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The differences between merchandise coordinators and merchandise leads 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 merchandise lead. Additionally, a merchandise coordinator has an average salary of $36,658, which is higher than the $35,572 average annual salary of a merchandise lead.
The top three skills for a merchandise coordinator include cleanliness, sales floor and merchandise presentation. The most important skills for a merchandise lead are sales floor, customer service, and customer satisfaction.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Merchandise Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $36,658 | $35,572 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $17.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 23,637 | 72,605 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
A merchandise lead is responsible for strategizing merchandise methods to reach sales performance targets. Merchandise leads assist the consumers in choosing the best products according to their needs and budget limitations. They evaluate the current market trends to generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. A merchandise lead must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in helping with marketing and promotional campaigns to attract consumers' interests and meet public demands.
Merchandise coordinators and merchandise leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Merchandise Lead | |
| Average salary | $36,658 | $35,572 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $27,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | North Kingstown, RI | Green Bay, WI |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | New Era Cap | PepsiCo |
| Best paying industry | Media | Retail |
There are a few differences between a merchandise coordinator and a merchandise lead in terms of educational background:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Merchandise Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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 merchandise leads' demographics:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Merchandise Lead | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4% | Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |