Stock Clerk Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the stock clerk job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements individuals need to meet to be hired for the stock clerk role and succeed in their careers.

What Does a Stock Clerk Do?

The core duty of a stock clerk is to receive, unpack, sort, stock shelves with and restock inventory for retail stores, warehouses or distribution centers.

They are central to the flow of products and are considered the logistics backbone.

Stock clerks usually report directly to a stock room manager, shift supervisor, warehouse manager or inventory control manager.

These positions supervise the stock team and the entire operation.

The day-to-day duties that make up the stock clerk job description include verifying incoming shipments against manifests, stocking sales floor shelves accurately, building attention-grabbing product displays, ensuring older stocks get rotated to the front, and operating heavy equipment and machinery, like forklifts, pallet jacks, and hand trucks to move inventory.

Other tasks may include processing customer returns and restocking items for sales or returning shipment.

According to Salary, the duties of a stock clerk also entail ensuring accuracy of incoming merchandise and that supply room is effectively stocked with new goods.

Stock clerks help with cycle counts and full physical inventory audits, as well as sorting trash, like pallets and boxes for recycling or disposal.

Almost all industries that manufacture, distribute, or sell physical products and goods depend heavily on stock clerks.

They are seen working at big box retailers, apparel and specialty stores, and grocery stores, hardware and home goods.

Other places they may work include automotive parts warehouses, pharmaceutical supply chains, and electronics distributors and almost any other commercial enterprise that involves inventory.

A basic high school diploma or GED will do for the role but some employers prefer applicants who have taken courses around inventory management, logistics, or supply chain operations.

Candidates who have certifications showing competency in warehouse operations or forklift operations are also valuable.

Regardless of these backgrounds, most training for stock clerks happens on-the-job.

Stock clerks typically cross-grain across multiple departments to ensure operational flexibility, such as backing up cashiers or sales staff.

The place of stock clerks is significant across virtually every country, city and town.

Whether they are a metropolitan or rural, every retail operation or supply chain relies on this crucial link between merchandise deliveries and customer-ready sales floor.

Countries that have a huge logistics sectors such as freight transportation, warehousing and distribution show a high demand for skilled stock clerks.

Employers when hiring for the stock clerk position particularly look for candidates who are detail-oriented to ensure order accuracy.

The physical agility to perform continuous physical labor is a must.

Stock clerks that can safely operate machineries and equipment and have certifications are valuable and easily hired.

Having a customer service mentality is viewed favorably, especially when duties sometimes involve facing shoppers.

Basic math, data entry and computer skills are required in tasks like order tracking.

While there are no mandatory certifications, it is expected that stock clerks will follow OSHA guidelines and protocols laid down especially around workplace safety when operating heavy machinery and equipment.

There are local fire codes and building enforcement codes to ensure spaces are organized a certain way to follow safety compliance.

Sometimes, stock clerks may be expected to adhere to food, safety and hazardous protocols or other industry-specific regulations.

Stock Clerk Job Description Sample/ Example/Template

The job description of a stock clerk involves the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Receive shipments in good condition and process them accordingly, as well as carefully verify slips
• Unload and unpack totes and product cases from delivery pallets for sorting into designated boxes and shelves in line with product type and department
• Restock and refill depleted sales floor inventory, rotating older stock products to the front and taking out damaged, expired or discontinued merchandise
• Using promotional planograms and schedules to design, assemble and maintain beautiful and effective novel product displays
• Safely operate machineries and other equipment to move inventory from truck to stockroom, such as hand trucks, electric pallet jacks, and ride-on forklift
• Maintain secured, organized and clean stock rooms that are compliant with fire codes for aisle widths, and clutter-free exits, etc.
• Process all customer merchandise returns, ascertaining if products should be restocked or returned to vendors based on condition
• Request for information and respond to questions from sales staff and department manager as regards existing stock levels for products
• Prep plastic wraps, pallets, boxes, and other packaging material for disposal or recycling
• Carry out cycle counts for sections of inventory and offer complete assistance to auditors during periodic physical inventory counts
• Develop and solidify outgoing shipments of merchandise being transferred or returned, get load ready for loading onto delivery trucks
• Maintain a comprehensive and accurate logs tracking of all inventory movements in and out of the facility and finish required data entry
• Religiously adhere to all health, safety, and security protocols around lifting techniques, personal protective equipment, equipment operations, etc.
• Help straighten merchandise on the sales floor, restoring them to a neat and organized appearance by squaring items and reassembling displays
• Showcase promotional products by deploying creativity and solid visual skills, as well as assembling a unique, compelling, and eye-catching merchandise displays
• Cross train across several departments like sales floor, receiving and pickup, cashier – ensuring auxiliary staffing flexibility
• Adhere to fire codes by ensuring proper clearances are maintained, keeping stock rooms free of impediments near emergency exits and extinguishers
• Prudently track and record any case of inventory shrink like suspected theft, damage or spoilage – report losses so correctional action can be implemented
• Competent in using RF scanners, inventory management software and other technologies for managing stock data
• Conduct light and routine janitorial tasks, like sweeping and mopping stockroom and sales floor so spaces are free and hazard-free
• Optimize layouts of stockrooms and overstock areas to foster efficiency of product put away, picking and overall traffic flow.

