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The differences between retail supervisors and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a retail supervisor, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, 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 supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Retail Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,740 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $16.70 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 240,666 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Retail supervisors and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $34,740 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Peabody, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Live Nation Entertainment | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a retail supervisor and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Retail Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between retail supervisors' and supervisors' demographics:
| Retail Supervisor | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |