How To Become A Merchandising Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a merchandising supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

For individuals who enjoy sales and retail, have a creative spark, and enjoy working with people, then a career as a merchandising supervisor can be quite rewarding. Merchandising supervisors are responsible for making decisions regarding the stocking, pricing, and shelf-presentation of retail goods in stores. These individuals have the freedom to plan product displays meant to catch the eye of customers, as well as the planning and presentation of products that make the shopping experience a positive one.

Merchandising supervisors have analytical skills, and are capable of managing purchases, inventory, negotiating with suppliers, negotiating costs, identifying emerging markets, and identifying supply and demand trends. These individuals also are detail-oriented, can meet deadlines, have excellent communications and people skills, and are effective at managing employees. A career in this field typically is done in an office or retail environment and may involve working some weekends depending on the store. Merchandising managers also should be proficient in computers and software, and be able to prepare annual and quarterly budget reports and present these reports to upper management.

Also, these individuals are required to track inventory movement and push promotions, sales, and manage price changes. Although an advanced degree is not critical, a bachelor's degree in marketing, business, or a related field can be helpful, as well as experience in a retail environment. Merchandising managers can expect to make an average of $17 an hour, or $36,000 per year, and job growth in the US is expected to be 2%.

ScoreMerchandising SupervisorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,175

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.4

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.65%

Black or African American 8.42%

Hispanic or Latino 17.80%

Unknown 4.64%

White 61.83%

Gender

female 56.32%

male 43.68%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a merchandising supervisor

Explore merchandising supervisor education requirements

Most common merchandising supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

47.9 %

Associate

21.3 %

High School Diploma

20.7 %

Start to develop specific merchandising supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	24.29%
HR	19.83%
Drive Sales	17.54%
Store Operations	14.67%
Sales Floor	4.98%

Complete relevant merchandising supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New merchandising supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a merchandising supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real merchandising supervisor resumes.

Research merchandising supervisor duties and 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.

Prepare your merchandising supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your merchandising supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a merchandising supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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