General office clerk vs shop clerk

The differences between general office clerks and shop clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a general office clerk and a shop clerk. Additionally, a shop clerk has an average salary of $34,468, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

The top three skills for a general office clerk include data entry, customer service and office equipment. The most important skills for a shop clerk are basic math, math, and top quality.

General office clerk vs shop clerk overview

	General Office Clerk	Shop Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,034	$34,468
Hourly rate	$14.44	$16.57
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	160,597	106,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

What does a shop clerk do?

A shop clerk is primarily in charge of assisting clients in a retail store, ensuring efficient service for client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting and identifying the clients' needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions, and recommending alternatives as needed. They must also maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor, clearing the obstructions and disposing of expired or defective products. Furthermore, a shop clerk must manage the product displays, devising strategies to make them more presentable to the customers.

General office clerk vs shop clerk salary

General office clerks and shop clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Office Clerk	Shop Clerk
Average salary	$30,034	$34,468
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	USF Reddaway	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Transportation

Differences between general office clerk and shop clerk education

There are a few differences between a general office clerk and a shop clerk in terms of educational background:

	General Office Clerk	Shop Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office clerk vs shop clerk demographics

Here are the differences between general office clerks' and shop clerks' demographics:

	General Office Clerk	Shop Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%	Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office clerk and shop clerk duties and responsibilities

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Shop clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Assist with bagging groceries when need.
Learned great time management and leadership skills.
Implement effective time management and leadership skills.
Work POS system to ring up items/close & clean shop.
Operate POS system, perform daily deposits and reconciliation reports.

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General office clerk vs shop clerk skills

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

Common shop clerk skills

Basic Math, 25%
Math, 17%
Top Quality, 14%
Cash Handling, 13%
WIC, 7%
POS, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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