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The differences between merchandise leads and department supervisors 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 lead and a department supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $35,572 average annual salary of a merchandise lead.
The top three skills for a merchandise lead include sales floor, customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a department supervisor are store management, product knowledge, and plumbing.
| Merchandise Lead | Department Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $35,572 | $47,300 |
| Hourly rate | $17.10 | $22.74 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 72,605 | 216,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Merchandise leads and department supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandise Lead | Department Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $35,572 | $47,300 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Green Bay, WI | Lakewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | PepsiCo | Club |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a merchandise lead and a department supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Merchandise Lead | Department Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| 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 merchandise leads' and department supervisors' demographics:
| Merchandise Lead | Department Supervisor | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5% | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |