Counter and Rental Clerks
In short: today's best AI models could do about 23% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 77% of the time, stays with people.
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services. May describe available options, compute cost, and accept payment.
400,810 people do this job in the US. $41,300 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on6 h
- A person checks AI's work3 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people31 h
Counter and Rental Clerks, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 6 hours, 3 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 31 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Keep transaction records (about 2 h); Fill in rental agreements (about 2 h, a person checks); Book reservations and log rentals (about 2 h).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 0%
- 23%
- 6%
- 43%
- 28%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 23% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 6%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 23%. Today's estimate: 23%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 2.9% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 3rd largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 16 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.16% to 0.17% (released February and March 2025); 0.14% to 0.16% (August 2025 to February 2026); 2.7% to 2.9% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.16% | 115 of 708 | 4 of 16 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.17% | 103 of 703 | 4 of 16 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.14% | 131 of 655 | 5 of 16 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.12% | 129 of 672 | 6 of 16 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.16% | 111 of 677 | 5 of 16 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 2.7% | 4 of 434 | 2 of 16 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 2.9% | 3 of 447 | 2 of 16 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 22% of this job's working time as physical work. For 17% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 17% in a purpose-built cell. 0.17 of 3, the 463rd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 78%
- No robot shown 5%
- In a purpose-built cell 17%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
77% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Greet customers and find what they need, the in-person work, 10%
- Prepare items for display, the hands-on work, 8%
- Take in and tag items, the hands-on work, 7%
- Rent out items and take returns, the in-person work, 7%
- Total charges and take payment, the hands-on work, 7%
- Recommend products and services, the in-person work, 6%
What becomes checking the machine
9% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 14% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Fill in rental agreements, costly if wrong, 6%
- Rent out items and take returns, costly if wrong, 3%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 50% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- The hands-on craft. About 28% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Running AI inside the business systems. About 23% of the time is work inside business systems, which a model can do only once it is connected: knowing the systems well enough to set that up and watch it.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.Face to face at the counter.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.Handing items over and taking them back at the counter, with the rental agreement entered.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Metalprogetti Battista DEP (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | In person 40%, systems 30%, hands-on 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental.Setting out and readying stock.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Metalprogetti One Touch Assembly (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 21 min8 min to 42 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.Filling in the agreement with the customer's details and getting the signature.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Systems 70%, in person 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.Taking the item over the counter, looking it over and tagging it.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Inwatec Robot Separator (THOR) + ODIN X-ray + vision sorting line (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 29 min | Hands-on 80%, in person 20% | Stays with people |
| Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.Asking the customer what they need and entering the order.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | In person 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.A register transaction at the counter, with a few words.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Hands-on 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.Live calls, with the order keyed in.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Conversation 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.Advice at the counter.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment.Entries in the log.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented.Entering reservations and rentals, with the customer on the phone or at the counter.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Systems 70%, conversation 30% | 70%Desk part half by now |
| Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.Looking the item over and setting it up for the customer.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 10 min4 min to 25 min | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Retail Salespersons23% now, 23% by 2028
- Cashiers19% now, 19% by 2028
- Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers31% now, 31% by 2028
- Stockers and Order Fillers19% now, 19% by 2028
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel59% now, 60% by 2028
- Customer Service Representatives64% now, 64% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Counter and Rental Clerks is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 23% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 23% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Counter and Rental Clerks come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Keep transaction records (100% of the task's time now); Fill in rental agreements (70% of the task's time now); and Book reservations and log rentals (70% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Counter and Rental Clerks stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Greet customers and find what they need; Prepare items for display; and Take in and tag items. Together such tasks are about 57% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Counter and Rental Clerks learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; dealing with people outside the organization; and the hands-on craft. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 77% of the working time stays with people, 9% becomes checking a model's work and 14% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Counter and Rental Clerks?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 2.9% went to this job's tasks, the 3rd largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 16 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 20%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Counter and Rental Clerks?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 22% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 17% of the working time. Its index is 0.17 of 3. One example: Metalprogetti Battista DEP for "rent out items and take returns". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 16 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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