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What's called a person whom his work is to put products on shelves in stores (for example in supermarkets)? For example, if one of the products is missed, then he adds it again. I was told (by non native English speaker) that "merchandiser" works here, but some dictionaries (Cambridge, Collins) say that merchandiser is someone who sells products. So I doubt it.

young man putting products on shelves

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  • A merchandiser is usually not an employee of the store, but an employee of a company whose products are sold in the store. Their job is to ensure that product displays meet the manufacturer's standards.
    – StackOverthrow
    Apr 25, 2019 at 21:33
  • I don't know about the UK, but in America we call them Stocker/Sales Associate: person who "stocks shelves Vendor: someone from outside of the store who sells the products and maintains the needs of the product/company.
    – Kyle Mccoy
    May 20, 2019 at 3:18

13 Answers 13

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I think 'stocker' is a common term for this in the US, though it may have declined with the rise of more business speak terms.

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    And really I think this is the most correct answer. When I worked in a small store as a "clerk" I worked the register and stocked the shelves (and cleaned and literally did everything because that's just how it goes when there's a grand total of 5 employees) but I was not called a "stocker". If someone's only job is to stock shelves, e.g., the people who come in after hours as big grocery stores, they are "stockers", in common lingo.
    – JamieB
    Apr 24, 2019 at 20:14
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In the UK I have heard and seen shelf-stacker or sometimes shelf filler to describe this role.

Someone whose job is to put goods on the shelves in a supermarket - Cambridge Dictionary

A person whose job is to fill the shelves and displays in a supermarket or other shop with goods for sale - Collins Dictionary

A person whose job is to fill the shelves and displays in a supermarket or other shop with goods for sale - Dictionary.com

Similar definitions are also in The Free Dictionary

Some companies or staff (rightly or wrongly) may want to overstate a job title, a job advertised as a merchandiser or product placement specialist (another actual, but different job role) may attract more applicants than advertising for a shelf-stacker; also an employee needing to ‘enhance’ their cv.

So you are correct that merchandiser is the wrong term.

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    British English speaker: "shelf stacker" is the only thing I've heard this role called outside of peculiar HR banalitities
    – abligh
    Apr 23, 2019 at 21:56
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    "Night fill" as well, especially in supermarkets.
    – mckenzm
    Apr 24, 2019 at 5:05
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    When I had this job (Sainsburys, 2002) I was officially a 'replenishment assistant' but we all called ourselves shelf stackers.
    – ssav
    Apr 25, 2019 at 11:07
  • "merchandiser" is actually a related term of art here. Someone whose job it is to work out what order and height to place things on the shelves to maximise sales is a "merchandiser", the job they do is "visual merchandising". But they definitely aren't the people putting the things out on the shelves. They're the ones working out the shape of the supermarket.
    – Racheet
    Apr 26, 2019 at 14:39
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In my state (MA) in the US, they call it a "stock boy".

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    +1. "Stocker" is a common variation.
    – Jasper
    Apr 23, 2019 at 19:35
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    In the south, the usual term is stocker. At least in my experience.
    – Hearth
    Apr 24, 2019 at 1:17
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    "Stock boy" is colloquial, originated in the 1950s when stock boys were almost all young boys taking work during school, and is potentially derogatory since these roles, today, are just as likely to be staffed by middle-aged women or men as they are young high-school kids.
    – J...
    Apr 24, 2019 at 15:07
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    My first job working in my father's grocery store included stocking the shelves. The proper term even then was "stocker". Today, a gendered term like "stock boy" would be even less common.
    – Monty Harder
    Apr 24, 2019 at 16:58
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    Stocker is the only word I've ever heard used in Colorado. Calling someone a stock boy would be unbelievably rude, in my opinion.
    – Cooper
    Apr 24, 2019 at 21:56
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In a lot of companies in the US, this job is called "stock associate."

The responsibilities can include receiving shipments, stocking items in warehouses or on sales-floors, and assisting customers.

Other possible terms are "store clerk" and "salesclerk."

