How To Become A Food Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is a food clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A food clerk is an individual who works in a grocery store or supermarket, primarily in the produce and deli sections. They are responsible for stocking shelves, assisting customers with finding products, weighing and labeling items, and preparing food items such as sandwiches and salads.. To be successful, they must possess strong communication skills. Overall, a food clerk plays an important role in ensuring customers have access to fresh and high-quality food products.

ScoreFood ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,967

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.8

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.14%

Asian 7.71%

Black or African American 11.21%

Hispanic or Latino 20.02%

Unknown 5.42%

White 54.50%

Gender

female 47.41%

male 52.59%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress Level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Food Clerk?

Pros

Discounted or free food as a job benefit
Interacting with customers and building customer service skills
Opportunities for overtime pay during busy seasons
Job security due to the constant demand for grocery stores
Potential for bonuses and performance rewards

Cons

Potentially dealing with difficult or rude customers
Low starting pay with minimal pay increases unless promoted
Working on weekends, holidays, and evenings when stores are busiest
High-pressure work environment during peak hours
Limited opportunities for creativity or personal expression in the job.

Key steps to become a food clerk

Explore food clerk education requirements

Most common food clerk degrees

High School Diploma

40.4 %

Bachelor's

28.1 %

Associate

19.5 %

Start to develop specific food clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Wine	23.64%
Basic Math	21.57%
Customer Service	12.02%
Taking Care	11.47%
Stock Shelves	3.88%

Complete relevant food clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New food clerks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a food clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real food clerk resumes.

Research food clerk duties and responsibilities

Exemplify a model of excellent customer service in keeping with Publix's orientation towards ensuring customer satisfaction.
Open the new Goshen Kroger and assist in recruiting and training new staff.

Prepare your food clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your food clerk resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a food clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Food Clerk Resume templates

Build a professional Food Clerk resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Food Clerk resume.

Apply for food clerk jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a food clerk job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do food clerks rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Food Clerk reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Cons

Repetitive tasks. Or obviously, working with people who are highly critical.

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

Learning about fish. Ordering for my department