Counter manager vs assistant manager

The differences between counter managers and assistant managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a counter manager and an assistant manager. Additionally, a counter manager has an average salary of $42,396, which is higher than the $39,127 average annual salary of an assistant manager.

The top three skills for a counter manager include cleanliness, store management and fragrance. The most important skills for an assistant manager are paperwork, cleanliness, and customer service.

Counter manager vs assistant manager overview

	Counter Manager	Assistant Manager
Yearly salary	$42,396	$39,127
Hourly rate	$20.38	$18.81
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	32,169	566,132
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a counter manager do?

A counter manager is a person who leads a team of employees in the retail departments of bakeries, cosmetics, and delis. Counter managers take both administrative and leadership responsibilities. They support managers in procedure enforcement, customer relations, and staff communication. It is their job to oversee service management and keep track of the inventory. Among other duties, they tend to include employee recruitment and training, goal setup, conflict resolution, corporate finance, and budgeting.

What does an assistant manager do?

An assistant manager provides assistance and support to the direct manager in ensuring that the business runs smoothly with guaranteed satisfaction. An associate manager helps organize daily projects and manages employees to make sure that tasks are being done in a timely and accurate manner. Assistant managers are also expected to develop a good relationship with the whole workforce and clients to contribute to a successful and healthy workplace. An assistant manager is also required to present practical strategies for business growth, monitor daily operations, and communicate with clients for any possible suggestions and complaints.

Counter manager vs assistant manager salary

Counter managers and assistant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counter Manager	Assistant Manager
Average salary	$42,396	$39,127
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $61,000	Between $23,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between counter manager and assistant manager education

There are a few differences between a counter manager and an assistant manager in terms of educational background:

	Counter Manager	Assistant Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Georgia

Counter manager vs assistant manager demographics

Here are the differences between counter managers' and assistant managers' demographics:

	Counter Manager	Assistant Manager
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9%	Male, 42.0% Female, 58.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between counter manager and assistant manager duties and responsibilities

Counter manager example responsibilities.

Set and achieve Burberry and Nordstrom personal sales goals while supporting the goals of the team.
Manage with integrity, honesty and knowledge that promote the culture, values and mission of Nordstrom.
Manage accounts payable/receivable, administering an expansive QuickBooks database.
Assist all customers with a high level of customer service to enhance their experience using update technology and POS systems.
Display strong organizational leadership skills within fragrance department.
Execute POS system operations including management of personal client registry.

Assistant manager example responsibilities.

Manage and approve all advertising and promotional activity (weekly flyers).
Manage a team in order to reach daily, monthly, and yearly monetary, KPI, and loyalty goals.
Assist with customer service, organize employee payroll and scheduling, and manage day-to-day company responsibilities.
Maintain customer base by providing excellent customer service, maintaining facilities cleanliness, preparing daily reports and managing other cashiers.
Provide exceptional customer service by serving food and bartending during the restaurant s busiest hours of operation
Assist customers and operate POS register, unload stock delivery truck, stock merchandise and build displays, make bank deposits.

Counter manager vs assistant manager skills

Common counter manager skills

Cleanliness, 16%
Store Management, 15%
Fragrance, 14%
Business Results, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Merchandise Transfers, 6%

Common assistant manager skills

Paperwork, 10%
Cleanliness, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Math, 7%
Basic Math, 6%
Payroll, 4%

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Counter Manager
Counter Manager vs Assistant Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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