Produce clerk vs grocery associate

The differences between produce clerks and grocery associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a grocery associate has an average salary of $35,040, which is higher than the $31,822 average annual salary of a produce clerk.

The top three skills for a produce clerk include product knowledge, math and sales floor. The most important skills for a grocery associate are frozen food, general merchandise, and truck deliveries.

Produce clerk vs grocery associate overview

	Produce Clerk	Grocery Associate
Yearly salary	$31,822	$35,040
Hourly rate	$15.30	$16.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	79,419	202,439
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a produce clerk do?

Produce clerks are responsible for ensuring that the grocery store's fruits and vegetables are displayed orderly and pleasantly to the customers. They check to produce to guarantee that it is fresh and has no defects. Their tasks include stocking of products, providing services like answering customers' queries, handling food, maintaining equipment, and providing general help to the other store employees in need. They must have relevant experience in stocking grocery stores and handling product presentation and should have concrete knowledge in the rotation and maintenance of the store's produce.

What does a grocery associate do?

Grocery Associates are responsible for assisting with maintaining operations and providing customer service of a grocery store. Their duties include greeting customers, providing product suggestions, conduct product stocking and rotation, assisting with vendor merchandising, and unloading products from trucks. They are also responsible for operating equipment in departments, reporting illegal activities to management, and bagging groceries. Grocery Associates ensure the displays and aisles are clean while assisting customers with product finding and giving directions.

Produce clerk vs grocery associate salary

Produce clerks and grocery associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Produce Clerk	Grocery Associate
Average salary	$31,822	$35,040
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $37,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Novato, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	United Natural Foods	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between produce clerk and grocery associate education

There are a few differences between a produce clerk and a grocery associate in terms of educational background:

	Produce Clerk	Grocery Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Produce clerk vs grocery associate demographics

Here are the differences between produce clerks' and grocery associates' demographics:

	Produce Clerk	Grocery Associate
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 76.1% Female, 23.9%	Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 6.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between produce clerk and grocery associate duties and responsibilities

Produce clerk example responsibilities.

Train in customer service functions, camera and video monitoring, and POS systems checkout.
Work in fast pace environment while providing customer service and creating excellent product detail while maintaining cleanliness of department.
Handle and order inventory, as well as utilized FIFO strategies.
Operate meat and cheese slicers, oven, cutting tools, scales and other deli equipment.
Unload trucks and store all products in designate coolers and storage areas using the FIFO method.
Maintain cleanliness of the produce storeroom by routinely cleaning and sanitizing surfaces according to health code regulations.

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Grocery associate example responsibilities.

Receive payment via cash, checks, credit cards, debit cards and WIC.
Generate ideas: better organization in back room, labeling u-boats with dates, sales, etc.
Unload and secure receive products in the appropriate refrigerate storage areas using power, hand jack, carts or u-boats.
Maintain department cleanliness, and provide premier customer service.
Employ at Meijer's as a (GMC).
Stock and rotate product (FIFO )

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Produce clerk vs grocery associate skills

Common produce clerk skills

Product Knowledge, 11%
Math, 10%
Sales Floor, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Food Handling, 7%
Cleanliness, 4%

Common grocery associate skills

Frozen Food, 38%
General Merchandise, 14%
Truck Deliveries, 14%
Front End, 6%
Work Ethic, 4%
Grocery Store, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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