Pay & Wages
Harris Scarfe Pay Rates 2026: Store, Casual & Junior Pay
What Harris Scarfe workers should be paid in 2026 — the General Retail Industry Award floor by classification and age, casual loading, penalties, and where the Harris Scarfe enterprise agreements sit.
Who covers Harris Scarfe workers — award or agreement?
Harris Scarfe is the department-store banner of Spotlight Retail Group, selling homewares, manchester, apparel and kitchen goods from stores concentrated in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. Store roles run from casual sales assistants to department and store managers.
The pay floor is the General Retail Industry Award 2020 — the same award as Myer and David Jones — and the tables below show the current minimums by level and age. Group enterprise agreements, where they apply, sit above that floor.
The federal awards relevant to Harris Scarfe roles:
- General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Harris Scarfe Pty Ltd reported 1,669 employees (part of the F & F Management Pty. Ltd. group, 10,777 employees in total, 57.4% casual and 66.9% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Retail award floor — adults (21 and over)
From 1 July 2026 the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) adult minimums are:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Employee Level 1 (sales assistant, register, replenishment) | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 2 (forklift, higher-skill work) | $28.45/hr | $35.56/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 3 (2IC, opening/closing, keyholder) | $28.89/hr | $36.11/hr |
| Retail Employee Level 4 (department or store management stream) | $29.45/hr | $36.81/hr |
If you're 21 or older and your payslip shows less than Level 1, something is wrong.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Junior rates (under 21)
The General Retail Industry Award pays juniors a percentage of the Level 1 adult rate. From 1 July 2026 the junior minimums are:
- Under 16: $12.51/hr
- 16 years: $13.91/hr
- 17 years: $16.69/hr
- 18 years: $19.47/hr
- 19 years: $22.25/hr
- 20 years (first 6 months with the employer): $25.03/hr
- 20 years (after 6 months — full adult rate): $27.81/hr
Your rate must step up from the first full pay period after each birthday. Casual juniors add the 25% loading on top of these figures. An enterprise agreement's junior scale must leave you better off than this ladder overall.
Weekend and penalty rates
The retail award floor for permanent adult staff outside ordinary spans, at Level 1:
- Saturday: 125% — $34.76/hr
- Sunday: 150% — $41.71/hr
- Public holiday: 225% — $62.57/hr
Casuals are paid 150% of the ordinary rate on Saturday, 175% on Sunday and 250% on public holidays (those percentages already include the casual loading). Overtime for permanents runs at 150% for the first three hours and 200% after. Price a specific roster with our penalty rates calculator.
The Harris Scarfe enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Harris Scarfe agreements in our corpus (1 in total):
- Harris Scarfe Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved August 2023, nominal expiry 30 June 2027.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Retail pay issues worth checking on any payslip
General award-compliance issues that come up across the retail sector. This is a checklist for your own payslip, not a finding about Harris Scarfe:
- Junior step-ups missed — birthday rises and the 20-year-old six-month step to the full adult rate.
- Level 1 for higher-level work — keyholding, opening/closing, running a department or regularly supervising others is Level 3–4 territory.
- Weekend penalties absorbed — a flat rate covering Saturday and Sunday shifts has to actually beat the penalty mix for your roster.
- Unpaid time — till counts, close-downs, bag checks and stocktake after the doors shut are work time, and short casual shifts must meet the award's three-hour minimum.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
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FairWork Mate is an independent Australian publisher of workplace-rights information. Our content is prepared with AI assistance and draws on primary sources — the Fair Work Act, modern awards, and Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman material. It is general information, not legal advice.