Stock Clerk Job Description for Resume

If you have worked previously in the role of a stock clerk or presently working in that position and are making a new resume or CV, then you can apply the stock clerk job description sample above in crafting a compelling Professional Experience section for your resume.

You can highlight the major duties and responsibilities you have carried out or currently performing as a stock clerk in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the above stock clerk job description example.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been effective performing the stock clerk duties, which can greatly enhance your chances of being employed for the new job that you are applying for, especially if the new position requires someone with some stock clerk work experience.

Stock Clerk Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements you may be expected to meet by employers/recruiters if you are applying for the stock clerk role (they are also important for career success):

• Possess physical agility, strength, and endurance for continuous moving of inventory and heavy lifting
• Can pay keen attention to details which is useful in verifying shipment quantities, product identification, lot codes, and more
• Strong basic math skills to perform tasks, like calculating inventory counts and efficiently organizing stock room layout planning
• Competent in operating equipment such as forklifts, RF scanning guns, electric pallet jacks, and related technologies
• Able to adhere to instructions, laid down procedures, and safety protocols without deviation
• Commitment to delivering friendly, patient, and knowledgeable customer service interactions
• Able to stay organized and manage time while multitasking
• Can work well with others, take directions well and avoid passing blame to colleagues
• Possess creative problem-solving aptitude and can make the right judgment calls in impromptu and ambiguous situations
• Can clearly communicate in writing and verbally when coordinating with managers, vendors, cohorts or customers.

Stock Clerk Employment

There are presently more than 485,707 stock clerks in employment in the United States, according to data on Zippia.

With the average age of stock clerks 37, the number of employed male is 309,395 while that of female is 176,312.

Industries with the highest employment for stock clerks include retail (252,568) and Fortune 500 (72,856)

Stock Clerk Salary

According to Zippia results, the average stock clerk salary in the United States is $29,226 per year or $2,436 per month.

The top highest paying States for stock clerks include Massachusetts and California with average salary annual salary of $34,562 and $32,730 respectively.

Stock Clerk Job Satisfaction

Stock clerks have been found not to be satisfied with their job. According to a job satisfaction survey on CareerExplorer, stock clerks rated their career happiness 2.2 over 5 stars.

This puts the stock clerk job in the bottom 1% of careers.

The survey asked if they were satisfied with their salary, to which 1782 answered and gave a rating of 2.4 over 5 stars, meaning that most stock clerks are not satisfied with the salary they get. They feel they put in more work than what they get as compensation.

Another question in the survey asked if stock clerks found their jobs meaningful.

1788 stock clerks gave a rating of 1.7 over 5 stars to this question. This shows that most stock clerks do not see how meaningful or impactful their job is, which contributes to them not being happy or satisfied with their job.

The survey also sought to find out how well individual stock clerk’s personality suits the tasks they perform daily.

1905 stock clerks participated in this question and rated it 3.1 over 5 stars.

This means that most stock clerks feel their personality fit their job and does not contribute to their dissatisfaction with the job.

1919 stock clerks gave a rating of 2.7 over 5 stars to the question on how enjoyable the environment in which they work is.

This shows that while some stock clerks are satisfied or happy with the environment in which they work, however, others don’t feel so.

When asked if stock clerks are making the best use of their skills and abilities on the job, a clear majority expressed dissatisfaction, with a rating of 1.9 over 5 stars by 1917 respondents. This shows that most stock clerks feel their skills and potential are not being utilized on the job, leading to them being dissatisfied with their career.

Conclusion

This post has provided an extensive coverage of what the stock clerk job description entails, including the key duties and responsibilities, skills, and other requirements needed to be hired for the role and to be successful in the career.

Employers and job seekers will find this guide immensely useful as it provides ample information on what it takes to be a successful stock clerk.

Whether you are preparing a stock clerk job description or hoping to land an interview, all information that you need to achieve your purpose has been covered here.