This is a regular feature of the WSJ covering a variety of jobs. This week: wine salesman [quoted with permission]:
Pay Grade
Commission by the Cork
By AJA CARMICHAEL
July 18, 2006; Page B7
The job: A wine salesperson
The pay: Starting pay for a retail salesperson at a high-end wine shop in New York is around $15 an hour. At the wholesale level, the average annual salary for a field sales representative is $61,494, according to Western Management Group, a compensation-survey company in Los Gatos, Calif. Experienced salespeople for distributors or wineries say they can earn a base salary of up to $90,000 -- plus commissions of 4% to 10% of sales.
The hours: Commission-based wine sellers tend to work more than 50 hours a week, and many say they work weekends and some late hours.
Benefits: Larger wineries and distributors offer health-care, dental, vision and prescription-drug benefits. Smaller companies -- often family-operated -- may not offer extensive benefit packages.
Other incentives: Wine at wholesale prices, year-end bonuses and free sample bottles of wine after tastings. Companies often pay for an employee's solicitor permit.
Career path: Start by working at a restaurant with a liquor license; many restaurateurs are willing to teach employees how to purchase wine, negotiate sales and observe customers' taste in wine.
Best part of the job: Finding the best value. "Most of our clients are multimillionaires and they value good wine," says Worrell Couto, co-owner of the New York Wine Exchange, a retailer in Manhattan's financial district. "Just because they have money doesn't mean they like spending it. I'm assuming that's how they stay millionaires."
Worst part of the job: A commission-based salary. "No matter how hard I work an entire month...the first of the month I start off at zero," says Fernando Alva, 31, a commission-based wine salesman at T Edward Wines, a wholesaler in New York. But, he adds, "it's nice to know my success is based on how hard I actually work."
Hiring: http://www.winejobs.com1 and http://www.winespectator.com2
Write to Aja Carmichael at aja.carmichael@wsj.com3
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115318871591209461.html
