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The differences between postal clerks and shop clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a postal clerk has an average salary of $38,239, which is higher than the $34,468 average annual salary of a shop clerk.
The top three skills for a postal clerk include customer service, postal service and postage rates. The most important skills for a shop clerk are basic math, math, and top quality.
| Postal Clerk | Shop Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $38,239 | $34,468 |
| Hourly rate | $18.38 | $16.57 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 93,101 | 106,275 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 52 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A postal clerk is responsible for organizing mails for delivery and categorizing other mailroom supplies. Postal clerks sort mail and packages, verify the accurate addresses, and deliver to the correct location. They also operate various postal tools and equipment for labeling documents and weighing parcels. A postal clerk must be highly communicative and organizational, especially on responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about their deliveries and handling fragile packages with utmost care to avoid complications and operational delays.
A shop clerk is primarily in charge of assisting clients in a retail store, ensuring efficient service for client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting and identifying the clients' needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions, and recommending alternatives as needed. They must also maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor, clearing the obstructions and disposing of expired or defective products. Furthermore, a shop clerk must manage the product displays, devising strategies to make them more presentable to the customers.
Postal clerks and shop clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Postal Clerk | Shop Clerk | |
| Average salary | $38,239 | $34,468 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $26,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Providence, RI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Government | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a postal clerk and a shop clerk in terms of educational background:
| Postal Clerk | Shop Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between postal clerks' and shop clerks' demographics:
| Postal Clerk | Shop Clerk | |
| Average age | 52 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |