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The differences between counter clerks and sales clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counter clerk has an average salary of $30,268, which is higher than the $25,739 average annual salary of a sales clerk.
The top three skills for a counter clerk include customer service, cleanliness and basic math. The most important skills for a sales clerk are customer service, stock shelves, and sales floor.
| Counter Clerk | Sales Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $30,268 | $25,739 |
| Hourly rate | $14.55 | $12.37 |
| Growth rate | -10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 75,025 | 372,651 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A counter clerk completes customer orders, processes payments, and ensures customer satisfaction. They may also assist customers by answering inquiries, offering discounts, and recommending products and services. They perform tasks such as packing purchases, keeping records of transactions, balancing cash drawers, and reporting to managers. Additionally, a counter clerk may conduct inventory inspections, order supplies, and maintain the sales floor.
A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.
Counter clerks and sales clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counter Clerk | Sales Clerk | |
| Average salary | $30,268 | $25,739 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $36,000 | Between $16,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New York |
| Best paying company | Steel Dynamics | Hawaii Pacific Health |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Energy |
There are a few differences between a counter clerk and a sales clerk in terms of educational background:
| Counter Clerk | Sales Clerk | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between counter clerks' and sales clerks' demographics:
| Counter Clerk | Sales Clerk | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.6% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 7% |