How to hire a food sales clerk

How to hire a food sales clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food sales 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 food sales clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new food sales clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a food sales clerk, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A food sales clerk's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, food sales clerks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of food sales clerks and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Food Sales Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Sales Clerk		$11-23
   Food Service Attendant	A Food Service Attendant works in various establishments such as hotels, cafeterias, and bars to deal with service, meal preparation, and food handling. They work under the control of a kitchen manager or food service director and deliver their services all days of the week... Show more	$9-15
   Clerk	Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Back Room
   • Food Service
   • Fryers
   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Orders
   • RAN
   • POS
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Food Products
   • Gluten Free
   • Food Orders
   • Fine Dining
   • Inventory Control

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage numerous, highly confidential details for retirement plan deals from start to finish including meticulous preparation of PowerPoint presentations.
   • Have trained numerous employees in stocking, inventory, POS computer system, and general food etiquette.
   • Manage numerous, highly confidential details for retirement plan deals from start to finish including meticulous preparation of PowerPoint presentations.
   • Work with customers to provide the perfect holiday dinner.Ran the register and perform simple cash/card transactions.
   • Perform minor repairs on Kohl's jewelry like changing watch batteries and removing watch links.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your food sales clerk job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A food sales clerk can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, food sales clerks' average salary in alaska is 39% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level food sales clerks 50% less than senior-level food sales clerks.
   • Certifications. A food sales clerk with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a food sales clerk's salary.

   Average food sales clerk salary

   $16.54hourly

   $34,398 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level food sales clerk salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a food sales clerk job description

   A job description for a food sales clerk role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a food sales clerk job description:

   Food sales clerk job description example

   Sales Supervisor
   
   Reports To: Team Leaders
   
   Department: Store Operations
   
   Exemption Status: Non-Exempt
   
   Position Overview:
   
   The Sales Supervisor grows department sales to achieve the store sales plan. The Sales Supervisor responsibilities include aspects of merchandising, customer service, and store maintenance.
   
   Primary Responsibilities:
   
   + Greet and acknowledge every customer as they enter and exit the store and as they approach the department and front end.
   
   + Be knowledgeable of all products, promotions, and advertisements to ensure that customer questions can be answered and to assist with selling product; support Ollie's Army and other donation programs throughout the year.
   
   + Assist with receiving the truck and pricing items.
   
   + Ensure that all product within the department is merchandised and recovered per the visual merchandise standards.
   
   + Complete price changes within the department per company guidelines.
   
   + Communicate customer needs to Team Leaders when necessary.
   
   + Assist with training new Associates.
   
   + Accurately and efficiently operate the register.
   
   + Maintain the cleanliness of the overall store.
   
   + Complete any additional responsibilities and/or duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   + High School diploma or equivalent preferred.
   
   + Minimum of six months' retail experience in a mid-size to large retail service-oriented business.
   
   + Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays on a regular basis.
   
   + Ability to read, write and speak English.
   
   + Ability to exercise sound judgment.
   
   + Ability to preserve confidentiality of information.
   
   + Accuracy and attention to detail.
   
   + Ability to organize and prioritize a variety of tasks and activities and work within strict timeframes and deadlines.
   
   + Outstanding interpersonal and listening skills.
   
   + Must have a positive attitude and the ability to interact well with customers and Associates.
   
   Physical Requirements:
   
   + Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
   
   + Ability to push and pull up to 35 pounds.
   
   + Ability to stand for extended periods.
   
   + Ability to bend and twist frequently.
   
   + Ability to grip, reach, and pinch with arms and hands frequently.
   
   + Ability to squat, kneel, balance, and climb ladders occasionally.
   
   + Ability to see, hear, and speak regularly.
   
   + Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner.
   
   Ollie's is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with Federal and State Equal Opportunity Laws, qualified applicants are considered for all positions applied for without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation and identity, national origin, age, veteran's status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right food sales clerk for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with food sales clerks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit food sales clerks who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find food sales clerk candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit food sales clerks, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 food sales clerk

   Once you've decided on a perfect food sales clerk candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new food sales clerk first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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