Merchandise handler vs customer service, warehouse

The differences between merchandise handlers and customer services, warehouse can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchandise handler has an average salary of $31,855, which is higher than the $30,800 average annual salary of a customer service, warehouse.

The top three skills for a merchandise handler include basic math, math and pallets. The most important skills for a customer service, warehouse are quality customer service, strong customer service, and customer orders.

Merchandise handler vs customer service, warehouse overview

	Merchandise Handler	Customer Service, Warehouse
Yearly salary	$31,855	$30,800
Hourly rate	$15.31	$14.81
Growth rate	6%	-4%
Number of jobs	47,657	265,059
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	12

What does a merchandise handler do?

A merchandise handler deals with inventory and merchandise for shipment to ecommerce customers. This position requires familiarity with all computer technology used in processing the merchandise. The duties of this position are accurately recording the movement of merchandise, operating merchandise handling equipment, confirming the quantity of inventory, and handling the merchandise with care to avoid damage. They also need to ensure the customer has quality experience with every order.

What does a customer service, warehouse do?

A customer service warehouse is primarily in charge of providing customer support, mainly through calls and correspondence. Their responsibilities typically revolve around answering inquiries, addressing and troubleshooting problems, processing refunds, maintaining records of all transactions, and referring them to other services when necessary. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, offer products and services, discuss product specifications and promotions, develop sales strategies, and generate leads through research and analysis. Moreover, they must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Merchandise handler vs customer service, warehouse salary

Merchandise handlers and customer services, warehouse have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandise Handler	Customer Service, Warehouse
Average salary	$31,855	$30,800
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $37,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Taunton, MA	Kent, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New York
Best paying company	The RealReal	Steel Dynamics
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between merchandise handler and customer service, warehouse education

There are a few differences between a merchandise handler and a customer service, warehouse in terms of educational background:

	Merchandise Handler	Customer Service, Warehouse
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Merchandise handler vs customer service, warehouse demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise handlers' and customer services, warehouse' demographics:

	Merchandise Handler	Customer Service, Warehouse
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 5.9% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	5%	7%

Differences between merchandise handler and customer service, warehouse duties and responsibilities

Merchandise handler example responsibilities.

Clean and maintain the warehouse in compliance with OSHA standards.
Make visual evaluations and floor moves while maintaining OSHA guidelines.
Process incoming merchandise shipments by unpacking products, moving items in WMS, steaming clothing, and stocking shelves.
Transport pallets to where they need to go in the store to insure products are stocked up properly for customer needs.
Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Greet customers while bagging their groceries, collect carts in parking lot, put away return items, general sanitation.

Customer service, warehouse example responsibilities.

Manage and calculate daily cash deposits and prepare daily payroll ledgers.
Scan boxes with RF scanner to ensure items are correct.
Retrieve items with RF scanner to fill orders, update database, recover damage items and print shipping labels.
Maintain the cleanliness, organization, and safety of the warehouse at all times while adhering to company safety guidelines.
Provide above average service to customers by bagging groceries appropriately and assist with carryout and loading merchandise into customer's vehicle.
Schedule inbound and outbound LTL and FTL shipments.

Merchandise handler vs customer service, warehouse skills

Common merchandise handler skills

Basic Math, 21%
Math, 17%
Pallets, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Hand Trucks, 6%

Common customer service, warehouse skills

Quality Customer Service, 14%
Strong Customer Service, 10%
Customer Orders, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Customer Complaints, 4%

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Merchandise Handler vs Customer Service, Warehouse

Updated January 8, 2025

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