Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between counter managers and sales associate/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 a sales associate/manager. Additionally, a counter manager has an average salary of $42,396, which is higher than the $41,412 average annual salary of a sales associate/manager.
The top three skills for a counter manager include cleanliness, store management and fragrance. The most important skills for a sales associate/manager are customer service, sales floor, and strong customer service.
| Counter Manager | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $42,396 | $41,412 |
| Hourly rate | $20.38 | $19.91 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 32,169 | 318,977 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
As the name entails, sales associates or associate managers are responsible for helping the store manager organize and run the retail stores. Their roles and responsibilities include ensuring that the store's goals are met by the sales team, hiring and training sales staff, and monitoring inventory. They are also expected to analyze consumer behavior, look for competitive products in the market, and communicate and evaluate clients' needs. To be qualified for this position, you should have experience as an assistant manager, organizational and leadership skills, and proficiency in MS Office.
Counter managers and sales associate/managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counter Manager | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Average salary | $42,396 | $41,412 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $61,000 | Between $30,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Salem, VA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a counter manager and a sales associate/manager in terms of educational background:
| Counter Manager | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between counter managers' and sales associate/managers' demographics:
| Counter Manager | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9% | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |