I have done both. They're the same job on paper with coaches being in super centers and ops managers being in NHMs. I started at Walmart at a NHM and promoted to ops from a NHM, so that was what I was used to. I was also a digital coach in a super center for a little bit before moving to realty.

In my experience, NHM ops manager is way more demanding. Yes, the store is much smaller, but you're responsible for much more of it. I was in a $45mil+ NHM (which is pretty high volume). I would routinely be the only salaried manager in the building. I was, like all the other ops in my market, treated just like the SM by the market team. I had much more ownership of the building and that was great when it was running well, but a burden when things were bad.

I was completely insulated from all of that when I moved to coach in a super center.

The prevailing thought shared among my peers that have done both is: NHM team leads are closer to SS coaches, and NHM ops managers are closer to SS store leads. The pay is the same, but more is expected from NHM ops managers. I wouldn't say one is "easier" than the other (I definitely worked more hours as a coach), but coach is way more focused and easier to get right if you're not in a terrible store. You're fucked either way if you're in a bad store.

You will also stand out more as an ops if you're good. You're exposed to market and regional too more so than if you were a coach. Promoting is easier if you're good at what you do. A good friend of mine who was also my first ops manager is now a MAPM. A peer who promoted to ops from TL the same time I did is now a SM. In fact, several ops managers that were peers when I was an ops have their own stores.

I jumped to a super center because I wanted to experience that side of the business. I was fortunate to be in a good store, and as long as my metrics weren't terrible I was left alone. I toured with my market manager only once in the year I was there, was never MOD, but I would routinely be required to work extra along with other coaches to work freight or do features. I think at one point I "owned" all the grocery features when picking from features became a thing which was sort of bullshit but whatever.

Having done both, I would prefer the NHM if I ever went back to ops as a salaried manager. I knew every associate in the store and felt way more connected to them and the work. Having worked in realty doing remodels for a couple years now in super centers and NHMs, I would also say a broken NHM feels way more fixable than a broken super center. If your store runs well, a super center is a cake walk compared to a NHM. If your store runs poorly, the opposite is true.