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The differences between lead retail consultants 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 lead retail consultant and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $39,319 average annual salary of a lead retail consultant.
The top three skills for a lead retail consultant include POS, sales floor and basic math. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.
| Lead Retail Consultant | Department Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $39,319 | $67,160 |
| Hourly rate | $18.90 | $32.29 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 83,049 | 330,327 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A lead retail consultant spearheads consultation projects that aim to help clients optimize their daily retail operations. Their responsibilities entail conducting extensive market research and analyses, studying the target market and competitors, establishing objectives and guidelines, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current procedures, and providing solutions against potential issues and concerns. Additionally, as a lead retail consultant, they have the duty to lead junior consultants in the joint effort to help clients achieve their short and long-term goals.
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.
Lead retail consultants and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Retail Consultant | Department Manager | |
| Average salary | $39,319 | $67,160 |
| Salary range | Between $17,000 And $86,000 | Between $39,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Ralph Lauren |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a lead retail consultant and a department manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Retail Consultant | Department Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between lead retail consultants' and department managers' demographics:
| Lead Retail Consultant | Department Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9% | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% |
| 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, 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 | 9% | 9% |