Specialty department supervisor vs retail supervisor

The differences between specialty department supervisors and retail 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 specialty department supervisor and a retail supervisor. Additionally, a retail supervisor has an average salary of $34,740, which is higher than the $33,288 average annual salary of a specialty department supervisor.

The top three skills for a specialty department supervisor include customer service, product knowledge and sales associates. The most important skills for a retail supervisor are POS, cash handling, and product knowledge.

Specialty department supervisor vs retail supervisor overview

	Specialty Department Supervisor	Retail Supervisor
Yearly salary	$33,288	$34,740
Hourly rate	$16.00	$16.70
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	129,420	240,666
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

Specialty department supervisor vs retail supervisor salary

Specialty department supervisors and retail supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Specialty Department Supervisor	Retail Supervisor
Average salary	$33,288	$34,740
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Peabody, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Live Nation Entertainment
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between specialty department supervisor and retail supervisor education

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

	Specialty Department Supervisor	Retail Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Specialty department supervisor vs retail supervisor demographics

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

	Specialty Department Supervisor	Retail Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%	Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between specialty department supervisor and retail supervisor duties and responsibilities

Specialty department supervisor example responsibilities.

Maintain department by establishing merchandising goals, managing inventory control, and maintaining department organization and cleanliness.
Aggregate, analyze and organize information from QC reports into a department-wide WIKI to facilitate information sharing and best practice utilization.
Utilize tablet to order or look up items via Kohl's.

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.

Specialty department supervisor vs retail supervisor skills

Common specialty department supervisor skills

Customer Service, 48%
Product Knowledge, 13%
Sales Associates, 8%
Customer Issues, 6%
Performance Reviews, 6%
Computer System, 5%

Common retail supervisor skills

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

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Specialty Department Supervisor
Specialty Department Supervisor vs Retail Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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