General merchandise manager vs merchandising manager

The differences between general merchandise managers and merchandising managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a general merchandise manager, becoming a merchandising manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a general merchandise manager has an average salary of $113,362, which is higher than the $86,346 average annual salary of a merchandising manager.

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

General merchandise manager vs merchandising manager overview

	General Merchandise Manager	Merchandising Manager
Yearly salary	$113,362	$86,346
Hourly rate	$54.50	$41.51
Growth rate	6%	10%
Number of jobs	277,177	268,577
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	44	39
Years of experience	6	10

General merchandise manager vs merchandising manager salary

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

	General Merchandise Manager	Merchandising Manager
Average salary	$113,362	$86,346
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $185,000	Between $64,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	Woonsocket, RI
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Roku
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between general merchandise manager and merchandising manager education

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

	General Merchandise Manager	Merchandising Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Georgia

General merchandise manager vs merchandising manager demographics

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

	General Merchandise Manager	Merchandising Manager
Average age	44	39
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%
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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general merchandise manager and merchandising 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.

Merchandising manager example responsibilities.

Manage and plan ROI, CPC and bid management on external online shopping sites.
Manage hardware, plumbing, kitchen and bath, kitchen design, and night operations.
Create all marketing materials (paper/media), organize logistics of readings, manage financials.
Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
Lead website development committee, including RFP development, ROI analysis, marketing, brand-enhancement strategies, and back-end integration solutions.
Manage creative development and production of indirect channel POS fixtures creating brand consistency

General merchandise manager vs merchandising 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 merchandising manager skills

Sales Floor, 10%
POS, 9%
Apparel, 7%
Pallets, 6%
Merchandise Presentation, 5%
Drive Sales, 5%

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General Merchandise Manager
General Merchandise Manager vs Merchandising Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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