Wholesaler vs area supervisor

The differences between wholesalers and area supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a wholesaler, becoming an area supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a wholesaler has an average salary of $59,529, which is higher than the $40,965 average annual salary of an area supervisor.

The top three skills for a wholesaler include business plan, annuities and territory sales. The most important skills for an area supervisor are ladders, cleanliness, and sales floor.

Wholesaler vs area supervisor overview

	Wholesaler	Area Supervisor
Yearly salary	$59,529	$40,965
Hourly rate	$28.62	$19.69
Growth rate	4%	6%
Number of jobs	6,195	106,356
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	8	6

What does a wholesaler do?

A wholesaler sources inventory directly from manufacturers in a supply chain and sells it to retailers. They can sell products at a lesser unit price because they are selling in bulk, which reduces the cost and handling time of goods. They are tasked with sourcing products from manufacturers and storing them appropriately. They must have good bargaining skills and effective communication skills, be organized, and have excellent time-keeping skills.

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.

Wholesaler vs area supervisor salary

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

	Wholesaler	Area Supervisor
Average salary	$59,529	$40,965
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $84,000	Between $27,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Lancaster, PA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Tesla
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between wholesaler and area supervisor education

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

	Wholesaler	Area Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Wholesaler vs area supervisor demographics

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

	Wholesaler	Area Supervisor
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4%	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	6%	9%

Differences between wholesaler and area supervisor duties and responsibilities

Wholesaler example responsibilities.

Team with external wholesaler to develop sales and servicing strategy in order to manage assign sales region effectively.
Work closely with bank management to help market annuities through the retail branches.
Prepare and schedule meetings, seminars and conference calls with brokers to increase awareness, understanding and usage of MassMutual annuities.
Recognize by management for confidence and develop knowledge of the healthcare industry with uncanny ability to expertly penetrate large accounts.
Work in partnership with RVP, covering the top-producing R.I.A.
Develop individual account base through telemarketing, cold-calling & prospecting.

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.

Wholesaler vs area supervisor skills

Common wholesaler skills

Business Plan, 18%
Annuities, 8%
Territory Sales, 6%
Excellent Presentation, 6%
Sales Process, 4%
Leverage, 4%

Common area supervisor skills

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

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Wholesaler
Wholesaler vs Area Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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