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Retail sales supervisor vs senior sales associate

The differences between retail sales supervisors and senior sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior sales associate has an average salary of $53,906, which is higher than the $33,983 average annual salary of a retail sales supervisor.

The top three skills for a retail sales supervisor include sales floor, store operations and store management. The most important skills for a senior sales associate are customer service, product knowledge, and phone calls.

Retail sales supervisor vs senior sales associate overview

Retail Sales SupervisorSenior Sales Associate
Yearly salary$33,983$53,906
Hourly rate$16.34$25.92
Growth rate--
Number of jobs292,906420,823
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4341
Years of experience6-

What does a retail sales supervisor do?

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.

What does a senior sales associate do?

A senior sales associate is responsible for overseeing the operations in a retail establishment's sales floor. They reach out to customers and respond to inquiries, help them obtain the product they are looking for, or recommend other goods should it be necessary. As a senior sales associate, they are in charge of mentoring less experienced colleagues and shaping them into more competent workforce members. They must also implement sales policies and regulations, devise strategies to reach sales targets, find new opportunities to strengthen client base, produce reports, and maintain inventory.

Retail sales supervisor vs senior sales associate salary

Retail sales supervisors and senior sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Retail Sales SupervisorSenior Sales Associate
Average salary$33,983$53,906
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $40,000Between $22,000 And $128,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyNestléGoldman Sachs
Best paying industryManufacturingPharmaceutical

Differences between retail sales supervisor and senior sales associate education

There are a few differences between a retail sales supervisor and a senior sales associate in terms of educational background:

Retail Sales SupervisorSenior Sales Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at Delhi-

Retail sales supervisor vs senior sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between retail sales supervisors' and senior sales associates' demographics:

Retail Sales SupervisorSenior Sales Associate
Average age4341
Gender ratioMale, 51.1% Female, 48.9%Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 7.4% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage9%7%

Differences between retail sales supervisor and senior sales associate duties and responsibilities

Retail sales supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day operation of tourist boutique merchandising and selling jewelry, souvenirs and eclectic artwork.
  • Maintain store's cleanliness and health and safety measures.
  • Manage the day-to-day operation of tourist boutique merchandising and selling jewelry, souvenirs and eclectic artwork.
  • Demonstrate strong leadership, communication and supervisory skills by providing coaching and feedback to maximize individual and store performance.

Senior sales associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage organizational standards, cleanliness of store and safety procedures/policies; manage and maintain store appearance, provide exceptional customer service.
  • Operate POS and administrative computer systems.
  • Receive new product and incorporate it into current inventory via POS inventory management system.
  • Maintain retail garden center through daily cleanliness and product up-keep and display including pruning/dead-heading product.
  • Partner in managing operations of multiple retail outlets, including hiring, performance management, scheduling, and merchandising management.
  • Demonstrate strong leadership, communication and supervisory skills by providing coaching and feedback to maximize individual and store performance.

Retail sales supervisor vs senior sales associate skills

Common retail sales supervisor skills
  • Sales Floor, 21%
  • Store Operations, 20%
  • Store Management, 10%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 9%
  • Sales Associates, 9%
  • Sales Targets, 7%
Common senior sales associate skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Product Knowledge, 10%
  • Phone Calls, 9%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%