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The differences between stowers and merchandise stockers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchandise stocker has an average salary of $29,224, which is higher than the $27,464 average annual salary of a stower.
The top three skills for a stower include PET, pallets and basic math. The most important skills for a merchandise stocker are pallet jack, customer service, and stock shelves.
| Stower | Merchandise Stocker | |
| Yearly salary | $27,464 | $29,224 |
| Hourly rate | $13.20 | $14.05 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 198,954 | 204,511 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A stower is responsible for scanning a product and appropriately placing it to the right shelf for customer's consumption. Duties of a stower include inspecting the item for any defects and escalating damaged items to the supervisor ensuring adequately labeled products. Other responsibilities include operating essential store equipment, adhering to the sanitary standards of the working area, and assisting customers with their concerns and inquiries. A stower should have excellent time-management skills and the ability to multi-task, especially on working with a fast-paced environment.
A merchandise stocker is an employee who ensures that shelves and aisles are stocked with the merchandise in retail stores or warehouses. Merchandise stockers must receive the goods, unload or unpack them, mark them with codes to be identified, and stock them on shelves. They help customers to fill orders through mail, web, or phone while preparing the customers' merchandise for shipment. They must also operate a forklift so that they can lift or place merchandise at the assigned shelves.
Stowers and merchandise stockers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Stower | Merchandise Stocker | |
| Average salary | $27,464 | $29,224 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $24,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lakewood, WA | Tacoma, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Rich Products | PepsiCo |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a stower and a merchandise stocker in terms of educational background:
| Stower | Merchandise Stocker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between stowers' and merchandise stockers' demographics:
| Stower | Merchandise Stocker | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.8% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |