What does an area supervisor do?

An area supervisor opens and closes the store, maintains a comfortable and friendly shop environment, and supervises associates. Area supervisors are responsible for keeping track of daily operations in the business. They are in charge of the maintenance, production, and other work performed in certain areas. Their responsibilities include the recruitment and training of staff, solving customer issues, updating records, and completing other tasks assigned by directors. It is also their responsibility to schedule the work hours of employees.
Area supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real area supervisor resumes:
- Promote from associate to manage several departments including jewelry, housewares, automotive and electronics.
- Demonstrate resourcefulness and imagination when managing professional responsibilities.
- Schedule and lead safety meetings par OSHA regulations.
- Train new and current employees run reports and stats for upper management.
- Handle work flow, assign tasks, train new associates, run administrative machines.
- Review laboratory documents and test paperwork to ensure the information is accurate and GMP compliant.
- Perform quality checks on all work ensuring that all responsibilities are perform in accordance with ChartOne and HIPAA policies and procedures.
- Educate patients about self-management of acute illnesses.
- Schedule weekly visits to ensure facilities cleanliness and proper filter system operation.
- Assist patients and medical providers with questions regarding insurance benefits and coverage eligibility.
- Maintain expenses by effectively controlling payroll and increasing the profitability of the jewelry repair department.
- Support new business development by planning seminars, preparing PowerPoint presentations, and conducting research on prospects.
- Develop innovative PowerPoint presentation used by the corporate offices to market executive support programs to potential customers/clients.
- Utilize electrical equipment and chemical cleaners while following company standards and procedures to maintain the cleanliness of office areas.
- Demonstrate resourcefulness and imagination when managing professional responsibilities.
Area supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Area Supervisors are proficient in Ladders, Cleanliness, and Sales Floor. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Area Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Ladders, 17%
Gained transitional knowledge and skilled at working heavy machinery including forklifts, electric ladders, order pickers and electric pallet jack.
- Cleanliness, 16%
Utilized electrical equipment and chemical cleaners while following company standards and procedures to maintain the cleanliness of office areas.
- Sales Floor, 15%
Identified opportunities to increase sales and communicated merchandising and sales floor operational opportunities to department supervisors and store management.
- Front End, 13%
Provided adept Customer Service at all times, supervising merchandise processing, markdowns, sizing and the Front End as needed.
- Loss Prevention, 10%
Focused on loss prevention to protect company assets by providing exceptional customer service and managing incoming shipments.
- Bank Deposits, 9%
Managed stores when necessary including drawer reconciliation, reports, bank deposits, customer service, scheduling/training, inventory
"ladders," "cleanliness," and "sales floor" are among the most common skills that area supervisors use at work. You can find even more area supervisor responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an area supervisor to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what area supervisors do because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, an area supervisor resume shows how area supervisors use communication skills: "maintain open communication with district manager, store managers, and loss prevention manager. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform area supervisor duties is leadership skills. Area supervisors responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Area supervisors also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "partner with store leadership to ensure compliance of loss prevention directives and minimization of operational shortage. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what area supervisors do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to area supervisor responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical area supervisor tasks: "assisted store management with complex customer dissatisfactions and promptly resolved their grievances. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for an area supervisor to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what area supervisors relies on this skill, since "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." How this skill relates to area supervisor duties can be seen in an example from an area supervisor resume snippet: "conducted performance reviews, mentored new hires and managed scheduling of routes, to ensure on time delivery of ccbc products. "
The three companies that hire the most area supervisors are:
- Ross Stores1,923 area supervisors jobs
- Ocean State Job Lot152 area supervisors jobs
- McDonald's104 area supervisors jobs
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Area supervisor vs. Department lead
A department lead's responsibilities will vary in an organization or company. It will, most of the time, revolve around overseeing the progress of work in a particular area and evaluating department staff's performance. Other responsibilities include setting goals and implementing the company's policies and guidelines. They may also carry out administrative tasks such as approving and signing paperwork, producing reports and presentations, and crafting guidelines and strategies to help reach goals. Furthermore, as a department head, it is important to encourage staff and shape them into valuable company members.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, area supervisor responsibilities require skills like "ladders," "front end," "emergency procedures," and "customer safety." Meanwhile a typical department lead has skills in areas such as "math," "troubleshoot," "basic math," and "product knowledge." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Department leads really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $47,921. Comparatively, area supervisors tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $45,762.department leads tend to reach similar levels of education than area supervisors. In fact, department leads are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Area supervisor vs. Co-manager
A co-manager's role is to supervise business operations and perform administrative tasks as support to a manager. One of the primary functions of a co-manager is to delegate tasks of team members and arrange schedules. They also evaluate progress, produce the necessary documentation, maintain a record of data, identify issues and opportunities, and assist in coordinating with other employees. A co-manager may also have the task of hiring and training new workforce members, enforcing policies and regulations at all times.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that area supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "front end," "emergency procedures," "customer safety," and "eas." But a co-manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "payroll," "food safety," "perform routine maintenance," and "store sales."
Co-managers may earn a higher salary than area supervisors, but co-managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $64,497. On the other hand, area supervisors receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $45,762.In general, co-managers achieve similar levels of education than area supervisors. They're 1.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Area supervisor vs. Associate/team lead
An associate/team lead oversees the performance of team members while ensuring that clients get to receive optimal services. Their responsibilities typically include establishing guidelines and objectives, managing schedules, generating leads, performing market research and analysis, and developing strategies to optimize the daily operations. They may communicate with clients and assist them by identifying their needs, answering inquiries, and resolving issues and concerns. Moreover, as an associate/team lead, it is essential to guide and encourage staff to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, area supervisors are more likely to have skills like "cleanliness," "front end," "emergency procedures," and "customer safety." But a associate/team lead is more likely to have skills like "basic math," "product knowledge," "quality standards," and "leadership."
Associate/team leads typically earn similar educational levels compared to area supervisors. Specifically, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Area supervisor vs. Department manager
Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.
Types of area supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025











