Shift supervisor vs area supervisor

The differences between shift supervisors and area supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a shift supervisor and an area supervisor. Additionally, an area supervisor has an average salary of $40,965, which is higher than the $34,141 average annual salary of a shift supervisor.

The top three skills for a shift supervisor include cash handling, store operations and store management. The most important skills for an area supervisor are ladders, cleanliness, and sales floor.

Shift supervisor vs area supervisor overview

	Shift Supervisor	Area Supervisor
Yearly salary	$34,141	$40,965
Hourly rate	$16.41	$19.69
Growth rate	10%	6%
Number of jobs	282,079	106,356
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a shift supervisor do?

Shift supervisors are responsible for the employees assigned to the shift that they are handling. Shift supervisors ensure that the employees who were expected to report to work at the specific shift came in. They also ensure that the employees are doing their jobs while at work. Shift supervisors are expected to ensure that employees are really working during working hours and properly delegate work. Shift supervisors ensure that the employees are productive and efficient in their jobs. They are expected to provide coaching and guidance so that the employees will be able to reach the goals assigned to the work team.

What does an area supervisor do?

An area supervisor opens and closes the store, maintains a comfortable and friendly shop environment, and supervises associates. Area supervisors are responsible for keeping track of daily operations in the business. They are in charge of the maintenance, production, and other work performed in certain areas. Their responsibilities include the recruitment and training of staff, solving customer issues, updating records, and completing other tasks assigned by directors. It is also their responsibility to schedule the work hours of employees.

Shift supervisor vs area supervisor salary

Shift supervisors and area supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Shift Supervisor	Area Supervisor
Average salary	$34,141	$40,965
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $44,000	Between $27,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Lancaster, PA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Alaska
Best paying company	AbbVie	Tesla
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between shift supervisor and area supervisor education

There are a few differences between a shift supervisor and an area supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Shift Supervisor	Area Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Pennsylvania

Shift supervisor vs area supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between shift supervisors' and area supervisors' demographics:

	Shift Supervisor	Area Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between shift supervisor and area supervisor duties and responsibilities

Shift supervisor example responsibilities.

Content include math skills, how to manage a monthly budget, job searches, and managing a home.
Manage a team of energy consultants in daily production, SPH (sales per hr.
Evaluate daily job objectives and utilize knowledge of math, physics, and engineering to achieve the desired results.
Manage a part-time managerial shift supervisor position that require daily bookkeeping in POS system.
Prepare overall security plans and manage security operations of organization, including assignments, staffing and payroll.
Carry out administrative functions including tracking ordering and managing inventory, and support the manager in monitoring store security and cleanliness.

Area supervisor example responsibilities.

Promote from associate to manage several departments including jewelry, housewares, automotive and electronics.
Demonstrate resourcefulness and imagination when managing professional responsibilities.
Schedule and lead safety meetings par OSHA regulations.
Train new and current employees run reports and stats for upper management.
Handle work flow, assign tasks, train new associates, run administrative machines.
Review laboratory documents and test paperwork to ensure the information is accurate and GMP compliant.

Shift supervisor vs area supervisor skills

Common shift supervisor skills

Cash Handling, 19%
Store Operations, 9%
Store Management, 9%
Loss Prevention, 7%
Food Products, 7%
Cash Flow, 5%

Common area supervisor skills

Ladders, 17%
Cleanliness, 16%
Sales Floor, 15%
Front End, 13%
Loss Prevention, 10%
Bank Deposits, 9%

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Shift Supervisor vs Area Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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