Counter and Rental Clerks
Marketing, Sales and ServiceO*NET 41-2021.00United States
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services. May describe available options, compute cost, and accept payment.
- Median annual earnings
- $41,281
- Projected change
- +6.5%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 410.51K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
56.6% of the workforce
Growing to 437.25K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What counter and rental clerks do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.
- Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.
- Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures.
- Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description.
- Advise customers on use and care of merchandise.
- Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.
- Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.
- Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.
- Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.
- Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.
- Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment.
- Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.
- Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented.
- Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental.
- Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $29,698
- 25th percentile
- $35,545
- 50th percentile
- $41,281
- 75th percentile
- $50,508
- 90th percentile
- $66,589
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $41,281 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.5%faster than average
2025410,506 jobs
2035 projected437,251 jobs
26,745 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 56.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 20.3%
- Some college
- 13.2%
- Associate degree
- 9.5%
- Certificate
- 0.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Rental Coordinators1,003 postings
- 02Return Agents376 postings
- 03Returns Associates315 postings
- 04Rental Sales Representatives306 postings
- 05Rental Sales Agents305 postings
- 06Rental Agents296 postings
- 07Instant Return Representatives286 postings
- 08Rental Representatives281 postings
- 09Rental Associates234 postings
- 10Courtesy Clerks173 postings
- 11Self Storage Managers163 postings
- 12Car Rental Agents155 postings
- 13Yard Associates146 postings
- 14Returns Clerks143 postings
- 15Storage Customer Service Representatives142 postings
- 16Returns Coordinators122 postings
- 17Customer Assistance Representatives113 postings
- 18Customer Service Associates107 postings
- 19Counter Clerks100 postings
- 20Airport Customer Service Agents93 postings
Top employers
- 01Avis Budget Group387 postings
- 02Enterprise Mobility293 postings
- 03Sixt264 postings
- 04EquipmentShare262 postings
- 05Enterprise Rent-A-Car184 postings
- 06ShopRite171 postings
- 07U-Haul153 postings
- 08Ryder127 postings
- 09Sedgwick103 postings
- 10Indie Campers96 postings
- 11Lowe's92 postings
- 12Go Rentals89 postings
- 13Staples89 postings
- 14Eds Solutions80 postings
- 15Go Store It75 postings
- 16Penske74 postings
- 17The Hertz Corporation72 postings
- 18Fox Rent-A-Car64 postings
- 19White Cap International61 postings
- 20White Cap Management61 postings
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