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The differences between merchandising managers and district managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a merchandising manager, becoming a district manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a district manager has an average salary of $96,909, which is higher than the $86,346 average annual salary of a merchandising manager.
The top three skills for a merchandising manager include sales floor, POS and apparel. The most important skills for a district manager are customer service, multi-unit, and customer satisfaction.
| Merchandising Manager | District Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $86,346 | $96,909 |
| Hourly rate | $41.51 | $46.59 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 268,577 | 373,525 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 6 |
A merchandising manager is responsible for supervising stock inventories, retail pricing, and managing product displays by analyzing customer preferences through researching the current market trends that would improve the store's sales condition and achieve profitability goals. Merchandising managers negotiate with reliable third-party vendors, minimizing costs without compromising the quality of the products. They also assist with planning floor layouts for store visuals that would attract customers and marketing promotional offers and special discounts to increase more revenues.
District managers oversee the operations of a group of stores or areas covered by the assigned district. They are responsible for ensuring that the sales, marketing, quality control, and people management of their community align with the company's direction. They review the district's financial statement, draft ways to improve the district's key metrics, and mitigate any challenges that may come their way. They are also responsible for hiring store or area managers and training them to ensure that they will be significant contributors to the organization.
Merchandising managers and district managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandising Manager | District Manager | |
| Average salary | $86,346 | $96,909 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $116,000 | Between $63,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woonsocket, RI | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Roku | Regeneron |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a merchandising manager and a district manager in terms of educational background:
| Merchandising Manager | District Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between merchandising managers' and district managers' demographics:
| Merchandising Manager | District Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% | Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |