General merchandise clerk vs overnight stock clerk

The differences between general merchandise clerks and overnight stock 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 $31,163 average annual salary of an overnight stock clerk.

The top three skills for a general merchandise clerk include product knowledge, product displays and customer service. The most important skills for an overnight stock clerk are pallet jack, cleanliness, and stock shelves.

General merchandise clerk vs overnight stock clerk overview

	General Merchandise Clerk	Overnight Stock Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,415	$31,163
Hourly rate	$16.55	$14.98
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	137,799	230,090
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 53%
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 overnight stock clerk do?

An overnight stock clerk works at night in retail and wholesale outlets, department stores, or warehouses to replenish stock. You will inspect goods on the shelves for expiry or damage, unpack new consignments for stocking, log inventory, track merchandise, monitor quality control, verify packing slips against packaging content, and tag goods with bar codes and prices. Overnight stock clerks also fill customer orders and prepare an order report for restocking and arranging goods on shelves.

General merchandise clerk vs overnight stock clerk salary

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

	General Merchandise Clerk	Overnight Stock Clerk
Average salary	$34,415	$31,163
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between general merchandise clerk and overnight stock clerk education

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

	General Merchandise Clerk	Overnight Stock Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

General merchandise clerk vs overnight stock clerk demographics

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

	General Merchandise Clerk	Overnight Stock Clerk
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.1% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general merchandise clerk and overnight stock 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.

Overnight stock clerk example responsibilities.

Unload trailer of groceries deliver to the store.
Stock groceries and other goods to maintain a neat appearance and easy accessability.
Maintain exterior and interior cleanliness of mixer truck and conduct daily vehicle inspections.
Stock and maintain grocery inventory of Safeway storefront.

General merchandise clerk vs overnight stock 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 overnight stock clerk skills

Pallet Jack, 47%
Cleanliness, 10%
Stock Shelves, 8%
Pallets, 6%
Safety Guidelines, 5%
Math, 5%

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General Merchandise Clerk
General Merchandise Clerk vs Overnight Stock Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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