General merchandise manager vs general manager in training

The differences between general merchandise managers and general managers in training can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a general merchandise manager and a general manager in training. Additionally, a general merchandise manager has an average salary of $113,362, which is higher than the $32,632 average annual salary of a general manager in training.

The top three skills for a general merchandise manager include customer service, inventory control and front end. The most important skills for a general manager in training are customer service, POS, and sales growth.

General merchandise manager vs general manager in training overview

	General Merchandise Manager	General Manager In Training
Yearly salary	$113,362	$32,632
Hourly rate	$54.50	$15.69
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	277,177	380,193
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

General merchandise manager vs general manager in training salary

General merchandise managers and general managers in training have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandise Manager	General Manager In Training
Average salary	$113,362	$32,632
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $185,000	Between $20,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	HealthTrust
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between general merchandise manager and general manager in training education

There are a few differences between a general merchandise manager and a general manager in training in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandise Manager	General Manager In Training
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General merchandise manager vs general manager in training demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandise managers' and general managers in training' demographics:

	General Merchandise Manager	General Manager In Training
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general merchandise manager and general manager in training duties and responsibilities

General merchandise manager example responsibilities.

Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.
Maximize sales in jewelry, electronics, home appliances, and all apparel departments.
Assist in all administrative responsibilities including opening and closing store, organization standards, scheduling and payroll processing.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

General manager in training example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
Receive the highest company-wide bonus for an AGM.
Serve as an associate, manager, and AGM prior to promotion.
Train all local areas new hire management on all products, services and on company's POS system.
Focuse all personnel on product quality and supervise a team of 20+ employees as SM and 19 stores as DM.
Control staffing including interviewing, scheduling and payroll, conducting appraisals and progressive improvement planning.

General merchandise manager vs general manager in training skills

Common general merchandise manager skills

Customer Service, 26%
Inventory Control, 10%
Front End, 10%
Sales Floor, 8%
Loss Prevention, 6%
Inventory Management, 5%

Common general manager in training skills

Customer Service, 22%
POS, 12%
Sales Growth, 12%
Sales Volume, 10%
Cleanliness, 7%
Product Quality, 6%

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General Merchandise Manager
General Merchandise Manager vs General Manager In Training

Updated January 8, 2025

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