Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between assistant store manager & merchandise managers and zone 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 zone manager. Additionally, an assistant store manager & merchandise manager has an average salary of $61,782, which is higher than the $50,974 average annual salary of a zone 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 zone manager are work ethic, loss prevention, and inventory control.
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | Zone Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $61,782 | $50,974 |
| Hourly rate | $29.70 | $24.51 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 321,218 | 298,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
The duties of a zone manager depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In general, they are in charge of overseeing the service and product distribution operations of a company. They typically coordinate with regional managers, establish guidelines and product roadmaps, gather and analyze data from their area of assignment, perform research and analysis, conduct sales assessments, and implement solutions to optimize operations. Moreover, a zone manager must lead and encourage staff to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Assistant store manager & merchandise managers and zone managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | Zone Manager | |
| Average salary | $61,782 | $50,974 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $85,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | - | Ford Motor |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an assistant store manager & merchandise manager and a zone manager in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | Zone Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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 zone managers' demographics:
| Assistant Store Manager & Merchandise Manager | Zone Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 15.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |