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The differences between retail sales managers and sales supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a retail sales manager, becoming a sales supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a retail sales manager has an average salary of $48,678, which is higher than the $40,860 average annual salary of a sales supervisor.
The top three skills for a retail sales manager include retail sales, store operations and store sales. The most important skills for a sales supervisor are ladders, sales floor, and inventory control.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $48,678 | $40,860 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $19.64 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 353,765 | 424,088 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
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.
A sales supervisor is an individual who is responsible for the daily activities of sales representatives in promoting and selling a product by phone or email. He/She needs to track the weekly and monthly performances of his/her sales representatives. The minimum requirement of being a sales supervisor is a high school diploma. However, he/she is required to have two years of working experience. One of the skills required of a sales supervisor is to have the ability to multitask and time management.
Retail sales managers and sales supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $48,678 | $40,860 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $66,000 | Between $31,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Talbots | ServiceNow |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a retail sales manager and a sales supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between retail sales managers' and sales supervisors' demographics:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 9% |