General merchandiser vs merchandise stocker

The differences between general merchandisers and merchandise stockers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general merchandiser has an average salary of $30,372, which is higher than the $29,224 average annual salary of a merchandise stocker.

The top three skills for a general merchandiser include sales floor, inventory management and back room. The most important skills for a merchandise stocker are pallet jack, customer service, and stock shelves.

General merchandiser vs merchandise stocker overview

	General Merchandiser	Merchandise Stocker
Yearly salary	$30,372	$29,224
Hourly rate	$14.60	$14.05
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	213,261	204,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a general merchandiser do?

A General Merchandiser creates displays and promotes the products and services in retail stores. Among their primary duties and responsibilities include shelf placement strategies and in-store displays for maximum product exposure to potential customers. They train staff to carry out their tasks in the merchandise store effectively. As the brain of almost every decision in retail chains, merchandisers ensure every customer the best experience they can get while shopping.

What does a merchandise stocker do?

A merchandise stocker is an employee who ensures that shelves and aisles are stocked with the merchandise in retail stores or warehouses. Merchandise stockers must receive the goods, unload or unpack them, mark them with codes to be identified, and stock them on shelves. They help customers to fill orders through mail, web, or phone while preparing the customers' merchandise for shipment. They must also operate a forklift so that they can lift or place merchandise at the assigned shelves.

General merchandiser vs merchandise stocker salary

General merchandisers and merchandise stockers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandiser	Merchandise Stocker
Average salary	$30,372	$29,224
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $45,000	Between $24,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Tacoma, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	PepsiCo
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between general merchandiser and merchandise stocker education

There are a few differences between a general merchandiser and a merchandise stocker in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandiser	Merchandise Stocker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

General merchandiser vs merchandise stocker demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandisers' and merchandise stockers' demographics:

	General Merchandiser	Merchandise Stocker
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.8% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general merchandiser and merchandise stocker duties and responsibilities

General merchandiser example responsibilities.

Manage jewelry stock and inventory balances accurately.
Control inventory and compute pricing and enter inventory in the POS system.
Maintain a sterile and clean work environment and used daily math conversions.
Pack and fulfill web orders, setup pick-ups for delivery with FedEx.
Monitor and update price tags using POS program to make tags as needed for sales demands.
Send out transfers with packing lists, labels using Fedex and getting ready to have it send out.

Merchandise stocker example responsibilities.

Clean stock area and maintain cleanliness of retail area.
Use RF scanners to do price markdowns for monthly clearance.
Used RF scanners to track multiple product locations and expiration dates.
Perform courtesy task that includes locating items for customers and bagging groceries.
Perform additional duties as assigned (i.e maintain orders and cleanliness in the store and serve as cashier).
Greet customers while bagging their groceries, collect carts in parking lot, put away return items, general sanitation.

General merchandiser vs merchandise stocker skills

Common general merchandiser skills

Sales Floor, 60%
Inventory Management, 21%
Back Room, 6%
Stock Merchandise, 5%
Product Knowledge, 3%
Working Independently, 1%

Common merchandise stocker skills

Pallet Jack, 34%
Customer Service, 28%
Stock Shelves, 18%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Food Handling, 4%
Store Management, 2%

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General Merchandiser
General Merchandiser vs Merchandise Stocker

Updated January 8, 2025

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