Inventory associate vs sales/stock associate

The differences between inventory associates and sales/stock associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales/stock associate has an average salary of $30,494, which is higher than the $30,067 average annual salary of an inventory associate.

The top three skills for an inventory associate include ladders, strong work ethic and work ethic. The most important skills for a sales/stock associate are kids, store locations, and store shelves.

Inventory associate vs sales/stock associate overview

	Inventory Associate	Sales/Stock Associate
Yearly salary	$30,067	$30,494
Hourly rate	$14.46	$14.66
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	184,462	401,752
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does an inventory associate do?

An inventory associate is responsible for monitoring inventory supplies, ensuring that the supplies are adequate for customers' orders and business' needs. Inventory associates manage order sheets and record inventory reports, check items for possible defects, prepare merchandise for shipment, inspect delivered inventory supplies and return damaged items, organize shelves, and operate basic warehouse equipment. An inventory associate must have strong analytical and data entry skills to input inventory records in the system efficiently and accurately.

What does a sales/stock associate do?

Sales/stock associates or stock clerks receive shipments or goods to a store and prepare them for marketing. Their job involves checking the accuracy of the shipment, stocking items in the warehouse, and maintaining the store inventory. They are the ones who locate the misplaced stocks or relocate them anywhere. Among their minor duties are shelve arrangement, facility cleanup, and correspondence handling. Also, they help assist the unloading of the shipments to factor, warehouse, or store.

Inventory associate vs sales/stock associate salary

Inventory associates and sales/stock associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inventory Associate	Sales/Stock Associate
Average salary	$30,067	$30,494
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Phillips 66	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between inventory associate and sales/stock associate education

There are a few differences between an inventory associate and a sales/stock associate in terms of educational background:

	Inventory Associate	Sales/Stock Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Inventory associate vs sales/stock associate demographics

Here are the differences between inventory associates' and sales/stock associates' demographics:

	Inventory Associate	Sales/Stock Associate
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inventory associate and sales/stock associate duties and responsibilities

Inventory associate example responsibilities.

Manage the ordering of shipping supplies through FedEx's web ordering system.
Train any associate interest in POS system in order to help them achieve their goals.
Count products in warehouse; preform quality checks on packages being ship out; operate RF gun; update computer system
Research product (WMS) system to conduct quality control locations.
Clean store, bag groceries, and assist customers with general needs.
Assist customers with bagging groceries and assisting them with lifting and carrying groceries.

Sales/stock associate example responsibilities.

Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
Stock shelves with books using RF technology.
Scan inventory into system using a RF scanner.
Can operate a POS system cash register and count the money to ensure the correct amount.
Used in-house POS to ring up purchases in-store and by phone as well as to search national inventory database.
Maintain cleanliness according to regulate standards throughout the facilities, both inside and outside per organizations regulations.

Inventory associate vs sales/stock associate skills

Common inventory associate skills

Ladders, 31%
Strong Work Ethic, 27%
Work Ethic, 27%
WIS, 3%
Inventory Counts, 3%
Customer Service, 2%

Common sales/stock associate skills

Kids, 40%
Store Locations, 20%
Store Shelves, 7%
Stock Room, 6%
Stock Shelves, 3%
Product Knowledge, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Inventory Associate
Inventory Associate vs Sales/Stock Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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