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The differences between retail specialists and department specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a department specialist has an average salary of $49,764, which is higher than the $31,114 average annual salary of a retail specialist.
The top three skills for a retail specialist include store management, retail environment and store associates. The most important skills for a department specialist are product knowledge, drive sales, and cleanliness.
| Retail Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,114 | $49,764 |
| Hourly rate | $14.96 | $23.93 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 269,690 | 55,038 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A retail specialist is primarily in charge of securing sales and assisting customers on a sales floor, ensuring to meet the daily sales targets and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting clients and answering inquiries, locating products, offering recommendations and promotions, and processing payments. They may also address issues or concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as a retail specialist, it is essential to maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor and arrange displays properly to attract customers.
A department specialist drives the profitable sales growth of a company through proper planning and execution of corporate merchandise direction. Department specialists develop plans and strategies to achieve corporate sales results through action planning, consistent accountability, and effective communication. They initiate and carry out business-wide software and hardware standardization. Also, they coordinate space utilization or facility scheduling optimization for programs focused on members.
Retail specialists and department specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,114 | $49,764 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $43,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Salem, NH | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Springs Charter Schools |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a retail specialist and a department specialist in terms of educational background:
| Retail Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between retail specialists' and department specialists' demographics:
| Retail Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |