Retail Store Stockers

The unsung hero of the retail industry is the stocker. Stock clerks don’t work on the sales floor, but without them, the entire industry would come to a halt. In very small stores, the retail clerks and cashiers might also serve as the stockers. However, most retailers have a specific team of employees that work purely in the back of the store and stock shelves after hours.

A stock job is sort of like a mini retail warehouse job. As a stocker, your responsibilities will be to keep the shelves filled with products. In a retail grocery store setting (as well as in other places where the product may expire), this includes rotating the items so that the newest ones are always in the back and the oldest ones are sold first.

Additionally, a stocker may help ready orders by picking pieces. It is the stocker’s responsibility to keep the back of the store organized. That way, when someone needs a product quickly, everyone knows where to find it. In some stores, there are stockers who specifically just pick pieces to put together orders. This is common in stores that sell or order often. For example, some grocery stores have programs where you can call in an order for delivery. The stockers would take responsibility to fill this order for the deliveryman.

Like working in a warehouse, the stocker position can be a bit dangerous at times. It depends on the size of the store and the items in the storeroom. For example, some stockers are responsible for running machines that create bales of used cardboard. They may also be asked to drive forklifts and other machinery. So, most retail stores have a number of stockers who are certified and old enough to operate machinery.

That said you can still find tons of entry-level stocking positions. In fact, the vast majority of stock clerk jobs are entry-level, accounting for the low average annual earnings rate of just over $20,000. Like with other retail industry jobs, however, the opportunity for advancement is great. Many retail buyers started out working in the stock room.