Career Overview
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.
Also Known As
- Receiver
- Receiving Clerk
- Shipper
- Shipping Clerk
Alternate Job Titles
- Backroom Associate
- Booking Clerk
- Break Out Man
- Break Out Worker
- Car Checker
- Cloth Booker
- Container Coordinator
- Disposition Clerk
- Distributing Clerk
- Distribution Associate
- Distribution Center Associate
- Distribution Clerk
- Distribution Team Member
- Express Clerk
- Fish Receiver
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
- Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
- Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
- Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
- Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
- Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
- Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins.
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Near Vision
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Information Ordering
- Oral Comprehension
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Perceptual Speed
- Speech Recognition
- Written Comprehension
- Manual Dexterity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Apple Safari
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Mozilla Firefox
- SAP software
Tools & Equipment
- Barcode printers
- Box cutters
- Desktop computers
- Fixed radio frequency identification device RFID readers
- Forklifts
- Hand trucks
- Handheld bar code scanners
- Handheld scanners
- High-speed/moving object scanning devices
- Notebook computers
- Package scales
- Pillow packing machines
- Pneumatic box staplers
- Postage meters
- Radio frequency identification RFID devices
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Time Pressure
- Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $32,900 |
| Median | $43,190 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $60,300 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 857,630
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Postal Service Clerks
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $61,630
Stockers and Order Fillers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $37,090
Cargo and Freight Agents
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $49,900
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $45,650
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $56,530
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.