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Receiving clerk vs warehouse technician

The differences between receiving clerks and warehouse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a warehouse technician has an average salary of $34,985, which is higher than the $31,482 average annual salary of a receiving clerk.

The top three skills for a receiving clerk include customer service, purchase orders and data entry. The most important skills for a warehouse technician are customer service, pallets, and customer orders.

Receiving clerk vs warehouse technician overview

Receiving ClerkWarehouse Technician
Yearly salary$31,482$34,985
Hourly rate$15.14$16.82
Growth rate-3%1%
Number of jobs237,705231,431
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%High School Diploma, 39%
Average age4338
Years of experience12-

What does a receiving clerk do?

Usually assigned at a warehouse or retail store, a receiving clerk's primary role is to accept product deliveries upon arrival and sign necessary documents, prioritizing the accuracy of all invoices. It is also the task of a receiving clerk to unload heavy packages, verify its contents, place it in the appropriate storage place, and keep records for inventory. They must process returns should it be necessary. There are also instances where a receiving clerk may have to engage with retailers and vendors, ensuring that all shipments arrive in time.

What does a warehouse technician do?

A warehouse technician is responsible for monitoring the incoming and outgoing goods and services in the warehouse or distribution centers. Warehouse technicians verify shipment details, assist with packaging items, move merchandise to storage areas, inspect the quality of items for release, and escalate defective products for immediate replacement. They also operate various warehouse equipment and machinery, conduct maintenance repairs, and loading and unloading items from the delivery trucks. A warehouse technician must have excellent time-management and organizational skills, especially on processing orders and creating reports for inventory receipts.

Receiving clerk vs warehouse technician salary

Receiving clerks and warehouse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Receiving ClerkWarehouse Technician
Average salary$31,482$34,985
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $38,000Between $28,000 And $42,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAKent, WA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaHawaii
Best paying companyLos Alamos National LaboratoryFreeport-McMoRan
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between receiving clerk and warehouse technician education

There are a few differences between a receiving clerk and a warehouse technician in terms of educational background:

Receiving ClerkWarehouse Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%High School Diploma, 39%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Receiving clerk vs warehouse technician demographics

Here are the differences between receiving clerks' and warehouse technicians' demographics:

Receiving ClerkWarehouse Technician
Average age4338
Gender ratioMale, 60.2% Female, 39.8%Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between receiving clerk and warehouse technician duties and responsibilities

Receiving clerk example responsibilities.

  • Assist in the daily managing of fresh product using the FIFO accounting principal.
  • Master POS (point-of-sale) in order to process cash, check and credit transaction.
  • Scan and charge ticket quantities, pull parts, issue to shipping department and process daily UPS/ FedEx parts order shipments.
  • Communicate with patients, doctors, visitors, and other professionals via telephone, fax, written correspondence or in person.
  • Verify patients information via computer.
  • Prepare shipping containers using stencils and documentation sleeves.
  • Show more

Warehouse technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage all FEDEX shipments and advise solutions to shipment issues.
  • Prep boxes for shipping (ex.
  • Employ wide variety of hand and power tools including hoists and drills.
  • Employ wide variety of basic hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments and electronic testing devices.
  • Consolidate and stage domestic freight onto pallets for major airlines to ship internationally.
  • Improve order processing and inventory logistics by adding labels to bin locations for easier identification and determination of equipment on hand.
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Receiving clerk vs warehouse technician skills

Common receiving clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Purchase Orders, 10%
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Pallets, 8%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
  • Inventory Control, 4%
Common warehouse technician skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Pallets, 7%
  • Customer Orders, 6%
  • Warehouse Environment, 5%
  • Shipping Receiving, 5%
  • Logistics, 4%

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