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Order picker vs warehouse employee

The differences between order pickers and warehouse employees can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse employee has an average salary of $32,510, which is higher than the $31,950 average annual salary of an order picker.

The top three skills for an order picker include customer orders, basic math and pallets. The most important skills for a warehouse employee are pallets, customer service, and cleanliness.

Order picker vs warehouse employee overview

Order PickerWarehouse Employee
Yearly salary$31,950$32,510
Hourly rate$15.36$15.63
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs199,572186,499
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 57%High School Diploma, 42%
Average age3838
Years of experience--

What does an order picker do?

An order picker is responsible for obtaining particular orders from a warehouse or storage facility and having it processed for delivery, all while ensuring accuracy and speed. Most of the duties of an order picker revolve around physical work as there are instances where one must lift and transport heavy materials, and even assemble certain items. Furthermore, an order picker is also in charge of necessary administrative tasks, such as producing documentation, keeping records, processing inventory systems, and even responding to inquires.

What does a warehouse employee do?

A warehouse employee is responsible for assisting high-level operations of the warehouse or distribution centers, organizing merchandise inventory, packing and labeling products, operating warehouse tools and equipment, and processing shipment orders efficiently and accurately. Warehouse employees maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities to avoid potential hazards and delay during operations. They assist in loading and unloading items from delivery vehicles to different areas of the warehouse. A warehouse employee may also perform administrative duties, such as responding to customers' inquiries and concerns through calls and e-mails, resolving complaints, and writing reports.

Order picker vs warehouse employee salary

Order pickers and warehouse employees have different pay scales, as shown below.

Order PickerWarehouse Employee
Average salary$31,950$32,510
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $39,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityPortland, ORSanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateVermontWashington
Best paying companyUnited Natural FoodsALDI USA
Best paying industryTechnologyTransportation

Differences between order picker and warehouse employee education

There are a few differences between an order picker and a warehouse employee in terms of educational background:

Order PickerWarehouse Employee
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 57%High School Diploma, 42%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Order picker vs warehouse employee demographics

Here are the differences between order pickers' and warehouse employees' demographics:

Order PickerWarehouse Employee
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 76.4% Female, 23.6%Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between order picker and warehouse employee duties and responsibilities

Order picker example responsibilities.

  • Used WMS and RF systems to pick and stage customer specify orders and lead a team of employees.
  • Used a stand up reach truck and RF scanner to replenish empty product in pick locations.
  • Obtain merchandise from bin locations using headset programming or RF hand hold device building correct orders for customers.
  • Prepare pallets by following prescribe stacking arrangements and properly tagging pallets.
  • Job responsibilities include picking orders using battery power pallet jack as well as doing inventory work
  • Pick cases from shelves for orders that are to be ship to different Kroger stores

Warehouse employee example responsibilities.

  • Manage all FEDEX shipments and advise solutions to shipment issues.
  • Work in direct pack department, utilizing RF scanner to select and pack items for shipping to various stores.
  • Unpack shipment using RF scanner to check in parts, verifying condition and quantity before sending to staging area.
  • Assemble pallets of product according to company standards and specifications.
  • Assemble medical equipment-Deliver medical supplies to patients homes and medical facilities-Prepare supplies and packaging for delivery-Load packages according to borough
  • Operate power equipment including: order pickers, tuggers, reach trucks, and counterbalance forklifts.

Order picker vs warehouse employee skills

Common order picker skills
  • Customer Orders, 13%
  • Basic Math, 11%
  • Pallets, 11%
  • Warehouse Environment, 9%
  • Electric Pallet Jack, 8%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
Common warehouse employee skills
  • Pallets, 21%
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Cleanliness, 11%
  • Customer Orders, 10%
  • Plumbing, 9%
  • Inventory Management, 5%

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