Supervisor/sales associate vs department supervisor

The differences between supervisors/sales associate and department 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 supervisor/sales associate and a department supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $34,067 average annual salary of a supervisor/sales associate.

The top three skills for a supervisor/sales associate include customer service, sales floor and product knowledge. The most important skills for a department supervisor are store management, product knowledge, and plumbing.

Supervisor/sales associate vs department supervisor overview

	Supervisor/Sales Associate	Department Supervisor
Yearly salary	$34,067	$47,300
Hourly rate	$16.38	$22.74
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	391,764	216,893
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

Supervisor/sales associate vs department supervisor salary

Supervisors/sales associate and department supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Supervisor/Sales Associate	Department Supervisor
Average salary	$34,067	$47,300
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $33,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakewood, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Club
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between supervisor/sales associate and department supervisor education

There are a few differences between a supervisor/sales associate and a department supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Supervisor/Sales Associate	Department Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Supervisor/sales associate vs department supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between supervisors/sales associate' and department supervisors' demographics:

	Supervisor/Sales Associate	Department Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%	Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between supervisor/sales associate and department supervisor duties and responsibilities

Supervisor/sales associate example responsibilities.

Partner in managing operations of multiple retail outlets, including hiring, performance management, scheduling, and merchandising management.
Demonstrate knowledge and execution of all register (POS) functions; handle all cash controls and transactions accurately.
Utilize proactive persuasive/retention skills to turn requests for disconnection or downgrade into sales and save opportunities by identifying customer needs.
Demonstrate strong leadership, communication and supervisory skills by providing coaching and feedback to maximize individual and store performance.

Department supervisor example responsibilities.

Achieve a high degree of customer relations, in-stock, and store appearance.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
Maintain an ISO certify department.
Home depot sales associate , 2/2012 to7/1012
Obtain good working knowledge of EDI.
Assist customers, complete callbacks and diamond counts

Supervisor/sales associate vs department supervisor skills

Common supervisor/sales associate skills

Customer Service, 43%
Sales Floor, 10%
Product Knowledge, 5%
POS, 4%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Customer Complaints, 3%

Common department supervisor skills

Store Management, 21%
Product Knowledge, 19%
Plumbing, 18%
Math, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Store Sales, 6%

Supervisor/Sales Associate vs. similar jobs

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Supervisor/Sales Associate
Supervisor/Sales Associate vs Department Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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