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The differences between merchandise coordinators 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 merchandise coordinator and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $36,658 average annual salary of a merchandise coordinator.
The top three skills for a merchandise coordinator include cleanliness, sales floor and merchandise presentation. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $36,658 | $67,160 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $32.29 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 23,637 | 330,327 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A merchandise coordinator is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of supply inventory, creating purchase requests, and confirming the proper labeling of products. Merchandise coordinators assist with the creative arrangement of product displays, moving merchandise to the appropriate store section, informing the customers of the promotional products and discount offers, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, evaluating feature products' sales reports, and resolving customer complaints. A merchandise coordinator must have excellent communication and organizational skills, following store procedures and safety regulations at all times during the operational shift.
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.
Merchandise coordinators and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Manager | |
| Average salary | $36,658 | $67,160 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $39,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | North Kingstown, RI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | New Era Cap | Ralph Lauren |
| Best paying industry | Media | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a merchandise coordinator and a department manager in terms of educational background:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between merchandise coordinators' and department managers' demographics:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4% | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.7% 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% |