What does a general warehouse worker do?
A general warehouse worker takes responsibility for doing various duties in warehousing. General warehouse workers receive and process incoming materials and stock, pick and file orders, and pack and ship these orders. The workers manage, organize, and retrieve stocks from the warehouse. They make sure that the orders are picked up and/or delivered on time. It is expected from them to have working experience in the job. They have to be proficient in terms of inventory software, systems, and databases. Among the other necessary skills for this career are time management, analytical, communication, and good organizational skills.
General warehouse worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real general warehouse worker resumes:
- Operate electric-forklifts, pallet-jacks and other MHE to complete job duties.
- Used RF computer scanners; scan parts into and out of inventory.
- Train new associates in the proper operation of material handling equipment (MHE).
- Ensure that information from relate ordering and receiving forms are processed according to company and OSHA standards.
- Conclude inventory of receive merchandise on pallets or in individual boxes.
- Maximize efficiency by critically evaluating resources by utilizing on-the-spot math and visualizing complete orders to minimize error before building a pallet.
- Operate power equipment including: order pickers, tuggers, reach trucks, and counterbalance forklifts.
General warehouse worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 36% of General Warehouse Workers are proficient in Pallets, Safety Rules, and Inbound Trucks. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of General Warehouse Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Pallets, 36%
Loaded and unloaded trailers with use of pallet jack* Supported production workers* Sorted pallets* Staged production materials* Recycled cardboard
- Safety Rules, 9%
Followed all safety rules and regulations, and wore all protective clothing and equipment necessary for jobs performing.
- Inbound Trucks, 8%
Unload and process receipt of merchandise from inbound trucks.
- Math, 8%
Maximized efficiency by critically evaluating resources by utilizing on-the-spot math and visualizing completed orders to minimize error before building a pallet.
- Basic Math, 7%
Warehouse maintenance as needed Skills Used *Determination *Consistency *Literary skills *Basic Mathematics
- Customer Orders, 5%
Load trucks on time and in full to meet customer orders and other facilities needs for replenishing according to load sheets.
Most general warehouse workers use their skills in "pallets," "safety rules," and "inbound trucks" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential general warehouse worker responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a general warehouse worker to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom." Additionally, a general warehouse worker resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "maneuver forklift cut and process orders customer service cycle counts deliveries ups"
Detail oriented. Many general warehouse worker duties rely on detail oriented. "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot.," so a general warehouse worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general warehouse worker responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "use rf scanners while paying close attention to details. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for general warehouse workers to perform their duties. For an example of how general warehouse worker responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a general warehouse worker: "performed the proper paper sizing math calculation using inches-to-millimeter conversion. ".
Communication skills. For certain general warehouse worker responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a general warehouse worker rely on this skill, as "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what general warehouse workers do: "skilled preparing shipments, and managing inventory control by using electronic and hand written communications, logs and tracking. "
The three companies that hire the most general warehouse workers are:
- Dollar General52 general warehouse workers jobs
- Best Buy41 general warehouse workers jobs
- Lineage Logistics24 general warehouse workers jobs
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Compare different general warehouse workers
General warehouse worker vs. Stock worker
Warehouse machine operators perform various tasks for their employers. These include setting up, operating, monitoring, and troubleshooting machinery, inspecting parts for specifications and any potential damage, and reading and interpreting diagrams and blueprints to position and secure the machines. They are expected to communicate with other team members and provide support for continuous production. Most employers are looking to hire someone with knowledge of production and safety procedures, previous experience as a machine operator, and analytical skills.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, general warehouse worker responsibilities require skills like "pallets," "safety rules," "inbound trucks," and "math." Meanwhile a typical stock worker has skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "osha," "storage facilities," and "stock shelves." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Stock workers tend to make the most money working in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $33,174. In contrast, general warehouse workers make the biggest average salary, $34,273, in the manufacturing industry.On average, stock workers reach similar levels of education than general warehouse workers. Stock workers are 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.General warehouse worker vs. Warehouse machine operator
A warehouse technician is responsible for monitoring the incoming and outgoing goods and services in the warehouse or distribution centers. Warehouse technicians verify shipment details, assist with packaging items, move merchandise to storage areas, inspect the quality of items for release, and escalate defective products for immediate replacement. They also operate various warehouse equipment and machinery, conduct maintenance repairs, and loading and unloading items from the delivery trucks. A warehouse technician must have excellent time-management and organizational skills, especially on processing orders and creating reports for inventory receipts.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real general warehouse worker resumes. While general warehouse worker responsibilities can utilize skills like "pallets," "safety rules," "inbound trucks," and "math," warehouse machine operators use skills like "shipping receiving," "forklift operation," "warehouse operations," and "machine operation."
Warehouse machine operators earn a higher average salary than general warehouse workers. But warehouse machine operators earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $36,642. Additionally, general warehouse workers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $34,273 annually.warehouse machine operators earn similar levels of education than general warehouse workers in general. They're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.General warehouse worker vs. Warehouse technician
A warehouse specialist is someone who manages the daily procedures and functions of the warehouse efficiently and effectively. Their services are often needed in shipping docks, airports, and other industry warehouses. The specialist's primary responsibilities include supervising the shipping and receiving of materials and products, organizing the storage area, and monitoring the inventory. Candidates for the job must have strong knowledge in inventory control systems, able to multi-task, be physically fit, and able to safely operate warehouse machinery.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a general warehouse worker is likely to be skilled in "safety rules," "inbound trucks," "math," and "order processing," while a typical warehouse technician is skilled in "customer service," "shipping receiving," "logistics," and "data entry."
Warehouse technicians earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $36,898. General warehouse workers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $34,273.warehouse technicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to general warehouse workers. Specifically, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.General warehouse worker vs. Warehouse specialist
Types of general warehouse worker
Updated January 8, 2025
