Merchandising manager vs merchandising supervisor

The differences between merchandising managers and merchandising supervisors 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 merchandising supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a merchandising manager has an average salary of $86,346, which is higher than the $34,175 average annual salary of a merchandising supervisor.

The top three skills for a merchandising manager include sales floor, POS and apparel. The most important skills for a merchandising supervisor are customer service, HR, and drive sales.

Merchandising manager vs merchandising supervisor overview

	Merchandising Manager	Merchandising Supervisor
Yearly salary	$86,346	$34,175
Hourly rate	$41.51	$16.43
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	268,577	179,796
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	39	43
Years of experience	10	6

What does a merchandising manager do?

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.

What does a merchandising supervisor do?

Merchandising supervisors are professionals who create a pleasing shopping environment to entice customers to purchase additional products and gain maximum profit. These supervisors are required to identify trends and make sales predictions based on product popularity, past sales data, and information gained by attending product shows. They are required to make attractive point-of-sales displays so that the customers can easily locate the merchandise. Merchandising supervisors must also handle inventory levels by keeping track and submitting order requests to the purchasing department.

Merchandising manager vs merchandising supervisor salary

Merchandising managers and merchandising supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandising Manager	Merchandising Supervisor
Average salary	$86,346	$34,175
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $116,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Woonsocket, RI	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Roku	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between merchandising manager and merchandising supervisor education

There are a few differences between a merchandising manager and a merchandising supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Merchandising Manager	Merchandising Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Merchandising manager vs merchandising supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between merchandising managers' and merchandising supervisors' demographics:

	Merchandising Manager	Merchandising Supervisor
Average age	39	43
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between merchandising manager and merchandising supervisor duties and responsibilities

Merchandising manager example responsibilities.

Manage and plan ROI, CPC and bid management on external online shopping sites.
Manage hardware, plumbing, kitchen and bath, kitchen design, and night operations.
Create all marketing materials (paper/media), organize logistics of readings, manage financials.
Manage merchandising for lumber, building materials, paint, hardware, plumbing, electrical, and the garden department.
Lead website development committee, including RFP development, ROI analysis, marketing, brand-enhancement strategies, and back-end integration solutions.
Manage creative development and production of indirect channel POS fixtures creating brand consistency

Merchandising supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage a group of supervisors and hold weekly SWAS meetings.
Assist store leadership in effectively leading, managing and developing store and/or department operations and associates to maximize sales and profitability.
Co-Manage the firearms and hunting departments with hardlines management team.
Handle SWAS meetings for all merchandise specializing in top merchandise.
Supervise merchandising and associate relations for the hardlines area of the store.
Lead IMS team ensuring trucks are unloaded and perpetual inventory are accurate.

Merchandising manager vs merchandising supervisor skills

Common merchandising manager skills

Sales Floor, 10%
POS, 9%
Apparel, 7%
Pallets, 6%
Merchandise Presentation, 5%
Drive Sales, 5%

Common merchandising supervisor skills

Customer Service, 24%
HR, 20%
Drive Sales, 18%
Store Operations, 15%
Sales Floor, 5%
Store Management, 2%

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Merchandising Manager
Merchandising Manager vs Merchandising Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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