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    Note that the term "associate" is catch-all corporatespeak for "we didn't want to just call you a drone".
    – Tin Wizard
    Apr 23, 2019 at 21:21
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    Old word: stocker.
    – Joshua
    Apr 24, 2019 at 1:26
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    Prompting this question: english.stackexchange.com/q/495994
    – Stilez
    Apr 24, 2019 at 6:46
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    I think "store clerk" or "salesclerk" both generally refer to the person running the cash register, not stocking shelves. Of course in a small store this may be the same person, but that's not generally the case.
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Apr 24, 2019 at 15:37
  • @DarrelHoffman I think you're right that in conversation "salesclerk" has more of a connotation of running the register (though less than "cashier"). "Store clerk" would encompass both roles, to my ear. That said, there are large stores where the same people do both functions--I'm thinking particularly of pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens here, where I know for certain that this is the case. Brief googling has told me that there are other large stores (ex: Bed Bath and Beyond) where the same employees handle both stocking and sales work.
    – Katy
    Apr 24, 2019 at 15:54
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Stock clerk is a term I have often heard and seen. It's widely used in job descriptions and job search sites, though Stock Associate has become more popular in recent years.

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shelf-stacker would be term used in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. A merchandiser works for the manufacturer or supplier of a product and visits stores to set up the shelves and/or in-store displays.

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    My understanding is that this use of "merchandiser" applies in the US too. If you google the term you can see descriptions of this position for Coca-Cola, American Greetings, etc.
    – Random832
    Apr 24, 2019 at 15:58
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To add on to the other answers (stock clerk, stocker, stock associate, store clerk, sales clerk, etc.):

In some libraries, this job is literally called a shelver (although "re-shelver" might be more accurate).

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  • Would a "re-shelver" not put new books on the shelves, only books that had previously been shelved?
    – Randy Orrison
    Apr 24, 2019 at 15:20
  • @RandyOrrison Yes. I meant it as a sort of joke, since I imagine the majority of the job involves re-shelving books that library patrons have removed from the shelves. Patrons are not supposed to re-shelve their own books, since too many of them shelve them incorrectly.
    – Andrew
    Apr 24, 2019 at 16:19
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The general terms given here are all applicable. You asked specifically about grocery stores and when I was in the grocery business we called them "grocery clerks." We called the group who did this work the "grocery crew" or "grocery" for short. This was to distinguish them from the produce, bakery, meat and front-end (cashiers and administrative workers) crews.

Grocery crews had responsibility for making sure the non-perishable goods were well stocked and properly rotated (newer products went to the back of the shelf and worked their way forward). The perishable products were handled by crews that specialized in that particular product which sometimes had a specialized skill; meat cutter for the meat department or baker for the bakery, as examples.

Different geographic areas and different companies had some slight variations in the naming of the position and some of those variations included the more generic title seen in other answers, such as stocker.

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  • Whose job is facing ?
    – Mazura
    Apr 24, 2019 at 9:20
  • Facing, or making sure the products on the shelf face the proper direction, was the job of the grocery crew. This was typically done as part of the restocking of the shelves which. Often, the majority of the grocery crew worked overnight as the "night crew." Throughout the day, however, people with different roles would generally have responsibility to make sure the store was tidy and that included re-facing the shelves. Sometimes there would be a grocery clerk working the day-time hours making sure the shelves stayed properly arranged.
    – Dave D
    Apr 24, 2019 at 14:51
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    Facing is not just making sure the products face the proper direction. It also pulls them forward so that there is no empty space between the faces of the products and the front edge of the shelf. This makes the store look like it has more stock on hand, and can make it easier, especially for shorter customers, to reach the products than if they're pushed to the back.
    – Monty Harder
    Apr 24, 2019 at 17:00
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I used to do this as a job in Australia, our official title was 'Fill Associate' (as we filled the shelves) and we were more colloquially referred to as 'Fillers' or just 'Fill'

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I would say stock boy or stock person. (There seems to be regional variation in this, I am in the North-east U.S. if that helps.)

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In french we use the word "magasinier", which can be translated to "storekeeper" or "warehouseman".

I think a storekeeper has a interactions with the customer (such as advising) and manages other aspects of the shop such as the cash register. He actually keeps the shop, so it may not be what you are looking for.

In the other hand, warehouseman induces the idea of a large scale of merchandise, so your choice depends on the context.

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I've been called a "Merchandiser" by the large box store where I used to work.

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  • Your answer will follow the rules perfectly if you would provide a link to support your statement. Otherwise, it looks just like an opinion - even if it is correct.
    – virolino
    Apr 24, 2019 at 6:54
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I don't know about the UK, but in America we call them Stocker/Sales Associate: person who "stocks shelves Vendor: someone from outside of the store who sells the products and maintains the needs of the product/company.

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