SD Compensation Info

Joined
Jul 11, 2021
Messages
2
Hi everyone. Is anyone familiar with the salary ranges for store directors as they relate to store classification and volume? This is probably a long shot since a lot of this information is kept fairly quiet, even at the ETL level, but I'm genuinely curious.

From what I understand, most start in the low 100's if they're at a base store, but that is the extent of my knowledge. Obviously in a lot of cases it's district/group dependent, but I can't imagine that the numbers vary significantly unless it's a major metropolitan area. Are the ranges different for AA and higher? Do they receive regular raises?

Then there's the bonus, which obviously plays a significant part on top of base salary, I'm just not sure to what extent. Are golden contribution bonuses calculated in a particular way at that level? I've heard they can be anywhere from 10 to upwards of 50K.

Glassdoor was pretty good starting point, now I'm just wondering about the exact particulars. Is there a document or something that outlines the numbers in greater detail? Any information is helpful.

Cheers!
 
Store Director salary range for our company is $98,000-$177,000/yr; this does not include bonuses or any additional/supplemental benefits packages that raise yearly rates. I don't understand their bonuses, but I know they can be $15,000 to $60,000 +.

In my district, the SD asking salary starts at $111,000/yr with an average of about $147,500/yr. For the company as a whole, the average SD makes about $150,000/yr.

All SDs I know have been somewhat north of $140,000, and I know the highest can be upwards of $200,000 per year.

All of this is relative to where you live and the markets that surround your towns, counties, cities, etc, so if you really want to know, you need to understand the pay + experience to where you are and tether that to your market area.

Also, no one should get mad at me because all of these rates are public knowledge and can be found with a quick google search.
 
Last edited:
Store Director salary range for our company is $98,000-$177,000/yr; this does not include bonuses or any additional/supplemental benefits packages that raise yearly rates. I don't understand their bonuses, but I know they can be $15,000 to $60,000 +.

In my district, the SD asking salary starts at $111,000/yr with an average of about $147,500/yr. For the company as a whole, the average SD makes about $150,000/yr.

All SDs I know have been somewhat north of $140,000, and I know the highest can be upwards of $200,000 per year.

All of this is relative to where you live and the markets that surround your towns, counties, cities, etc, so if you really want to know, you need to understand the pay + experience to where you are and tether that to your market area.

Also, no one should get mad at me because all of these rates are public knowledge and can be found with a quick google search.
Thanks for your detailed reply! I come from another big box retailer, so it's interesting to compare things like this. In any case, it's pretty obvious that anyone at the SD/DSD level are seriously well paid, for better or for worse.
 
And yet not even that is enough to keep around some of the good SDs.
It all rolls down hill, and they're not at the top of the hill, not even close.

The good ones shield you from all the nonsense, get burned out and quit.

The bad ones drown in it, get burned out and quit.

There is no winning as a SD, not a position I would ever take.
 
It all rolls down hill, and they're not at the top of the hill, not even close.

The good ones shield you from all the nonsense, get burned out and quit.

The bad ones drown in it, get burned out and quit.

There is no winning as a SD, not a position I would ever take.
I disagree. My store has had some really good SD over the years. Almost every single one has gone on to be promoted and ran a green store with zero drama. There was a string of 4 or 5 years where all of the ETLs were getting promoted. I guess those ETLs were back filling SDs that quit or got fired due to what you said. But I think in the right situation it is an awesome job, with amazing pay.
 
I disagree. My store has had some really good SD over the years. Almost every single one has gone on to be promoted and ran a green store with zero drama. There was a string of 4 or 5 years where all of the ETLs were getting promoted. I guess those ETLs were back filling SDs that quit or got fired due to what you said. But I think in the right situation it is an awesome job, with amazing pay.

I think that any great SD in a retail environment is few and far between, and those great ones probably quashed a lot of shit before it got to their teams - ETLs included. Obviously I generalized, I think there's room for both of our opinions here.

In my opinion 100k isn't worth the hassle. I make 6 digits now and I sit in my pajamas all day - IMO a strong SD should make north of 250k a year to make that job worth it.

I greatly respect the good Target SDs for what they do. I have little love left for retail but I fully recognize what it takes to be good at that job.
 
I think that any great SD in a retail environment is few and far between, and those great ones probably quashed a lot of shit before it got to their teams - ETLs included. Obviously I generalized, I think there's room for both of our opinions here.

In my opinion 100k isn't worth the hassle. I make 6 digits now and I sit in my pajamas all day - IMO a strong SD should make north of 250k a year to make that job worth it.

I greatly respect the good Target SDs for what they do. I have little love left for retail but I fully recognize what it takes to be good at that job.
All of the good SDs I had have it pretty easy. I think what makes a good SD is someone who is good at the politics of the job and let's their leaders work and don't get them tied up in the BS. My store has very experienced leaders and we basically run the show and our SD walks visits and handles all of the behind the scenes stuff. I had an SD who never worked more than 50 hours, more like 40 on a good week. They managed the team by having good relationships and held the poor performers accountable. The team wanted to work for them, and took pride in the store because of the recognition and relationship they had with the leadership. They ended up getting promoted to a DSD.
 
All of the good SDs I had have it pretty easy. I think what makes a good SD is someone who is good at the politics of the job and let's their leaders work and don't get them tied up in the BS. My store has very experienced leaders and we basically run the show and our SD walks visits and handles all of the behind the scenes stuff. I had an SD who never worked more than 50 hours, more like 40 on a good week. They managed the team by having good relationships and held the poor performers accountable. The team wanted to work for them, and took pride in the store because of the recognition and relationship they had with the leadership. They ended up getting promoted to a DSD.
This sounds amazing our current SD is 100% the other direction. Micro-micro-manages everything, doesn't have a plan (mind changes 5 times a minute), absolutely no communication, and no one is accountable for anything....
 
Back
Top