.74, as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These earnings vary widely by the type of retail shop work. Sales staff in clothing stores and department stores, two sectors that make up roughly a quarter of retail sales staff, receive average hourly wages of $10.20 and $10.10 per hour, respectively. Those who work in hardware stores earn $12.94 per hour on average, while those who work as automotive dealers earn $20.66 per hour.
  
  

Machine Shop and Fabrication Salaries

• Machine shops use power tools to cut, shape and form metal to construct customized pieces or as part of mass-produced manufacturing. Machine shops are typically staffed by skilled machinists who operate a variety of equipment or specialize in one step of the manufacturing process. The average machinist with two to four years of experience earns a median salary of $42,477 as of February 2011, according to Salary.com. That equates to hourly wages of about $20.42. Welders who work in machine shops earn average hourly wages of $16.34 as of May 2008, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
  
  

Wood Shop Salaries

• Similar to machine shops, wood shops use a variety of power and hand tools to transform lumber into products such as home furnishings and cabinetry. In large shops, technicians specialize in a single process or machine, while smaller shops may require their workers to be adept at using all tools on the shop floor. The average annual salary for wood shop technicians is $42,000 as of February 2011, according to Indeed.com.
  
  

Automotive Body Shop Salaries

• Where many shops focus on creating new products, automotive body shops specialize in repairing damages and restorative work. Although some skills overlap with machine shops, most body shop workers must be able to apply their skills to vehicles and their finishes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 133,290 workers are employed in body shops as of May 2009, earning a median annual salary of $37,980, or $18.26 per hour.