Will rental clerks be replaced by AI?
Updated
Rental clerks score 57 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 47%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 19% outright, and 34% stays with people.
- 19% AI can do it
- 47% AI helps
- 34% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 87% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 16 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 7 and leaves 6 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented. Reservation and rental records are routine scheduling software work. | 76% AI can do it |
| Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders. Voice agents can answer routine calls and take orders. | 72% AI can do it |
| Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment. POS and door sensors already log transactions and visitor counts. | 66% AI can do it |
| Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures. Assistants explain policies well, but clerk delivers them face to face. | 60% AI helps |
| Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description. Catalog and inventory lookups answer most item questions quickly. | 58% AI helps |
| Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses. Forms can be auto filled, but signatures and license checks stay manual. | 52% AI helps |
| Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage. Online or phone intake can be digitized, handover stays in person. | 50% AI helps |
| Advise customers on use and care of merchandise. AI writes care guidance well, but hands-on demonstration needs a person. | 45% AI helps |
| Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services. AI can suggest products, but in person advice needs a person. | 42% AI helps |
| Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments. POS software totals orders, but clerk still takes payment in person. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 6 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired. Examining and tagging physical articles requires in person handling. | 22% Needs a person |
| Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns. Physical handover and return inspection dominate this task. | 20% Needs a person |
| Allocate equipment to participants in sporting events or recreational activities. Fitting and handing out physical gear requires hands on work. | 18% Needs a person |
| Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental. Live in-person conversation about needs and merchandise quality. | 15% Needs a person |
| Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental. Physically arranging and staging merchandise for display or rental. | 12% Needs a person |
| Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer. Physically inspecting and adjusting equipment needs hands on skill. | 8% Needs a person |
How rental clerks compare
All occupations (923)
Sales and related (22)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $41,300 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 400,810 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.0% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run rental reservations and availability in inventory management systems
- Pull rental history and item records with Oracle Database queries
- Inspect and adjust rental equipment before customer handover
- Check customer licenses and collect signatures on rental forms
- Build fee quotes and rate sheets in Microsoft Excel
- Examine and tag returned articles for damage and repair
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about rental clerks and AI
Will AI replace rental clerks?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reserving items and recording rental records, plus answering phone orders. Greeting customers, inspecting equipment and handing items over stay with clerks because they need a person in the room and hands on the gear.
Which tasks is AI taking over for rental clerks?
Reservations and rental records carry the highest exposure at 76 out of 100, because scheduling software already tracks them. Phone order intake follows at 72, since voice agents can answer routine calls and take orders. Transaction logs score 66 because POS systems record sales automatically.
Which tasks stay human for rental clerks?
Inspecting and adjusting rental items scores only 8 out of 100 because it needs hands on the equipment. Greeting customers and discussing merchandise quality scores 15 because it is a live conversation. Renting items and accepting returns scores 20 because the physical handover and return check dominate the task.
How can rental clerks stay valuable on the job?
Get skilled at in-person inspection and fitting for the gear you rent, so you can catch condition problems before handover. Learn to fix exceptions that inventory management systems and Oracle Database reports flag. Use Microsoft Excel to check quotes against rate sheets, and keep license checks and signature collection in your hands.
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