Stock Clerks

Nature of the Work
Employment
Job Outlook
Related Occupations
Sources of Additional Information

(D.O.T. 219.367-018, .387-026 and -030; 221.587-0 18 and -022; 222.167, .367-014, -026, -038, -042, -050, and -062, .387-018, -026, -030, -034, -042, -058, and -062, .487, .587-022 and -054, .684, .687-038 and -046; 229.367, .587-014; 249.367-058; 299.367-014, .677-014; 339.687; 381.687-010; and 969.367)

• Nature of the Work

  Stock clerks receive, unpack, check, store, and track merchandise or materials. They keep records of items entering or leaving the stock room and inspect damaged or spoiled goods. They sort, organize, and mark items with identifying codes, such as prices or stock or inventory control codes, so that inventories can be located quickly and easily. In many firms, stock clerks use hand-held scanners connected to computers to keep inventories up to date. In retail stores, stock clerks bring merchandise to the sales floor and stock shelves and racks. In stockrooms and warehouses, they store materials in bins, on floors, or on shelves. In larger establishments, where they may be responsible for only one specific task, they may be known as inventory clerk, stock-control clerk, merchandise distributor, order filler, property custodian, or storekeeper. In smaller firms, they may also be responsible for tasks usually handled by shipping and receiving clerks.

• Employment

  Stock clerks held about 1,844,000 jobs in 1996, with almost 80 percent working in wholesale or retail trade. The greatest numbers were employed in grocery and department stores, respectively. Jobs for stock clerks are found in all parts of the country, but most work in large urban areas that have many large suburban shopping centers, warehouses, and factories.

• Job Outlook

  Job prospects for stock clerks should be favorable even though employment is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2006. This occupation is very large, and many job openings will occur each year to replace those who transfer to other jobs or leave the labor force. Many jobs are entry-level, and many vacancies tend to occur naturally through normal career progression.
  
  The growing use of computers for inventory control and the installation of new, automated equipment are expected to slow growth in demand for stock clerks somewhat. This is especially true in manufacturing and wholesale trade, industries whose operations are automated most easily. In addition to computerized inventory control systems, firms in these industries are expected to rely more on sophisticated conveyor belts and automatic high stackers to store and retrieve goods. Also, expanded use of battery-powered, driverless automatically guided vehicles can be expected.
  
  Employment of stock clerks who work in grocery, general merchandise, department, apparel, and accessories stores is expected to be somewhat less affected by automation because much of their work is done manually on the sales floor and is difficult to automate. In addition, the ever-increasing role of large retail outlets and warehouses, as well as catalogue, mail, telephone, and Internet shopping services in the Nation's economy should bolster employment of stock clerks in these sectors of retail trade.

• Related Occupations

  Other workers who also handle, move, organize, and store materials include shipping and receiving clerks, distributing clerks, routing clerks, stock supervisors, and cargo checkers.

• Sources of Additional Information

  State employment service offices can provide information about job openings for stock clerks. Also, see clerical and sales occupations elsewhere in the Handbook for sources of additional information.
  General information about stock clerks can be obtained by contacting:
  National Retail Federation, 325 Seventh Street, NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004. Homepage: http://www.nrf.com
  
  (Information on training and earnings is in the introduction to material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations.)

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