Merchandise stocker vs overnight stock clerk

The differences between merchandise stockers and overnight stock clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an overnight stock clerk has an average salary of $31,163, which is higher than the $29,224 average annual salary of a merchandise stocker.

The top three skills for a merchandise stocker include pallet jack, customer service and stock shelves. The most important skills for an overnight stock clerk are pallet jack, cleanliness, and stock shelves.

Merchandise stocker vs overnight stock clerk overview

	Merchandise Stocker	Overnight Stock Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,224	$31,163
Hourly rate	$14.05	$14.98
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	204,511	230,090
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

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.

What does an overnight stock clerk do?

An overnight stock clerk works at night in retail and wholesale outlets, department stores, or warehouses to replenish stock. You will inspect goods on the shelves for expiry or damage, unpack new consignments for stocking, log inventory, track merchandise, monitor quality control, verify packing slips against packaging content, and tag goods with bar codes and prices. Overnight stock clerks also fill customer orders and prepare an order report for restocking and arranging goods on shelves.

Merchandise stocker vs overnight stock clerk salary

Merchandise stockers and overnight stock clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandise Stocker	Overnight Stock Clerk
Average salary	$29,224	$31,163
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $35,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	PepsiCo	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between merchandise stocker and overnight stock clerk education

There are a few differences between a merchandise stocker and an overnight stock clerk in terms of educational background:

	Merchandise Stocker	Overnight Stock Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Merchandise stocker vs overnight stock clerk demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise stockers' and overnight stock clerks' demographics:

	Merchandise Stocker	Overnight Stock Clerk
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%	Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.1% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between merchandise stocker and overnight stock clerk duties and responsibilities

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.

Overnight stock clerk example responsibilities.

Unload trailer of groceries deliver to the store.
Stock groceries and other goods to maintain a neat appearance and easy accessability.
Maintain exterior and interior cleanliness of mixer truck and conduct daily vehicle inspections.
Stock and maintain grocery inventory of Safeway storefront.

Merchandise stocker vs overnight stock clerk skills

Common merchandise stocker skills

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

Common overnight stock clerk skills

Pallet Jack, 47%
Cleanliness, 10%
Stock Shelves, 8%
Pallets, 6%
Safety Guidelines, 5%
Math, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Merchandise Stocker
Merchandise Stocker vs Overnight Stock Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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