The invention relates to an operating device for an order-picking apparatus for storing piece goods, more particularly packs of pharmaceuticals. Known operating devices are expensive to manufacture and can only apply a limited gripping force. In order to solve this problem, the operating device comprises: a depositing table (10) extending in a first horizontal direction (x)； two elongated gripping jaws (20a, 20b) arranged above the depositing table (10) and having mutually opposed gripping surfaces (21a, 21b)； and a gripping jaw guide assembly (30) having a frame structure (31, 32, 33a, 33b), a first and a second guide (35, 36), which are spaced apart in the first horizontal direction (x) and extend in a second horizontal direction (y), and at least four gripping jaw carriages (40a, 40b, 41a, 41b) which are coupled to the guides (35, 36) and are driven in the second horizontal direction (y), each pair of respective gripping jaw carriages being allocated to a guide and at least each pair of respective gripping jaw carriages (40a, 41a, 40b, 41b) spaced apart in the first horizontal direction (x) being coupled to a gripping jaw (20a, 20b).
