Grocery manager vs department manager

The differences between grocery managers and department 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 grocery manager and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $36,769 average annual salary of a grocery manager.

The top three skills for a grocery manager include basic math, food safety and role model. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.

Grocery manager vs department manager overview

	Grocery Manager	Department Manager
Yearly salary	$36,769	$67,160
Hourly rate	$17.68	$32.29
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	357,942	330,327
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a grocery manager do?

A Grocery Manager is in charge of overseeing the daily operations at grocery and retail stores, ensuring everything is running smoothly and efficiently. They manage and assess the performance of staff, establish guidelines and daily objectives, set schedules, delegate tasks among teams, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently to ensure customer satisfaction. Grocery Managesr handle cash registers, train new members of the workforce, and produce progress reports.

What does a department manager do?

Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.

Grocery manager vs department manager salary

Grocery managers and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Grocery Manager	Department Manager
Average salary	$36,769	$67,160
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $53,000	Between $39,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between grocery manager and department manager education

There are a few differences between a grocery manager and a department manager in terms of educational background:

	Grocery Manager	Department Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Grocery manager vs department manager demographics

Here are the differences between grocery managers' and department managers' demographics:

	Grocery Manager	Department Manager
Average age	44	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between grocery manager and department manager duties and responsibilities

Grocery manager example responsibilities.

Direct and manage all functions of the dairy department including departmental ordering using an RF system.
Manage dairy levels in store, maintaining inventory levels
Create displays; print and run tags/signs.
Have ran the general merchandise department to insure fully stock by morning.
Break down pallets, rotate stock, discard outdate or damage products.
Oversee general appearance of sales area, backroom and store OSHA conditions and compliance.

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

Grocery manager vs department manager skills

Common grocery manager skills

Basic Math, 9%
Food Safety, 8%
Role Model, 8%
Wine, 8%
Math, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

Grocery Manager vs. similar jobs

Grocery Manager related careers

Grocery Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Grocery Manager
Grocery Manager vs Department Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs