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What does a warehouse clerk do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a warehouse clerk do

A warehouse clerk is an employee responsible for the process of ordered goods while keeping the warehouse well-organized and clean. Warehouse clerks accept company products' deliveries, inspect them for any damages, and store them accordingly in the warehouse. Companies require their warehouse clerks to have many skills, such as an operating forklift or other machinery to transport large and heavy goods. Warehouse clerks must also possess abilities like knowledge in Warehouse Management Software programs and detailed-oriented capable of noticing small errors in orders.

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Warehouse clerk responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real warehouse clerk resumes:

  • Coordinate and manage shipping for complete pallets to different work sites internationally.
  • Check the MRP system for shortages on release work orders or sales orders and issue as required.
  • Update training and work instructions pursuant to ISO guidelines.
  • Have used various MRP systems for inventory with superior knowledge.
  • Train and certify in the use of ESD equipment and practices.
  • Process all BOL via SAP/TWMS for external, rail and barge shipments.
  • Utilize ERP system and correct bill of materials (BOM) errors.
  • Receive ESD materials from warehouse to stock for kitting operations to manufacturing labs.
  • Enter all paper work into as400 system and file all inbound shipping documents accurately.
  • Pull expedited orders by means of forklift and format data using the AS400 database.
  • Work require the certification of forklift use and excellent math skills along with problem solving skills.
  • Unload trucks by hand using material handling equipment IE: forklifts, pallet jacks and dollies.
  • Report inventory balances and cycle counts, efficiently and accurately in both the ERP and WMS system.
  • Use material moving equipment such as pallet jacks and dollies to bring products and materials to appropriate location.
  • Order picker with RF devise, inventory, shipping/receiving, forklift/stand-up operator, truck loader, returns, freight/supply chains

Warehouse clerk skills and personality traits

We calculated that 19% of Warehouse Clerks are proficient in Work Ethic, Data Entry, and Logistics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Warehouse Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Work Ethic, 19%

    Monitored and reported seasonal employee productivity and work ethic to management.

  • Data Entry, 15%

    Complete computer transactions necessary for proper material movement including data entry into the ERP system.

  • Logistics, 13%

    Planned, organized and executed logistics support activities such as maintenance planning, repair analysis and test equipment recommendations.

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Provide excellent customer service and follow-up with customers to ensure satisfaction with products and/or services provided.

  • Pallets, 4%

    Offload product from tractor-trailer utilizing pallet jack and other company supplied equipment.

  • Patients, 4%

    Packaged ancillary items required for the patients use and prepared items for shipment.

Common skills that a warehouse clerk uses to do their job include "work ethic," "data entry," and "logistics." You can find details on the most important warehouse clerk responsibilities below.

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a warehouse clerk to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." Additionally, a warehouse clerk resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "maintain communication with customer service and with internal and external customer. "

Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform warehouse clerk duties is customer-service skills. Warehouse clerks responsibilities require that "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom." Warehouse clerks also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "completed data entry, answered telephone inquiries providing efficient customer service to ensure smooth day-to-day operation of the office. "

Detail oriented. This is an important skill for warehouse clerks to perform their duties. For an example of how warehouse clerk responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a warehouse clerk: "performed weekly data entry and maintained personnel files with strict attention to detail. ".

Math skills. warehouse clerk responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This resume example shows what warehouse clerks do with math skills on a typical day: "work required the certification of forklift use and excellent math skills along with problem solving skills. "

See the full list of warehouse clerk skills

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Compare different warehouse clerks

Warehouse clerk vs. Customer service, warehouse

A customer service warehouse is primarily in charge of providing customer support, mainly through calls and correspondence. Their responsibilities typically revolve around answering inquiries, addressing and troubleshooting problems, processing refunds, maintaining records of all transactions, and referring them to other services when necessary. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, offer products and services, discuss product specifications and promotions, develop sales strategies, and generate leads through research and analysis. Moreover, they must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

The annual salary of customer services, warehouse is $764 lower than the average salary of warehouse clerks.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both warehouse clerk and customer service, warehouse positions are skilled in customer orders, purchase orders, and rf.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, warehouse clerk responsibilities require skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "data entry," and "logistics." Meanwhile a typical customer service, warehouse has skills in areas such as "quality customer service," "strong customer service," "cleanliness," and "customer complaints." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Customer services, warehouse really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $31,263. Comparatively, warehouse clerks tend to make the most money in the transportation industry with an average salary of $32,595.On average, customer services, warehouse reach similar levels of education than warehouse clerks. Customer services, warehouse are 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Warehouse clerk vs. Material handler/warehouse

A warehouse material handler is responsible for assisting warehouse operations, moving merchandise from one place to another, labeling products, performing quality check procedures, packaging goods, and loading and unloading items from distribution vehicles. Warehouse material handlers operate warehouse tools and equipment for production, as well as ensuring the adequacy of stock inventory needed for orders and deliveries. A warehouse material handler also updates product information on the database and do administrative tasks, such as writing reports and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns.

On average, material handler/warehouses earn a $820 higher salary than warehouse clerks a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Warehouse clerks and material handler/warehouses both require similar skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "customer service" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, warehouse clerk responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "data entry," "logistics," "patients," and "rf." Meanwhile, a material handler/warehouse has duties that require skills in areas such as "warehouse environment," "supply support," "osha," and "production schedules." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Material handler/warehouses may earn a higher salary than warehouse clerks, but material handler/warehouses earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $34,722. On the other hand, warehouse clerks receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $32,595.In general, material handler/warehouses achieve similar levels of education than warehouse clerks. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Warehouse clerk vs. General warehouse associate

A General Warehouse Associate performs a variety of tasks at warehouses on a day-to-day basis. They typically receive and process shipments, organize stocks, inspect packages to ensure quantity and quality, maintain inventory and other records, operate tools and equipment such as forklifts and scanners, utilize warehouse spaces, and prepare products subjected for deliveries. Moreover, a General Warehouse Associate must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

An average general warehouse associate eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of warehouse clerks. The difference in salaries amounts to general warehouse associates earning a $775 higher average salary than warehouse clerks.By looking over several warehouse clerks and general warehouse associates resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "pallets," "safety regulations," and "customer orders." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a warehouse clerk is likely to be skilled in "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "data entry," and "logistics," while a typical general warehouse associate is skilled in "manual pallet jack," "rf scanner," "unload trailers," and "osha."

General warehouse associates make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $33,144. On the other hand, warehouse clerks are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $32,595.general warehouse associates typically earn similar educational levels compared to warehouse clerks. Specifically, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Warehouse clerk vs. Warehouse associate/driver

Warehouse associates/drivers are skilled warehouse employees who are responsible for operating forklifts and other equipment to perform the loading and unloading of warehouse products. These employees are required to manage and plan delivery routes so that they can develop safer and shorter routes to save gas as well as ensure on-time customer delivery. They must examine and inspect stock items for defects while reporting and damages to their supervisors. These employees must also receive and stock incoming inventory items as well as scan and organize them according to the company's health and safety regulations.

Warehouse associate/drivers average a higher salary than the annual salary of warehouse clerks. The difference is about $2,095 per year.While both warehouse clerks and warehouse associate/drivers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, pallets, and shipping receiving, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between warehouse clerks and warehouse associate/drivers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a warehouse clerk might have more use for skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "data entry," and "logistics." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of warehouse associate/drivers require skills like "cleanliness," "osha," "cdl," and "good communication. "

The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for warehouse associate/drivers, with average annual pay of $34,727. Comparatively, the highest warehouse clerk annual salary comes from the transportation industry.The average resume of warehouse associate/drivers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to warehouse clerks. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of warehouse clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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