Bookseller - Temporary

Location: Virginia Beach, VA (Town Center) • Classification: Temporary

About the role

A Barnes & Noble bookstore is a gathering place for readers and the community. As a Bookseller, you are an integral member of the bookselling team at the heart of our stores. You welcome customers in a cheerful and helpful way by saying hello, answering questions, and consistently going out of your way to connect readers with the right titles and products. Equally, you are an essential part of the bookstore team in maintaining the attractive presentation of the store and in ensuring its efficient running. You help unpack and shelve deliveries and tidy our displays. You work our registers in a quick and friendly manner, ensuring our customers receive a highly professional service.

Responsibilities

• Maintain reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts
• Fill scheduling gaps when able, being flexible and responsive to store needs (open early mornings to late evenings daily, including weekends and most holidays)
• Approach work positively and willingly, performing assigned tasks with purpose and energy
• Support and consider colleagues, going out of your way to help others and showing kindness
• Remain cheerful with customers, consistently going out of your way to help them
• Show aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge
• Enjoy being a bookseller
• Master operational competencies: using registers, computers, tablets, programs and other tools comfortably and efficiently
• Develop strong merchandising skills to maintain book presentation and store cleanliness
• Develop effective visual merchandising skills for gifting, toys and other product categories
• Run a register competently to serve customers quickly and reliably
• Support receiving and unpacking deliveries, and efficient, accurate shelving
• Find books and products with ease and accuracy using personal knowledge, colleagues, BookMaster and information tools
• Support the café team willingly and effectively when needed
• Understand loss prevention procedures and de-escalation techniques, identify theft, spot and seek support for problematic behavior
• Perform physical activity including prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting and extensive walking
• Work in other stores if able and needed, collaboratively supporting the wider Cluster

Requirements

• Reliable and punctual attendance
• Flexibility to work early mornings, late evenings, weekends and most holidays
• Positive, energetic approach to assigned tasks
• Supportive and considerate teamwork
• Consistently cheerful and helpful customer service
• Willingness and aptitude to learn new skills
• Genuine enjoyment of bookselling
• Ability to perform physical demands: prolonged standing, bending, lifting, extensive walking

Skills & competencies

• Proficiency with registers, computers, tablets, POS systems and retail technology
• Merchandising and visual merchandising across books, gifts, toys, collectibles, music, movies and newsstand
• Register operation and cash handling
• Receiving, unpacking and accurate shelving of deliveries
• Product lookup using BookMaster and internal tools
• Café support and cross-training
• Loss prevention awareness and de-escalation techniques
• Book knowledge across fiction, nonfiction and children's sections
• Effective book recommendations and positive selling techniques
• Support of key sales objectives (Monthly Picks, Book of the Year, Membership, preorders, etc.)

Career development

As you gain experience, you should expect your bookselling knowledge and skills to develop. You will build book knowledge across subjects and categories, use this knowledge to maintain sections and present books attractively, make effective recommendations, and learn to sell books in a positive way that supports key sales objectives. You will also build expertise in Educational Toys and Games, Specialty Games, Hobby and Collectibles, music and movies, and Newsstand. As you demonstrate mastery, you are expected to advance to the next step in the career path — Senior Bookseller — where you will take on new challenges and gain further opportunities for growth.

Benefits

• Scheduled less than 20 hours/week: Employee Discount, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Sick Pay
• Scheduled 20–29.99 hours/week: Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay, Paid Time Off (including paid Maternity and Parental Leave), Company Paid Holidays, Transit benefits, 401(k) with Company Match
• Scheduled 30 hours or more/week: Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay, Paid Time Off (including paid Maternity and Parental Leave), Company Paid Holidays, 401(k) with Company Match, Comprehensive Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision), Healthcare and Dependent Care Spending Accounts, Healthcare Spending Account, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Transit benefits, Tuition Reimbursement

All benefits provided are in accordance with the terms of the current plan and may be subject to future change. Benefits may vary depending on location/state regulations.

Pay

Hourly rate starting at $14.00, depending on experience, seniority, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law.

Schedule

Store hours: early mornings to late evenings every day, including weekends and most holidays. Flexibility to fill scheduling gaps is expected.