A warehouse order selector and order picker are two very similar, often overlapping jobs. The terms are often used interchangeably online. Yet, while many of their duties aim to accomplish the same goal of maintaining efficient and accurate warehouse fulfillment, the duties differ slightly, leading to a large disparity between the number of people who identify as each role. According to Zippia, people are hired as “order pickers” around 10 times as often as “order selectors,” suggesting a meaningful difference in the duties and skills involved.
This article explains the role of a warehouse order selector and compares it to an order picker. Those who manage distributors, chains, and warehouses may need to know the difference, not only to hire the right person for essential fulfillment duties, but also to properly define those duties for their employees.
What is a Warehouse Order Selector?
The position of warehouse order selector is an essential piece of the warehouse fulfillment puzzle. The selector’s job is to pick, organize, and prepare products in warehouses to get them ready for shipment to customers. This requires a range of duties, including:
- Organizing and ordering warehouse merchandise for easy retrieval and safety
- Scanning items into and out of automated inventory management systems
- Operating heavy machinery such as forklifts to move pallets of merchandise
- Review orders and confirm SKUs, including color, size, variation, and quantity
- Collecting items specified by the orders, boxing them up, and labeling them for quicker ID in the shipping area
- Managing customer questions and complaints
These physical and logistical duties have one thing in common: the goal of increasing the efficiency and accuracy of warehouse order fulfillment. Not all of these duties will be automatically assigned to every warehouse order selector. For example, not all selectors are licensed to operate heavy warehouse machinery. However, all order selectors are key contributors to the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction of their warehouses.
How is a Warehouse Order Picker Different?
In many cases, a warehouse picker may not be tangibly different from an order selector, but since so many more people occupy this role, the duties tend to be simpler. Like order selectors, pickers prepare items for shipping, check for damage, monitor inventory, report shortages, and handle some returns.
However, order pickers may not be as central to warehouse management, and are hired far more frequently for lower-level fulfillment tasks. This may be why, according to recent data, pickers earn around $3,000-$9,000 less on average than order selectors.
What Qualifications are Important?
When hiring an order selector or picker for warehouse duties, managers should look for a few core skills to make sure the candidate is qualified for the many responsibilities they may encounter:
- Pallet Organization: Pulling orders from different warehouses or distribution centers may require experience with motorized pallet jacks or forklifts, including double jacks and standing lifts, which can elevate a candidate’s status.
- Technology Savvy: Despite being defined by physical labor tasks, order pickers and selectors will need to be able to use modern warehouse workforce solutions, including product scanners, inventory systems, and communication systems.
- Customer Relations: Order pickers and selectors may manage and supervise customer order fulfillment from the service side, as well as the operational side. This may include answering and resolving customer complaints.
- Safety Compliance: In addition to machine operation safety, order selectors and pickers work with management and other employees to uphold warehouse safety regulations, including the company’s safety rules and OSHA procedures. This can include not only worker safety but also product safety, since many warehouses store food, medicines, and other perishables that need to be attentively managed to guarantee safe use.
- Calculation Skills: Basic math without the use of a calculator can be significant for both order selectors and pickers since order accuracy and transport calculations need to be done quickly to avoid safety or efficiency concerns.
While the difference between an order selector and order picker can lead to wage disparities due to industry norms, the duties of the roles may not differ by the name alone. Rather, the managers of distribution centers, stores, and chains may hire pickers or selectors for different individual roles, depending on their qualifications, the size of the warehouse, and the number of people already employed in their fulfillment process.
Elevate Fulfillment with Rapid-Response Warehouse Workforce Solutions
At NVT Warehouse Division, we deploy certified warehouse professionals nationwide within 72 hours to keep operations moving smoothly. From order selection, labeling, and loading to certified PIT operators and on-site team leaders, our workforce is equipped for every aspect of outbound fulfillment.
We specialize in short- to mid-term operational support (30–90 days) with flexible, transparent pricing and no long-term commitments. Daily client check-ins and weekly leadership follow-ups ensure accountability at every stage.
Contact NVT today to secure a warehouse workforce that delivers speed, reliability, and measurable efficiency.