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E-commerce Fulfillment
Amazon, Walmart, Target
Stockers and Order Fillers
Stockers and order fillers keep inventory moving inside warehouses, store stockrooms, and supply rooms. They receive shipments, label and shelve items, and pull products for customers or coworkers, so the job is all about doing repetitive work quickly without making counting or sorting mistakes. The tradeoff is clear: the work is easy to enter and always needed, but it is physically demanding, often monotonous, and usually pays modestly.
Also known as Warehouse AssociateOrder PickerStock ClerkInventory AssociateMaterial Handler
Median Salary
$37,090
Mean $38,910
U.S. Workforce
~2.8M
472.3K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+8.5%
2764.8K to 2999.8K
Entry Education
No formal educational credential
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Stockers and Order Fillers sits in the Business category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~2.8M workers, with a median annual pay of $37,090 and roughly 472.3K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 2764.8 K in 2024 to 2999.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Warehouse Associate / Picker Packer and can progress toward Warehouse Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Monitoring, paired with soft skills such as Attention to detail, Teamwork, and Reliability.
Core Responsibilities
- Pull the right items from storage and hand them to coworkers or customers based on requests.
- Arrange products so they are easy to find, move, and restock later.
- Check incoming stock for damage, wear, or defects and report problems to a supervisor.
- Put labels, tags, or marks on items and record what arrived or left in a paper log or computer system.
Keep exploring: more Business careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Pull the right items from storage and hand them to coworkers or customers based on requests.
02 Arrange products so they are easy to find, move, and restock later.
03 Check incoming stock for damage, wear, or defects and report problems to a supervisor.
04 Put labels, tags, or marks on items and record what arrived or left in a paper log or computer system.
05 Pack and unpack boxes, totes, and shipments to get items ready for shelves or storage.
06 Identify extra, obsolete, or unusable stock and recommend what should be removed.
Industries That Hire
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Grocery and Food Distribution
Kroger, Sysco, Albertsons
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Retail and Home Improvement
Home Depot, Lowe's, Costco
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Wholesale and Industrial Supply
Grainger, Fastenal, Uline
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Healthcare Supply Distribution
McKesson, Cardinal Health, Owens & Minor
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You usually do not need a degree to start, and BLS lists no formal educational credential plus short-term on-the-job training as the typical entry path.
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There are a lot of jobs: the occupation is projected to grow 8.5% by 2034, adding about 235,000 jobs.
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Hiring demand is strong, with about 472.3 thousand annual openings expected each year.
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The work exists in many industries, from Amazon-style fulfillment centers to grocery, retail, wholesale, and medical supply warehouses.
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It is active, physical work rather than desk work, which appeals to people who prefer being on their feet and moving all day.
Challenges
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Pay is not high for the amount of labor involved: the median is $37,090 a year and the mean is $38,910.
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The job is physically demanding because it often involves standing, lifting, carrying, bending, and moving items for most of the shift.
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A lot of the work is repetitive, and you still have to stay accurate when picking, counting, labeling, and recording stock.
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There is a real career ceiling if you stay in the same role; moving up usually means shifting into lead, supervisor, or operations work.
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Automation and seasonal demand can reshape the job, since scanners, conveyors, and warehouse software can reduce some tasks and retail or e-commerce volumes can swing quickly.
Career Progression
Warehouse Associate / Picker Packer
0-1 years
$30K-$35K
Learns the basics of scanning, sorting, and staging inventory while working under close supervision.
Stockers and Order Fillers
1-4 years
$36K-$42K
Handles regular receiving, shelving, picking, and stock checks with little day-to-day instruction.
Lead Stocker / Inventory Lead THIS ROLE
4-7 years
$43K-$50K
Takes on more responsibility for organizing work, helping newer workers, and catching inventory problems early.
Warehouse Supervisor
7-12 years
$51K-$64K
Oversees teams, keeps shipments moving, and balances speed, safety, and accuracy across a shift.
Education Paths
No formal educational credential
BLS lists this as the typical entry point, and many workers learn the job through short-term on-the-job training.
High school diploma
The most common education level in the occupation, held by 56.56% of workers.
Some college courses
A sizable alternative path, used by 29.59% of workers who may want a broader base before moving into warehouse or inventory work.
Forklift or warehouse safety certification
A non-degree credential can help candidates stand out for jobs that involve heavy pallets, dock work, or powered equipment.
Key Skills
Technical
Active Listening 65%
Reading Comprehension 60%
Monitoring 58%
RF Scanners & Barcode Systems 57%
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) 56%
Label Printers, Handheld Scanners & RFID Tags 55%
Soft Skills
Attention to detailTeamworkReliabilityClear communicationTime managementAdaptability Job Outlook and Trends
+8.5%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
472.3K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 2764.8K to 2999.8 K over the next decade, representing 8.5% growth. Around 472.3 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.