Retail Associates
Employment Type
Job (Seasonal Part-Time)Job Categories
Visitor Services
Job Description
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is hiring Retail Associates in our Gardenshop!
Are you a people person with customer service experience, excited about inspiring meaningful connections among people and nature in one of the most beautiful settings in Maine, and committed to supporting the Gardens’ Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility goals?
Gardenshop Team Members work to answer questions and share stories about Gardenshop’s unique products and membership to the gardens, collect payment, and wrap guests’ goods, and maintain the shop’s appearance. They are often a guest’s longest and final interaction and so have tremendous opportunity to enrich a visit while generating meaningful financial support for the Gardens and our community.
This is a Seasonal position with a schedule of 17 – 34 hours per week, including at least one weekend day. Additional time may be needed outside these hours, especially during Gardens Aglow, which requires additional flexibility.
$18.00 hourly, non-exempt
Seasonal employees receive personal and sick paid time off, paid holidays, discounts in our culinary programs and Gardenshop, and a Gardens membership.
Physical Requirements:
This is an active job on a large campus requiring up to eight and a half hours of standing, walking, kneeling, squatting, bending, and reaching up. Some lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds and the occasional use of a stepstool to retrieve stock may be necessary. This job requires standard visual acuity and the ability to operate a POS system and a PC with or without accommodation.
About Us
At nearly 325 acres, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is the largest public garden in New England. With two miles of hiking trails, 19 acres of ornamental and themed gardens featuring native plants of Maine and those suited to northern coastal conditions, nearly a mile of saltwater frontage, a children’s garden, a sensory garden, and so much more, there’s something for everyone. A true Maine experience, the Gardens is committed to connecting people to plants and nature, preserving the biodiversity of the Maine coast, and continuing to be a place accessible and welcoming to all. The mission of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections between people and nature and promote plant conservation through horticulture, education, and plant science.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is dedicated to being an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible environment where every member of our community is valued, respected, and appreciated. We acknowledge that a society is stronger, more resilient, and more beautiful when it is diverse. We are committed to identifying and striving to eliminate barriers that, historically, have prevented the full participation of communities most impacted by inequity.
Duties & Responsibilities
-Become an exceptional storyteller, interpreter, educator, and salesperson, translating our goods and the stories of their makers to guests in ways that illuminate and strengthen our mission.
-Meet sales goals by working in a collaborative group dedicated to understanding what our guests seek and helping them discover in Gardenshop.
-Maintain the shop to high standards, visually and environmentally, providing excellent guest experience while keeping the floor clean and organized while working to prevent loss.
-Communicate guest feedback to direct manager or onsite manager on duty.
-Support a culture that welcomes all people to the Gardens to create meaningful experiences with the natural world and the people around them.
Education and Experience
-Two years of employment or life experience working in a team of people engaged in guest service; retail experience a bonus.
-The ability to learn new technology; some experience with POS systems helpful.
-Flexibility, with excellent communication skills that support and uplift our fast-paced and stimulating work environment.
-Comfort interacting with guests, volunteers, staff, board members, and the community, striving to exceed guest expectations and creating an exceptional experience for those visiting the Gardens.
