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What does a Picker do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a Picker do

Pickers are responsible for choosing the correct range of merchandise on the shelves based on the clients' orders. Pickers carefully prepare the items from the stock, ensuring that everything is free of any damage before shipping. They check the order sheets and confirm that the quality and quantity of the products are correct. Pickers' duties also include monitoring inventories, creating supply reports and shortages, returning defective items, operating warehouse equipment, and releasing orders on time.

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Picker responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real picker resumes:

  • Used WMS and RF systems to pick and stage customer specify orders and lead a team of employees.
  • Operate an epj (electric pallet-jack) while using a rf hand hold scan gun under the red prairie system.
  • Pick merchandise for CVS stores fast and accurately.
  • Pick orders from a vocollect headset or a RF scanner.
  • Maintain the cleanliness, organization, and safety of the warehouse.
  • Sit down fork truck and also a stand up reach truck certification.
  • Use vocollect to pick mercahndise throughout warehouse on forklift and stack merchandise onto pallet
  • Pull, pack, weigh, and ship medications and merchandise to CVS stores.
  • Build orders according to assign load tickets using a pallet jack, stand up forks equipment.
  • Learn how to drive stand up and sit down forklifts, electric load hogs, and a stock picker.
  • Unload delivery containers and stock in warehouse rack units using WMS (warehouse management system) hand hold scanner equipment.
  • Certify cherry picker operator / pull orders and putaway
  • Deliver pallets and cardboard to designate facilities for repair and recycling.
  • Prepare pallets by following prescribe stacking arrangement and properly tagging pallets.
  • Pick orders ranging from groceries to frozen foods.

Picker skills and personality traits

We calculated that 36% of Pickers are proficient in Industrial Trucks, Pallets, and Electric Pallet Jack. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Pickers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Industrial Trucks, 36%

    Collected online orders from warehouse and prepared them to be shipped out using power industrial trucks.

  • Pallets, 11%

    Used forklift and pallet jack Picked orders made pallets and loaded them up onto trucks left cause as getting paid enough

  • Electric Pallet Jack, 8%

    Picked items ordered; operated electric pallet jack around warehouse

  • Customer Orders, 8%

    Assist Management with maintaining inventory *Certified Quality Control and Inspector of all final products *Locate and resolve issues with Customer orders

  • Stand-Up Forklift, 8%

    pulled and put away parts and tools using stand-up forklifts.

  • RF Scanner, 7%

    Audit Orders Counting Sorting RF Scanner Labeling/Matching orders

Common skills that a picker uses to do their job include "industrial trucks," "pallets," and "electric pallet jack." You can find details on the most important picker responsibilities below.

Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a picker to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." Additionally, a picker resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "use of rf gun and pallet jack to scan, process and move merchandise detailed packing, shipping and receiving of merchandise"

Math skills. Many picker duties rely on math skills. "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements.," so a picker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways picker responsibilities rely on math skills: "use of basic math skills to count product on an pallet, exceeding amounts of 300+ products. "

Customer-service skills. pickers are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to picker responsibilities, because "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom." A picker resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "cycle counts,audits,research customer returns and vendor returns.and to analyze and determine root cause of all inventory adjustments. "

Communication skills. picker responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." This resume example shows what pickers do with communication skills on a typical day: "time management, organization, effective communication, stock picking, fulfilling customer orders in an efficient and quality manner. "

See the full list of picker skills

The three companies that hire the most pickers are:

Compare different pickers

Picker vs. Order fulfillment specialist

An Order Fulfillment Specialist works at warehouse facilities where they are in charge of preparing and processing customer orders, ensuring timeliness and accuracy. They are also responsible for verifying customer information, tracking deliveries, receiving shipments, participating in loading and unloading packages, inspecting the quality and quantity of products, and maintaining transactions. There are also instances when they must communicate with clients to answer inquiries or handle complaints and issues. Moreover, an order fulfillment specialist must maintain an active communication line with co-workers for an accurate and efficient workflow.

The annual salary of order fulfillment specialists is $1,866 higher than the average salary of pickers.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between pickers and order fulfillment specialists are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like customer orders, inventory control, and filling orders.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a picker are more likely to require skills like "industrial trucks," "pallets," "electric pallet jack," and "stand-up forklift." On the other hand, a job as an order fulfillment specialist requires skills like "logistics," "pallet jack," "purchase orders," and "rf." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Order fulfillment specialists really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $38,379. Comparatively, pickers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $32,780.On average, order fulfillment specialists reach similar levels of education than pickers. Order fulfillment specialists are 1.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Picker vs. Order selector

It is an order selector's general responsibility to attend on customers' inquiries and provide their needs accurately. Order selectors' duties also include verifying orders and checking its availability on the inventory, keeping the products' packaging safe and damage-free, maneuvering warehouse equipment and tools for more efficient processing, managing customers' complaints and resolving it immediately, and organizing merchandise. An order selector must have excellent time-management skills and the ability to multi-task, especially on days of heavy workload and strict deadlines.

Order selector positions earn higher pay than picker roles. They earn a $5,664 higher salary than pickers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Pickers and order selectors both require similar skills like "industrial trucks," "pallets," and "electric pallet jack" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that picker responsibilities requires skills like "rf gun," "hand scanner," "delivery platform," and "product selection." But an order selector might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "double pallet jack," "freezer," "basic math," and "order selection."

On average, order selectors earn a higher salary than pickers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, order selectors earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $37,356. Whereas pickers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $32,780.In general, order selectors achieve similar levels of education than pickers. They're 0.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Picker vs. Order builder

An order builder is who picks up customer order entries to fill the orders and prepares the consignments for shipment. You are the person in the order processing chain who will pack up the orders as recorded in entries and organize them for transportation to the receiving customers. Order builders assemble, sort, pack, label, count and weigh, palletize customer orders, log shipped out orders, and then move them to a shipping dock.

An average order builder eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of pickers. The difference in salaries amounts to order builders earning a $430 higher average salary than pickers.Using the responsibilities included on pickers and order builders resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "pallets," "electric pallet jack," and "customer orders.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from picker resumes include skills like "industrial trucks," "powered industrial trucks," "rf scanner," and "assembly line," whereas an order builder is more likely to list skills in "repack," "build orders," "load tickets," and "punctuality. "

Order builders make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $36,953. On the other hand, pickers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $32,780.order builders typically earn similar educational levels compared to pickers. Specifically, they're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Picker vs. Order filler

An order filler is an employee who is responsible for handling the orders of merchandise and ensuring that customers receive their merchandise. Order fillers work with the warehouse team to arrange inventory and trace the missing merchandise or delay of shipment. As most of the merchandise is encoded to the computer, order fillers must have excellent computer skills. They must have the ability to learn how to use new technology. Order fillers also responsible for placing sticker labels on the merchandise boxes and report orders to the management.

Order fillers average a higher salary than the annual salary of pickers. The difference is about $772 per year.While their salaries may vary, pickers and order fillers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "industrial trucks," "pallets," and "electric pallet jack. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "customer orders," "rf gun," "warehouse environment," and "hand scanner" are skills that commonly show up on picker resumes. On the other hand, order fillers use skills like empty pallets, hand trucks, filling customer orders, and dollies on their resumes.order fillers enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $34,313. For comparison, pickers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of order fillers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to pickers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of picker

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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