Retail Store Supervisor career guide
A retail store supervisor runs a team of sales associates and cashiers during a shift. They schedule people, solve customer problems that need a manager, and make sure the store meets its sales and presentation goals.
Pay data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Job content: O*NET 31.0. Updated 2026-10-26.
- $48,520median annual wage (U.S.)
- $23.33median hourly wage
- 1,121,800people employed in the U.S.
- High School Diploma or the equivalentmost common required education
What a retail store supervisor does
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
Typical tasks
- Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
- Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
- Monitor sales activities to ensure that customers receive satisfactory service and quality goods.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Assign employees to specific duties.
- Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
- Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
A typical day
The day often starts by checking yesterday's sales, today's staffing and any deliveries. During the shift a supervisor moves between the floor, the registers and the back room, coaching staff, approving returns and stepping in when a customer asks for a manager. Paperwork such as schedules, cash reports and inventory counts fills the quieter hours.
Skills employers look for
These are the skills O*NET rates as most important for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Persuasion
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Education and Training
Tools and technology
Examples of technology used in this occupation, from O*NET: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple Safari, Autodesk Revit, Facebook, Google Analytics, Google Docs, IBM SPSS Statistics.
Education and training
When O*NET asked people in this occupation what education the job requires, the most common answers were:
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED): 52% of respondents
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree: 19% of respondents
- Less than a High School Diploma: 14% of respondents
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Retail Store Supervisor pay
The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers was $48,520 in May 2025 ($23.33 an hour). Half of workers earned between $38,590 and $62,130.
Highest-paying states
- Washington: $60,750 median
- Rhode Island: $58,570 median
- District of Columbia: $58,470 median
- New York: $58,300 median
- Colorado: $58,200 median
States with the most retail store supervisors
- California: 109,180 employed
- Texas: 103,410 employed
- Florida: 80,470 employed
- New York: 50,830 employed
- Pennsylvania: 40,970 employed
Retail Store Supervisor pay in every state
How to get hired
Most supervisors are promoted from sales associate or cashier roles, so retail experience is the usual path. When you apply, describe the people you have trained, the shifts you have opened or closed, and any numbers you were responsible for. Some employers prefer a degree for higher levels of store management, but many do not require one for shift supervisors.
Job titles you may see
Department Manager, Meat Department Manager, Shift Manager, Store Manager.
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Related career guides
- Sales Representative
- Retail Sales Associate
- Cashier
- Stocker and Order Filler
- Fast Food and Counter Worker
- Server
Retail Store Supervisor salary by state · Retail Store Supervisor job description and interview questions
Sources and methodology
Wage and employment estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry estimates for all ownerships. Figures are as published; BLS does not publish some estimates for some states. As defined by BLS, wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and other premium pay. BLS OEWS
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jobder has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET Database
Written and maintained by the Jobder team. Last updated 2026-10-26. Questions or corrections: support@jobder.pro.
Frequently asked questions
What does a retail store supervisor do?
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
How much does a retail store supervisor make?
The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers in the United States was $48,520 in May 2025, or $23.33 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,120 and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $77,080.
What education do you need to become a retail store supervisor?
In O*NET's survey of people in this occupation, the most common answer for required education was "High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)" (52% of respondents). O*NET classifies the occupation as "Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
Which state pays retail store supervisors the most?
Washington had the highest median annual wage for this occupation in May 2025, at $60,750, followed by Rhode Island ($58,570) and District of Columbia ($58,470).
How many retail store supervisors are there in the U.S.?
BLS estimated 1,121,800 people were employed as first-line supervisors of retail sales workers in May 2025. California employed the most, with 109,180.