Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between food clerks and general merchandise clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general merchandise clerk has an average salary of $34,415, which is higher than the $29,967 average annual salary of a food clerk.
The top three skills for a food clerk include wine, basic math and customer service. The most important skills for a general merchandise clerk are product knowledge, product displays, and customer service.
| Food Clerk | General Merchandise Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $29,967 | $34,415 |
| Hourly rate | $14.41 | $16.55 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 113,838 | 137,799 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Food clerks are skilled employees who work either in grocery stores or supermarkets to assist customers with their food needs. In grocery stores, food clerks are required to scan food items for their customers and process their purchases as well as ensure that they have found everything they needed. They must assist in the store's inventory management by organizing and storing food merchandise in the backroom. Food clerks must also use their product knowledge to assist customers with questions and maintain customer satisfaction.
This individual works in the GM section of a store. They interact with customers and assist them as they purchase merchandise. In this role, they are expected to place all special orders and to take stock of all products annually. Other responsibilities of this position include developing merchandise plans and ensuring they are compliant with quality standards. They may also have to evaluate merchandise and ensure credit payments are accurate.
Food clerks and general merchandise clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Clerk | General Merchandise Clerk | |
| Average salary | $29,967 | $34,415 |
| Salary range | Between $14,000 And $63,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | - |
| Best paying company | ShopRite | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a food clerk and a general merchandise clerk in terms of educational background:
| Food Clerk | General Merchandise Clerk | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food clerks' and general merchandise clerks' demographics:
| Food Clerk | General Merchandise Clerk | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4% | Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |