Merchandise lead vs management trainee

The differences between merchandise leads and management trainees 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 management trainee. Additionally, a management trainee has an average salary of $48,477, 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 management trainee are enterprise management, management training, and customer service.

Merchandise lead vs management trainee overview

	Merchandise Lead	Management Trainee
Yearly salary	$35,572	$48,477
Hourly rate	$17.10	$23.31
Growth rate	6%	-8%
Number of jobs	72,605	88,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a merchandise lead do?

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.

What does a management trainee do?

A management trainee's responsibilities will vary in the assigned industry or department. Most of the time, they function as administrative support where the tasks include processing documents and keeping records, preparing presentations, and analyzing reports. There are also instances when a management trainee must take part in implementing policies, crafting strategies, and observe in handling revenue and budget reports. Furthermore, a management trainee works under the supervision of a manager or supervisor, and it is essential to adhere to all policies and regulations at all times.

Merchandise lead vs management trainee salary

Merchandise leads and management trainees have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandise Lead	Management Trainee
Average salary	$35,572	$48,477
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $45,000	Between $38,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Green Bay, WI	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Jersey
Best paying company	PepsiCo	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between merchandise lead and management trainee education

There are a few differences between a merchandise lead and a management trainee in terms of educational background:

	Merchandise Lead	Management Trainee
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Pennsylvania

Merchandise lead vs management trainee demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise leads' and management trainees' demographics:

	Merchandise Lead	Management Trainee
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between merchandise lead and management trainee duties and responsibilities

Merchandise lead example responsibilities.

Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
Facilitate price checks and pitch in to bag groceries as needed.
Coordinate all POS arrangements and merchandise as strategically design in floor plans.
Assist in all administrative responsibilities including opening and closing store, organization standards, scheduling and payroll processing.
Assist in CAO roll-out to other stores in district.
Coordinate production of sketch books for presentation of final dress line to sales force and top management of company.

Management trainee example responsibilities.

Manage internal marketing programs including telemarketing and email campaigns to increase customer activity.
Manage payroll, payments, social security calculations, all administrative functions and vacation rolls coordination.
Develop management and leadership principles while managing, training, and motivating employees in fast-pace, high-volume sales/customer service business.
Develop workforce management, inventory management, leadership, time-management and prioritization skills through working closely with store and department management.
Perform successful sales in roofing and general construction.
Create Instagram and Facebook posts having to do with new clothing shipments.

Merchandise lead vs management trainee skills

Common merchandise lead skills

Sales Floor, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Store Management, 7%
POS, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%

Common management trainee skills

Enterprise Management, 14%
Management Training, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Product Knowledge, 8%
Cash Management, 5%
Store Training, 4%

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Sales Industry
Merchandise Lead
Merchandise Lead vs Management Trainee

Updated January 8, 2025

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