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The differences between merchandising managers and planning managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a merchandising manager and a planning manager. Additionally, a planning manager has an average salary of $98,486, 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 planning manager are project management, customer service, and strong analytical.
| Merchandising Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $86,346 | $98,486 |
| Hourly rate | $41.51 | $47.35 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 268,577 | 137,190 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
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.
Planning managers perform various duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include planning and monitoring a project or department's budget, production schedule, and inventory, creating reports of new plans, programs, and regulations, and ensuring development proposals comply with requirements and regulations. Additionally, planning managers are expected to serve as an intermediary between developers, government entities, businesses, and communities. They also oversee site plans, rezoning, and special-use permits, set schedules for the project, and supervise other personnel such as developers and consultants.
Merchandising managers and planning managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandising Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Average salary | $86,346 | $98,486 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $116,000 | Between $71,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woonsocket, RI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a merchandising manager and a planning manager in terms of educational background:
| Merchandising Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between merchandising managers' and planning managers' demographics:
| Merchandising Manager | Planning Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% | Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |