How to hire a courtesy clerk

How to hire a courtesy clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step courtesy clerk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a courtesy clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new courtesy clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a courtesy clerk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the courtesy clerk you need to hire. Certain courtesy clerk roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a courtesy clerk to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a courtesy clerk that fits the bill.

   This list presents courtesy clerk salaries for various positions.

   Type of Courtesy Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Courtesy Clerk	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$11-15
   Bagger	A bagger is responsible for packing the customers' items and assisting them in bringing it to their vehicles as needed. Typically, grocery stores and supermarkets employ baggers to assist in daily operations, especially during high-volume customer days... Show more	$12-20
   Seasonal Cashier	A seasonal cashier is an employee hired for a predetermined time in the retail industry. Seasonal cashiers utilize basic mathematics and computation... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Groceries
   • Front End
   • Pallet Jack
   • Cleanliness
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Store Shelves
   • Customer Service
   • Perishables
   • Sales Floor
   • Clean Environment
   • Return Merchandise
   • Mop Floors
   • Customer Orders
   • Grocery Store

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage transactions including cash, check, credit, and EBT transactions.
   • Put perishables away if need, help separate items at customer service out back on shelf.
   • Operate heavy saws, slicers, grinders, and wrapping machines to customer and store specifications.
   • Work with fryers and slicers, and use store intercoms to announce special promotions and weekly specials.
   • Responsibilitieswork at a fuel station .. Skills usedwork register and do paper work .. math skills and fractions
   • Increase store cleanliness and eliminate possible health hazards to provide customer satisfaction and safety.

   More courtesy clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your courtesy clerk job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A courtesy clerk salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, courtesy clerks' average salary in new mexico is 40% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level courtesy clerks earn 27% less than senior-level courtesy clerks.
   • Certifications. A courtesy clerk with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a courtesy clerk's salary.

   Average courtesy clerk salary

   $13.78hourly

   $28,657 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level courtesy clerk salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average courtesy clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Colorado	$33,116	$16
   2	Washington	$31,960	$15
   3	Oregon	$31,136	$15
   4	California	$30,842	$15
   5	Nevada	$30,801	$15
   6	Arizona	$30,056	$14
   7	Illinois	$29,715	$14
   8	Minnesota	$27,895	$13
   9	Texas	$27,777	$13
   10	Missouri	$27,594	$13
   11	Ohio	$27,243	$13
   12	Indiana	$27,225	$13
   13	Arkansas	$27,218	$13
   14	Kentucky	$26,788	$13
   15	Utah	$26,586	$13
   16	Maryland	$26,236	$13
   17	Tennessee	$25,954	$12
   18	Virginia	$25,838	$12
   19	Wisconsin	$25,691	$12
   20	Nebraska	$25,166	$12

   Average courtesy clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nugget Markets	$31,688	$15.23	16
   2	Hy-Vee	$31,520	$15.15	666
   3	Albertsons	$31,247	$15.02	366
   4	Raley's	$31,118	$14.96
   5	Grocery Outlet	$30,909	$14.86	10
   6	Food City	$30,782	$14.80	253
   7	Vallarta Supermarkets	$30,755	$14.79	33
   8	Sprouts Farmers Market	$30,711	$14.76	345
   9	Lunds & Byerlys	$30,224	$14.53	39
   10	Kroger	$30,132	$14.49	4,735
   11	Mollie Stone's Markets	$30,114	$14.48	23
   12	Bashas'	$30,104	$14.47	51
   13	PCC Community Markets	$30,068	$14.46	1
   14	Town & Country Markets	$29,754	$14.30	50
   15	Market of Choice	$29,651	$14.26	27
   16	United Natural Foods	$29,408	$14.14	25
   17	Fresh Thyme	$29,055	$13.97	112
   18	Meijer	$28,864	$13.88	246
   19	Bimbo Bakeries	$28,715	$13.81
   20	Aventure Staffing	$27,865	$13.40	1

4. Writing a courtesy clerk job description

   A courtesy clerk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a courtesy clerk job description:

   Courtesy clerk job description example

   $10.00-$12.59 PER HOUR

   GENERAL PURPOSE

   The purpose of this position is to provide exceptional customer service to all Harmons customers. This person will be bagging groceries, assisting customers with ice and rock salt, assisting customers out to their vehicles and loading their groceries into their cars, handling “go backs” for the front end, performing basic custodial duties and cleaning check stands.

   ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

   · Follows established departmental and store policies and procedures

   · Ensures customers' groceries are bagged as efficiently as possible and according to each customer's individual needs

   · Responsible for cleaning check stands and stocking them with paper, plastic and reusable bags

   · Ensures the store is cleaned daily and meets the company standards for appearance

   · Delivers excellent customer service to all customers

   · Performs general custodial duties throughout the store including cleaning restrooms, spills, shelves, displays and employee areas

   · Handles “go backs” for the front end

   · Assist customers out of the store and loads groceries into the customers vehicles

   · Retrieves carts from outside

   · Assists customers with ice and rock salt, and propane

   · Gathers carts from outside and bring them into the store

   · Completes assigned tasks efficiently and in a timely manner

   · Sets a professional and positive example to others

   · Assists as needed to ensure the success of the store as a whole

   MARGINAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

   · Performs other job-related duties as assigned

   NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS

   · Consistent and daily interaction with store associates

   · Consistent and daily interaction with customers

   TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS:

   To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   Any combination of education, experience, and training which provides the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

   · Basic math skills

   · Understanding of proper bagging technique

   · Must enjoy working with and handling grocery products

   · Should have a passion for customer service

   · Ability to interpret policies and procedures

   · Excellent organization and planning skills

   · Must possess solid communication skills, including verbal and listening skills in order to effectively and efficiently communicate with and diverse groups of people

   · Must possess the ability to accept constructive review and be accountable for one's own success as well as the success of your team

   · Must possess integrity, a positive attitude, be mission-driven, and be self-directed with a demonstrated passion for Harmons' mission and commitment to working collaboratively

   · Continually strives to be product minded, customer minded, personnel minded, detailed, forward focused and consistent

   · Ability to work weekends, evenings and holidays

   PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS:

   The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   Work is generally performed in a safe and comfortable store environment with the possibility of frequent exposure to cold, hot, slippery and wet conditions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to grasp, push, pull, carry, stoop, twist, crouch, and reach; perform tasks requiring repetitive motion and eye, hand and foot coordination; hear and respond to customer inquiries. Also requires standing, walking and bending throughout the entire work day and the ability to maneuver heavy objects weighing up to 40 pounds from location to location.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right courtesy clerk for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your courtesy clerk job on Zippia to find and recruit courtesy clerk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting courtesy clerks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new courtesy clerk

   Once you have selected a candidate for the courtesy clerk position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new courtesy clerk. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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