sales clerk; shop assistant
Historically used for a clerk in a merchant house during the Edo period; in modern contexts, it can refer to a sales clerk in a traditional or small business setting.
In the Edo period, sales clerks played an important role in merchant houses.
The sales clerk at that long-established store has extensive product knowledge.
head steward (of an estate)
Composed of 手 (hand) and 代 (substitute, generation), originally referring to a person who acts on behalf of a merchant, handling sales and clerical work.