General merchandise manager vs general service manager

The differences between general merchandise managers and general service 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 general merchandise manager and a general service manager. Additionally, a general merchandise manager has an average salary of $113,362, which is higher than the $85,187 average annual salary of a general service manager.

The top three skills for a general merchandise manager include customer service, inventory control and front end. The most important skills for a general service manager are customer service, customer satisfaction, and business plan.

General merchandise manager vs general service manager overview

	General Merchandise Manager	General Service Manager
Yearly salary	$113,362	$85,187
Hourly rate	$54.50	$40.96
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	277,177	435,376
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

General merchandise manager vs general service manager salary

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

	General Merchandise Manager	General Service Manager
Average salary	$113,362	$85,187
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $185,000	Between $52,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	-	Mountain View, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Stanford University
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between general merchandise manager and general service manager education

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

	General Merchandise Manager	General Service Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General merchandise manager vs general service manager demographics

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

	General Merchandise Manager	General Service Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%
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, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general merchandise manager and general service manager 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 service manager example responsibilities.

Lead team through ISO certification which increase quality and processes.
Lead RFP process for CRM software to include extensive evaluation and contract negotiation.
Stabilize logistics organization, recruit and train 2 key positions, achieve zero staff turnover for two years.
Coordinate and participate with the installation teams to help troubleshoot problems and resolve customer concerns while managing service and commissioning engineers.
Maximize repair/assembly departments' workflow, parts inventory, and logistics.
Improve quality systems across all plants and obtain QS or ISO certification at all sites.

General merchandise manager vs general service manager 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 service manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Business Plan, 6%
Employee Development, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Financial Statements, 5%

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General Merchandise Manager
General Merchandise Manager vs General Service Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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