Store owner vs general manager

The differences between store owners and general 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 store owner and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $60,283 average annual salary of a store owner.

The top three skills for a store owner include customer service, product knowledge and payroll. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Store owner vs general manager overview

	Store Owner	General Manager
Yearly salary	$60,283	$71,581
Hourly rate	$28.98	$34.41
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	189,283	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Store owner vs general manager salary

Store owners and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Store Owner	General Manager
Average salary	$60,283	$71,581
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $94,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between store owner and general manager education

There are a few differences between a store owner and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Store Owner	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Store owner vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between store owners' and general managers' demographics:

	Store Owner	General Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between store owner and general manager duties and responsibilities

Store owner example responsibilities.

Manage employees, order supplies, stock, quick books POS
Manage own store, selling wide variety of products such as groceries and household items.
Train and develop to manage multi-unit operations.
Prepare payroll accounts and reconcile bank statements.
Initiate and implement computer base payroll system.
Deliver comprehensive team training in POS software and facilitate system maintenance.

General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

Store owner vs general manager skills

Common store owner skills

Customer Service, 26%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Payroll, 10%
Store Merchandise, 6%
Inventory Control, 4%
Retail Store, 4%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%