How To Become A Retail Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How much do Kroger retail clerks make?

Kroger retail clerks make an average of $11 an hour. If working full-time, a Kroger retail clerk can expect to make about $22,000 a year, which is less than half the national average salary.

Q: Is being a retail clerk hard?

No, being a retail clerk is not hard. In most cases, one does not even need a high school diploma to work as a retail clerk, and the specific tasks retail clerks perform are not especially difficult.

Q: What are Marshalls work hours?

Marshalls work hours vary from employee to employee and depend on job title and whether the employee is full or part-time. Full-time cashiers and in-store staff at Marshalls work eight-hour or more shifts that begin around 7 am or 8 am and end around 4 pm or 5 pm.

Q: What are retail job duties?

Retail job duties primarily involve customer service. Retail workers would welcome customers, help them find anything they need in the store, answer any questions they might have, and charge them for the products they decide to buy.

Q: What does a retail clerk do at Kroger?

At Kroger, a retail clerk assists with maintenance, helps customers get the best shopping experience at the store, packs and offload items, takes inventory and reports damaged goods, and assists the other grocery workers whenever needed.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a clerk?

You don't need any formal qualifications to be a store clerk. Depending on the kind of store, you may be required to have prior experience working with money and cash registers or just general customer service. Some stores may require a high school diploma, but this is not common.

Q: What skills do you need to be a retail clerk?

You need basic math skills to be a retail clerk. This is evident, as you would be working with money and inventory daily. You also need good communication and people skills, as your primary responsibilities would involve customer service.

What is a retail clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Jon-Paul McCool,

Joseph Hancock

A retail clerk is a sales professional whose job is to help customers with their shopping by directing and serving them, stocking shelves, manning the register, packing and bagging produce, and acting as a teller or cashier when necessary. Their additional responsibilities include serving shoppers by politely helping them find what they are looking for, completing purchases, taking care of facility maintenance and appearance, gathering carts, keeping aisles in order, and setting up displays that highlight certain products.

They are required to follow directions, to get along with their teammates, to dress according to company policy, to look and act like a professional at all times, and to perceive what needs to be done and do it, whether that's requesting stock for an empty shelf or opening a new checkout line during the evening rush. They also need to learn about new items and procedures willingly and quickly.

This position does not require a college education: A high school diploma or GED is sufficient. Retail clerks earn an average salary of $23,367 annually which translates to $11.23 per hour. They are generally paid per hour, work in shifts, and might work more hours and longer shifts during the holiday season.

What general advice would you give to a retail clerk?

Jon-Paul McCool

Associate Professor of Geography; Environmental Science Program Coordinator, Valparaiso University

In terms of technical skills, the ability to utilize GIS for more than basic mapping. The ability to do more in depth analytical processes and to utilize the mobile components to the software. However, employers are stressing the need for new employees to have drive and individual initiative. Soft skills associated with independence, and the ability to learn on your own are going to be essential.

ScoreRetail ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $30,046

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 6.63%

Black or African American 10.02%

Hispanic or Latino 19.81%

Unknown 5.10%

White 57.89%

Gender

female 59.02%

male 40.98%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a retail clerk

Explore retail clerk education requirements

Most common retail clerk degrees

Bachelor's

34.9 %

High School Diploma

31.4 %

Associate

20.3 %

Start to develop specific retail clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Stock Shelves	30.95%
Groceries	21.44%
Retail Sales	5.72%
Product Knowledge	5.70%
Basic Math	4.56%

Complete relevant retail clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New retail clerks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a retail clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real retail clerk resumes.

Research retail clerk duties and responsibilities

Accomplish upselling goals to contribute to company's success.
Handle sales and returns through a POS software system and inventory database, and train new employees on the same tools.
Collect and process payments including accurate maintenance of sales register and jewelry inventory following close of daily business.
Provide excellent customer service while upselling promotional products

Prepare your retail clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your retail clerk resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a retail clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable retail clerk resume templates

Build a professional retail clerk resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your retail clerk resume.

Apply for retail clerk jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a retail clerk job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do retail clerks rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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1 star

Retail clerk reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

Cons

Double standards extra work extra tasks that aren't in the job description you're doing assumptions that you know everything you're doing and you know the right way of everything that you're doing even though no one's ever trained you to do what you're doing and what you're doing isn't necessarily in the jobs description for the title for lack of a better word that you actually have

What is a retail clerk and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a retail clerk?

Retail clerk career paths

Key steps to become a retail clerk

Explore retail clerk education requirements

Most common retail clerk degrees

Start to develop specific retail clerk skills

Complete relevant retail clerk training and internships

Research retail clerk duties and responsibilities

Prepare your retail clerk resume

Choose from 10+ customizable retail clerk resume templates

Apply for retail clerk jobs

How did you land your first retail clerk job

Average retail clerk salary

How do retail clerks rate their job?

Retail clerk reviews

Retail clerk FAQs

How much do Kroger retail clerks make?

Is being a retail clerk hard?

What are Marshalls work hours?

What are retail job duties?

What does a retail clerk do at Kroger?

What qualifications do you need to be a clerk?

What skills do you need to be a retail clerk?

Search for retail clerk jobs