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The differences between retail sales supervisors and sales lead/sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a retail sales supervisor and a sales lead/sales associate. Additionally, a retail sales supervisor has an average salary of $33,983, which is higher than the $31,954 average annual salary of a sales lead/sales associate.
The top three skills for a retail sales supervisor include sales floor, store operations and store management. The most important skills for a sales lead/sales associate are POS, cash control, and customer service.
| Retail Sales Supervisor | Sales Lead/Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $33,983 | $31,954 |
| Hourly rate | $16.34 | $15.36 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 292,906 | 882,220 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Retail sales supervisors are professionals who are responsible for supervising retail staff members to sell products and services to customers in a retail store environment. These supervisors must develop marketing strategies such as creating mailers, launching online advertising campaigns, and promoting in-store sales to help the store achieve profit and keep selling merchandise regularly. They must hire and train new sales associates to ensure that they are performing their job duties well. Retail sales supervisors must also monitor their stock inventory to ensure that popular items are being restocked on shelves.
Sales lead and sales associates are two different sales positions in the retail industry. A sales lead is in charge of supervising the sales department. Sales leads perform administrative duties like recruiting and training staff, monitoring inventories, and maintaining sales performance. On the other hand, sales associates guide potential customers to acquire the products or services that fit their needs. The associates notify clients of sales promotions then present to them the product or service. Employees for these positions are looking for candidates with relevant experience in sales and related degrees like marketing and sales.
Retail sales supervisors and sales lead/sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Supervisor | Sales Lead/Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $33,983 | $31,954 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $40,000 | Between $17,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Nestlé | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Retail |
There are a few differences between a retail sales supervisor and a sales lead/sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Supervisor | Sales Lead/Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between retail sales supervisors' and sales lead/sales associates' demographics:
| Retail Sales Supervisor | Sales Lead/Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |