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The differences between assistant store manager & merchandise managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant store manager & merchandise manager and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $61,782 average annual salary of an assistant store manager & merchandise manager.
The top three skills for an assistant store manager & merchandise manager include customer service, sales floor and store operations. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | General Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $61,782 | $71,581 |
| Hourly rate | $29.70 | $34.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 321,218 | 442,690 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An assistant store manager and merchandise manager is a management professional who is responsible for assisting the store manager in supervising the operations and employees of the store while managing the purchase and delivery of products. This manager is required to reach sales goals and improve the store shortage program by working with the management team and associates. The manager must coordinate the flow of merchandise to the sales floor and expedite all shipments of products to avoid shortage. This manager should also provide excellent customer service and implement visual merchandise presentation.
A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.
Assistant store manager & merchandise managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | General Manager | |
| Average salary | $61,782 | $71,581 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $85,000 | Between $40,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an assistant store manager & merchandise manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | General Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between assistant store manager & merchandise managers' and general managers' demographics:
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | General Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |