Retail supervisor vs department manager

The differences between retail supervisors and department managers 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 supervisor and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $34,740 average annual salary of a retail supervisor.

The top three skills for a retail supervisor include POS, cash handling and product knowledge. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.

Retail supervisor vs department manager overview

	Retail Supervisor	Department Manager
Yearly salary	$34,740	$67,160
Hourly rate	$16.70	$32.29
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	240,666	330,327
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a retail supervisor do?

The retail supervisor's main job responsibility is to oversee the work of retail staff in a physical store environment. They check and monitor employee activity, coordinate the receiving and shipping of merchandise, and assist customers in their purchases, ensuring smooth day-to-day overall operation. They work for any type of retail store, whether it is clothing, home goods, or an electronics store. In addition, they typically work in a mixed environment that consists of both an office and a sales floor.

What does a department manager do?

Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.

Retail supervisor vs department manager salary

Retail supervisors and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Retail Supervisor	Department Manager
Average salary	$34,740	$67,160
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $39,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	Peabody, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New Jersey
Best paying company	Live Nation Entertainment	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between retail supervisor and department manager education

There are a few differences between a retail supervisor and a department manager in terms of educational background:

	Retail Supervisor	Department Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Retail supervisor vs department manager demographics

Here are the differences between retail supervisors' and department managers' demographics:

	Retail Supervisor	Department Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between retail supervisor and department manager duties and responsibilities

Retail supervisor example responsibilities.

Assist store leadership in effectively leading, managing and developing store and/or department operations and associates to maximize sales and profitability.
Prepare food and ensure cleanliness of work area as well as served as a retail sales associate in the gift shop.
Prepare receipts for food using cash registers, computers, calculators, POS systems and other acceptable payment methods.
Maintain restaurant cleanliness, and delegate restaurant duties as necessary.
Monitor and submit weekly payroll and expense reports with modifications when need.
Perform management operations flawlessly and economically schedule employees, while maintaining weekly payroll.

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

Retail supervisor vs department manager skills

Common retail supervisor skills

POS, 8%
Cash Handling, 8%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
Sales Floor, 5%
Wine, 5%

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

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Retail Supervisor
Retail Supervisor vs Department Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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