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Warehousing & Fulfillment
Amazon, UPS, FedEx
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
This job is about checking products and materials before they move on to shipping, storage, production, or testing. The work is defined by precision: you may be weighing items, inspecting packages for defects, and keeping records at the same time, so the tradeoff is speed versus accuracy. It is usually entry-level and straightforward to learn, but the pay is modest and the work can be repetitive and physically active.
Also known as Scale House AttendantScale ClerkWeighmasterMaterial CheckerInventory Checker
Median Salary
$45,650
Mean $46,660
U.S. Workforce
~50K
5.3K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-4.8%
49.8K to 47.4K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping 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 ~50K workers, with a median annual pay of $45,650 and roughly 5.3K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 49.8 K in 2024 to 47.4K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma or equivalent, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Material Handler / Warehouse Associate and can progress toward Lead Inspector / Operations Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Quality Control Inspection & Specification Sheets, Scales, Gauges, Calipers & Measuring Tools, and Barcode Scanners, Labels & Warehouse Systems, paired with soft skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Monitoring.
Core Responsibilities
- Attach labels or identification tags to products and shipments so they can be tracked correctly.
- Inspect goods, packaging, and parts for damage, missing items, or quality problems using checklists and measuring tools.
- Weigh and measure materials or finished products, then record the results in shipping, receiving, or production logs.
- Tell other workers when items need to be moved, weighed, sorted, or rechecked.
Keep exploring: more Business careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Attach labels or identification tags to products and shipments so they can be tracked correctly.
02 Inspect goods, packaging, and parts for damage, missing items, or quality problems using checklists and measuring tools.
03 Weigh and measure materials or finished products, then record the results in shipping, receiving, or production logs.
04 Tell other workers when items need to be moved, weighed, sorted, or rechecked.
05 Collect samples and get them ready for lab testing or other follow-up checks.
06 Keep the work area organized and talk with customers, vendors, or coworkers to confirm product details and resolve questions.
Industries That Hire
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Manufacturing
3M, Toyota, General Mills
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Food & Beverage Processing
Tyson Foods, PepsiCo, Nestlé
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Recycling & Waste Management
WM, Republic Services, Waste Connections
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Retail Distribution
Walmart, Target, Kroger
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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It is one of the easier jobs to enter: BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry point, no work experience is required, and training is usually short-term.
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The pay is fairly solid for a role that does not require a degree, with a median annual wage of $45,650 and a mean of $46,660.
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There are still about 5.3K annual openings, so workers who keep a clean record and show up reliably can find steady replacement demand.
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The skills are practical and transferable, especially if you want to move into shipping, inventory, quality control, or production coordination later.
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The work is concrete and easy to understand: you can quickly see whether you have weighed, checked, labeled, or recorded something correctly.
Challenges
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Employment is projected to decline by 4.8% from 49.8K to 47.4K jobs by 2034, so the field is shrinking rather than expanding.
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The work can be repetitive and physically tiring, since it often involves standing, moving items, cleaning work areas, and handling samples all shift long.
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Automation is a real structural risk: barcode systems, scanners, and automated weighing equipment can reduce the number of people needed to do this work.
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The career ceiling is limited unless you move into supervision or quality control, because the job is built around routine checking rather than specialized credentials.
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A small mistake can cause real downstream problems in shipping, production, or receiving, so the job can feel high-pressure even when the tasks look simple.
Career Progression
Material Handler / Warehouse Associate
0-2 years
$30K-$37K
Beginners learn basic warehouse flow, labeling, moving goods, and following checklists before taking on more precise measuring and recording work.
Weigher, Measurer, Checker, and Sampler, Recordkeeping
1-4 years
$39K-$50K
Workers inspect products, take measurements, document results, and catch problems before items are shipped, stored, or processed.
Senior Checker / Quality Control Clerk THIS ROLE
4-7 years
$50K-$63K
At this level, the work gets more independent, with more responsibility for spotting defects, resolving discrepancies, and keeping records accurate.
Lead Inspector / Operations Supervisor
7+ years
$63K-$78K
Experienced workers may oversee a shift, train others, handle escalations, and coordinate quality checks across a larger workflow.
Education Paths
High school diploma or equivalent
The most common entry point, held by 49.95% of workers in this occupation.
Less than a high school diploma
A sizable minority, 21.5%, have less than a high school diploma, showing that some employers will hire and train workers without a formal credential.
Some college courses
Another 19.49% have some college courses, which can help if you want to move toward inventory, quality, or operations roles later.
Short-term on-the-job training
BLS says new workers typically learn the job through short-term on-the-job training, so the real learning happens at the worksite.
Key Skills
Technical
Quality Control Inspection & Specification Sheets 60%
Scales, Gauges, Calipers & Measuring Tools 58%
Barcode Scanners, Labels & Warehouse Systems 56%
Excel, Forms & Recordkeeping Software 54%
Sample Collection & Lab Prep 52%
Shipping, Receiving & Inventory Documentation 50%
Soft Skills
Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringSpeakingActive ListeningCoordination Job Outlook and Trends
+-4.8%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
5.3K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 49.8K to 47.4 K over the next decade, representing -4.8% growth. Around 5.3 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.