General merchandise clerk vs inventory clerk

The differences between general merchandise clerks and inventory 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 $32,666 average annual salary of an inventory clerk.

The top three skills for a general merchandise clerk include product knowledge, product displays and customer service. The most important skills for an inventory clerk are customer service, data entry, and inventory control.

General merchandise clerk vs inventory clerk overview

	General Merchandise Clerk	Inventory Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,415	$32,666
Hourly rate	$16.55	$15.70
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	137,799	204,051
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a general merchandise clerk do?

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.

What does an inventory clerk do?

Inventory clerks or inventory control clerks manage and maintain all inventory coming in and out. They ensure that the items are stored and stocked in their proper places. They have to train less experienced clerks as well as prepare balance and shortage reports. They also need to report any stock issues, place orders when necessary, prepare a list of lacking products, and take note of unusable items. A good inventory clerk must be detail-oriented, organized, and have relevant experience in inventory control.

General merchandise clerk vs inventory clerk salary

General merchandise clerks and inventory clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandise Clerk	Inventory Clerk
Average salary	$34,415	$32,666
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	BD
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between general merchandise clerk and inventory clerk education

There are a few differences between a general merchandise clerk and an inventory clerk in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandise Clerk	Inventory Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

General merchandise clerk vs inventory clerk demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandise clerks' and inventory clerks' demographics:

	General Merchandise Clerk	Inventory Clerk
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general merchandise clerk and inventory clerk duties and responsibilities

General merchandise clerk example responsibilities.

Provide great customer service while effectively bagging groceries.
Collect all carts from outside help cashiers bag groceries for customers and sometimes help the customers take groceries to their car.
Execute grain futures orders for special accounts that require extraordinary attention to detail as well as personalized service.
Work in almost every department in the Kroger store.

Inventory clerk example responsibilities.

Use ERP system on a daily basis to accurately move and manage finish goods throughout the plant into inventory.
Manage incoming delivery of all FedEx and containers containing serviceable material.
Receive in POs and transfers.
Maintain complete update purchasing records/data and pricing in the system POS.
Reconcile receipts from travel expenses, material and employee payday loan log to AS400 reports.
Key in and verify invoices using the AS400 system coming from various shops and terminals worldwide.

General merchandise clerk vs inventory clerk skills

Common general merchandise clerk skills

Product Knowledge, 44%
Product Displays, 20%
Customer Service, 9%
Stock Shelves, 6%
Sales Floor, 3%
Math, 3%

Common inventory clerk skills

Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 11%
Inventory Control, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Cycle Counts, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%

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General Merchandise Clerk
General Merchandise Clerk vs Inventory Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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