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Pharmacist clerk vs sales clerk

The differences between pharmacist clerks and sales clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist clerk has an average salary of $32,705, which is higher than the $25,739 average annual salary of a sales clerk.

The top three skills for a pharmacist clerk include patients, HIPAA and basic math. The most important skills for a sales clerk are customer service, stock shelves, and sales floor.

Pharmacist clerk vs sales clerk overview

Pharmacist ClerkSales Clerk
Yearly salary$32,705$25,739
Hourly rate$15.72$12.37
Growth rate5%-
Number of jobs112,499372,651
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age3941
Years of experience--

What does a pharmacist clerk do?

A pharmacist clerk is responsible for performing clerical duties in the pharmacy setting, processing prescription orders, and accepting payments for the medications. Pharmacist clerks provide the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding their medications, instructing them on the correct intake, including the dosage, time, and safe storage based on the physician's prescriptions. They also monitor inventories, create request reports, and updating stock information on the database. A pharmacist clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, analyzing customer information, as well as evaluating the daily sales transactions.

What does a sales clerk do?

A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.

Pharmacist clerk vs sales clerk salary

Pharmacist clerks and sales clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmacist ClerkSales Clerk
Average salary$32,705$25,739
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $41,000Between $16,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityWoburn, MAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateMaineNew York
Best paying companySSM HealthHawaii Pacific Health
Best paying industryHealth CareEnergy

Differences between pharmacist clerk and sales clerk education

There are a few differences between a pharmacist clerk and a sales clerk in terms of educational background:

Pharmacist ClerkSales Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorPharmacyBusiness
Most common college--

Pharmacist clerk vs sales clerk demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacist clerks' and sales clerks' demographics:

Pharmacist ClerkSales Clerk
Average age3941
Gender ratioMale, 21.1% Female, 78.9%Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 10.2% White, 46.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage9%7%

Differences between pharmacist clerk and sales clerk duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Operate cash register, provide excellent customer service, maintain store cleanliness, help file papers/prescriptions
  • Master customer satisfaction by assisting customers and maintaining patient confidentiality according to HIPAA and company standards.
  • Provide excellent customer service by assisting patients with pickups, transactions, and consultations regarding their medications.
  • Operate with PYXIS, OMNICELL, PHARMOGISTICS, on daily basis.
  • Receive drug and iv orders from local distributor.
  • Show more

Sales clerk example responsibilities.

  • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
  • Process monetary transactions POS system.
  • Follow POS procedures daily and complete appropriate paperwork.
  • Prepare quality food products, process accurate register transactions, maintain general appearance and cleanliness of store premises.
  • Improve customer solicitation pitch to increase Kohl's credit card application solicitations.

Pharmacist clerk vs sales clerk skills

Common pharmacist clerk skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • HIPAA, 11%
  • Basic Math, 10%
  • Allergies, 10%
  • Math, 9%
  • Customer Service, 4%
Common sales clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 26%
  • Stock Shelves, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 8%
  • Retail Sales, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • POS, 5%

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