How much does a stock clerk make?

In the U.S., pay differs by location and workplace: retail stores and warehouses can have different wage patterns. Part-time schedules mean fewer paid hours than full-time work, so yearly earnings also depend on hours.

Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers’ orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays. Excludes “Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks” (43-5071), “Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand” (53-7062), and “Packers and Packagers, Hand” (53-7064).

What's a typical day like?

They check a delivery against its order, unpack and count boxes, then put items on shelves or pick products for customer orders. They may update stock records, tidy aisles, and answer shoppers’ questions.

In the U.S., a high school diploma or GED is usually expected; employers train new stock clerks on the job. Some 14- and 15-year-olds may stock shelves under federal limits, but forklift work requires age 18+ and training.

High school plus some training (preparation level 2 of 5)

Good for people who like keeping things organized and building and doing.

Some stock clerks operate forklifts to move goods, but U.S. federal law bars anyone under 18 from operating one.