Retail is dead end

I don't think it is but when sales clerks are given symbolic job titles such as sales assistants it usually is. It only sounds good on a resume. The sales jobs with a strong chance for advancement take knowing your products, your target customers, believing you have the best value and products to sell, a vocabulary of words that sell and good communication skills. All that and a job that pays any kind of commission can be very lucrative if you "play your cards" right.