You're not alone.
I'm 60 levels in, I've gone through hundreds of bitizens and haven't seen a single retail level 9 yet.
This is on the Android version, fwiw, so I'm assuming it's a bug.
This game has tons of them.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/62044/RyanS
Retail is definitely capped at 8 in my tower as well.
Every single bitizen that has ever visited has had an 8 or less in retail only.
Randomness can not explain it considering the amount of people I've moved in and out.
It's possibly a bug related to a particular device if they are showing up for some people.
I'm using a Nexus 4.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/61830/Moops
You are just really unlucky so far.
Here is a photo of Watto's Wares with three skill 9 bitizen with a dream job star.
In addition I have two other bitizens that want Watto's Wares as their dream job, but it is already full.
I was playing this on an iPad Mini, so your problem may be a device related bug.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/44214/jacen.garriss
Yes, it's definitely capped at 8 for some devices!
I think for mine retail can only be even numbers because of about 200 I've checked, they've all only been 8, 6, 4, 2, or 0.
I'm using Android on a Galaxy S3.
I hope they fix this bug soon so I can have a perfect tiny death star...
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/63325/Monica
This seems to be a bug with the Android version.
Not only is there no "level 9" but I looked and all of my Retail citizens have an even number in their job skill, 8 of course being the highest....
so not only are there no "level 9" Retailers in the Android version, there are no "level 7,5,3 or 1" either.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/65713/Watts
I too have had several level 9 Retail Bitizens, though it does feel as though there are significantly fewer.
I'm playing the Android version of the game on a Samsung Galaxy III.
EDIT: I have to backtrack on this.
I misremembered having anyone over 8, and i haven't acquired any since then, even after the holiday update.
It looks like, on Androids at least, there are no level 9 retail skills.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/61697/Alex
I have cycled through 500 bitizens (using a tower bux to move them in, and then evicting after) in order to try and get bitizens with a dream job and skill level 9 into each job slot, but I have not seen a bitizen with a skill of 9 in retail (purple) yet. Not even in bitizens that have other dream jobs. Is retail capped at a skill of 8, or am I just extremely unlucky so far?
Is the max skill of retail dream job bitizen only 8?
gaming.stackexchange.com
<star-wars-tiny-death-star>
gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/142391
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/61817/John
Retail is definitely capped at level 8. It seems to be a bug with the Android version. It seems that level 9 bitizens exist, but in androids there is a bug that only let players gain 8 level bitizens.
Users saying that they haven't any bitizen above 8 level. However, one user points out that this is a bug.