Department lead vs stores supervisor

The differences between department leads and stores supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department lead and a stores supervisor. Additionally, a department lead has an average salary of $42,113, which is higher than the $34,046 average annual salary of a stores supervisor.

The top three skills for a department lead include cleanliness, safety procedures and customer service. The most important skills for a stores supervisor are sales floor, ladders, and store management.

Department lead vs stores supervisor overview

	Department Lead	Stores Supervisor
Yearly salary	$42,113	$34,046
Hourly rate	$20.25	$16.37
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	204,534	286,651
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department lead do?

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.

What does a stores supervisor do?

Store or retail supervisors are management professionals who are responsible for managing a team of staff members to ensure the smooth operation of a retail store. These supervisors are required to arrive early at the store so that they can open the store and disable the alarm system as well as prepare the cash registers. They must maintain inventory level and order new products when necessary while keeping records of every product available in their backroom. Store supervisors must also act as a customer service agent to help customers enjoy their experience in the store.

Department lead vs stores supervisor salary

Department leads and stores supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Lead	Stores Supervisor
Average salary	$42,113	$34,046
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $79,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	New Haven, CT	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Tufts Medical Center	Nestlé
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between department lead and stores supervisor education

There are a few differences between a department lead and a stores supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Department Lead	Stores Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Department lead vs stores supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between department leads' and stores supervisors' demographics:

	Department Lead	Stores Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%
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, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between department lead and stores supervisor duties and responsibilities

Department lead example responsibilities.

Implement inventory management system to effectively manage on-hands, assist with correct replenishment and maintain an acceptable level of over-stock.
Operate POS system, and receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debit.
Oversee the completion of all POS transactions, maintain cash office records and assistant in training of all new cashiers.
Conduct geotechnical and geological investigations and mineral resource evaluations for commercial, industrial and governmental clients using the above-mentioned drilling techniques.
Develop unique SQL, cloudbase, and ADHOC telephony query techniques resulting in the identification of previously undiscovered nefarious networks.

Stores supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the daily task of a retail pet store, delivering great customer services and increase net sales.
Assist in maintaining department staffing levels to ensure scheduling and service requirements are achieved while maintaining payroll objectives.
Assist store leadership in effectively leading, managing and developing store and/or department operations and associates to maximize sales and profitability.
Handle customer transactions on POS along with getting change for all register and cash room.
Maintain store cleanliness and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
Exercise cleanliness and raise awareness of cleanliness and encourage safety generate work areas.

Department lead vs stores supervisor skills

Common department lead skills

Cleanliness, 12%
Safety Procedures, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Store Management, 8%
Inventory Management, 7%
Sales Floor, 6%

Common stores supervisor skills

Sales Floor, 10%
Ladders, 8%
Store Management, 7%
Cash Handling, 7%
Store Operations, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Department Lead
Department Lead vs Stores Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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