Zone merchandise supervisor vs department manager

The differences between zone merchandise supervisors and department 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 zone merchandise supervisor and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $41,061 average annual salary of a zone merchandise supervisor.

The top three skills for a zone merchandise supervisor include product knowledge, performance reviews and back room. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.

Zone merchandise supervisor vs department manager overview

	Zone Merchandise Supervisor	Department Manager
Yearly salary	$41,061	$67,160
Hourly rate	$19.74	$32.29
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	69,210	330,327
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

Zone merchandise supervisor vs department manager salary

Zone merchandise supervisors and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Zone Merchandise Supervisor	Department Manager
Average salary	$41,061	$67,160
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $61,000	Between $39,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between zone merchandise supervisor and department manager education

There are a few differences between a zone merchandise supervisor and a department manager in terms of educational background:

	Zone Merchandise Supervisor	Department Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Zone merchandise supervisor vs department manager demographics

Here are the differences between zone merchandise supervisors' and department managers' demographics:

	Zone Merchandise Supervisor	Department Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between zone merchandise supervisor and department manager duties and responsibilities

Zone merchandise supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
Aggregate, analyze and organize information from QC reports into a department-wide WIKI to facilitate information sharing and best practice utilization.
Maintain product levels throughout the day, expedite special orders for all types of millwork.
Conduct geotechnical and geological investigations and mineral resource evaluations for commercial, industrial and governmental clients using the above-mentioned drilling techniques.

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

Zone merchandise supervisor vs department manager skills

Common zone merchandise supervisor skills

Product Knowledge, 15%
Performance Reviews, 12%
Back Room, 9%
Front End, 9%
Apparel, 6%
Inventory Control, 5%

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

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Zone Merchandise Supervisor
Zone Merchandise Supervisor vs Department Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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