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Grocery Stocker

What Is a Grocery Stocker and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

Table of Contents

What Does a Grocery Stocker Do?

A grocery stocker performs many different tasks inside a grocery store or supermarket. In this career, you stock shelves, manage displays, and put labels and price tags on products. Your responsibilities include cleaning the supermarket and maintaining an orderly space for shoppers. Other duties include organizing shelves and returning misplaced items. You mop, sweep, wash windows, and otherwise keep the grocery store clean and presentable. You also collect grocery carts from outside and bring them back into the store. You assist in unloading product from the trucks and may sometimes order products the supermarket needs.

How to Become a Grocery Stocker

The qualifications for becoming a Grocery Stocker may vary based on the state and employer. Some grocery store employers and state governments will require that you are of at least 16 or 18 years old to work as a Grocery Stocker. The employer may also require that you hold at least a high school diploma or GED to be an eligible candidate, but generally this is an entry-level position. Most employers will provide on-the-job training, teaching how to stock shelves, rotate products, and check for recalled items. You may also be responsible for operating heavy machinery, like scissor lift, baler, compactor, and pallet jacks, which you usually will be trained on how to use. Prior customer service experience and the ability to lift a certain amount of weight may be preferred, but not required.

What Skills Do I Need to Be a Grocery Stocker?

It takes several skills to be an effective grocery stocker. You need excellent communication skills as you spend much of your time communicating with customers. You also need to be detail-oriented and organized, as grocery stores are large with lots of inventory. Other qualifications include the ability to be flexible and adapt to unexpected incidents in the store. You must also be able to lift heavy boxes and work a variable schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holidays. Grocery stockers need basic math skills and may have to operate some machinery.

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