Stockers and Order Fillers
Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays.
From people doing the work
Day-to-day work often feels like a constant puzzle of fitting items into designated spaces efficiently, ensuring everything is where it needs to be for quick retrieval. It's physically demanding, but there's a quiet satisfaction in a well-organized stockroom. You're always on the move, lifting, sorting, and scanning, making sure the flow of goods is smooth.
Drawn from Warehouse Forum, Material Handling Industry, Retail Stockers & Merchandisers Group
Attribution: Composite
Composite · Synthesised from Warehouse Forum, Material Handling Industry, Retail Stockers & Merchandisers Group
A day in the life of Stockers and Order Fillers
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 85% Team / 15% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-60
- Stress level
- Moderate
Stockers and Order Fillers salary, education and outlook at a glance
- Median salary
- $37,090
- Entry-level
- $28,000
- Senior
- $52,000
- Growth by 2033
- +8.5%
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Moderate
- Salary growth potential
- 86%
- Typical student debt
- Moderate
Skills you need as Stockers and Order Fillers
Hard skills
- Public Safety and Security
- Data base user interface and query software
- Transportation
Soft skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
Technical complexity: Low
Tools of the trade
Core tools
- Pallet Jack (Hardware): Used for moving pallets of goods short distances within a warehouse or store.
- Forklift (Hardware): Used for lifting and moving heavy materials over longer distances and to higher shelves.
- Hand Truck/Dolly (Hardware): Used for manually transporting smaller stacks of boxes or individual heavy items.
Commonly used
- Inventory Management Software (Software): Used to track stock levels, locations, and movement of goods.
- Barcode Scanner (Hardware): Used to quickly and accurately identify and track products for inventory and sales.
Specialist tools
- Safety Gloves (Hardware): Protects hands from cuts, abrasions, and impacts while handling goods.
- Box Cutter (Hardware): Used for opening cartons and packaging efficiently and safely.
How to become Stockers and Order Fillers
- Minimum education
- High School Diploma
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5
- Years to senior
- 10-15
- Career switching
- Easy
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Retail Sales Associate: Often involves similar customer service and product handling skills, but with less focus on inventory management.
- General Laborer: Requires physical stamina and ability to move goods, but without the specific organizational tasks of stocking.
- Delivery Driver Helper: Involves handling and moving goods, often assisting with loading and unloading, similar to stocker duties.
Where you can go from here
- Warehouse Supervisor: Progression involves overseeing teams, managing inventory systems, and optimizing warehouse operations.
- Inventory Control Specialist: Focuses on optimizing inventory levels, reducing waste, and improving accuracy through data analysis.
- Logistics Coordinator: Involves planning and coordinating the movement of goods, requiring a broader understanding of supply chain.
Typical progression
- Stockers and Order Fillers
- First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
- or Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Stockers and Order Fillers job outlook and future demand
- Automation probability
- Moderate-High
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Growing
Job satisfaction as Stockers and Order Fillers
- Overall satisfaction
- 6/10
- Meaning
- 5.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 5/10
- Prestige
- 4.5/10
- Social perception
- Low
Where practitioners gather
Professional organisations
- Material Handling Industry: A professional organization for those involved in material handling, logistics, and supply chain.
Podcasts and media
- Supply Chain Management Review: A publication offering insights and news on supply chain, logistics, and warehouse operations.
Online communities
- Warehouse Forum: An online forum for warehouse workers to discuss best practices, safety, and job-related issues.
- Retail Stockers & Merchandisers Group: A LinkedIn group for professionals in retail stocking and merchandising to network and share ideas.
- Logistics & Supply Chain Professionals: An online community for logistics and supply chain professionals to share knowledge and network.