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The differences between retail sales managers and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a retail sales manager has an average salary of $48,678, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.
The top three skills for a retail sales manager include retail sales, store operations and store sales. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $48,678 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 353,765 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
A retail sales manager is responsible for managing the retail sales department's operations, ensuring the highest customer satisfaction with the staff's efficiency and performance. Retail sales managers develop sales strategies and marketing campaigns to boost revenues, increasing the company's profitability. They also conduct training and programs for staff to maximize their productivity and provide the best customer service for their clients. A retail sales manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, and resolve their complaints.
Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.
Retail sales managers and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $48,678 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $66,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Talbots | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a retail sales manager and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | - |
Here are the differences between retail sales managers' and sales associates' demographics:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |