Book Buyer, Lark & Owl Booksellers
Georgetown, Texas
www.larkandowlbooksellers.com
Send resume to jobs@larkandowlbooksellers.com
Mission
Our mission is to meet the needs of customers by creating an inviting space for community, conversation and books.
Vision
Lark & Owl Booksellers will create a diverse and inspirational, community-focused experience built on open communication, respect, encouragement and inclusivity through books and conversation.
Position Summary:
Lark & Owl Booksellers is looking for a Book Buyer who will be selecting and ordering books to be sold in the store, in a way that furthers our vision for a bookstore/retail/bistro experience that revolves around community, conversation, and books.
Pay and Compensation:
$17 to $20 per hour, for 30 or more hours per week
L&O is a feisty start-up, committed to expressing our values through how we treat our team members. We hope to grow our compensation options for our employees within the first few years, but for now, we have to opt for creativity. L&O provides the following compensation perks to our team members:
- Insurance allowance
- Employee discounts on books, retail, and bistro items
- Wholesale purchasing opportunities for retail items
- The opportunity to grow with this dynamic and exciting company – we support hiring from within
- The chance to meet your favorite authors and speakers
- Many of our employees are poets, authors, teachers, leaders, and activists. You are sure to find kindred spirits here!
Educational and Professional Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED required, Associate or Bachelor degree preferred
- At least two years of book buying experience required
- Edelweiss 360 and Anthology experience required
Traits and Skills:
- Self-motivated with a strong work ethic
- Detail-oriented
- Broad-based knowledge of publishers, and a love of books
- Community-minded
- Sense of humor
- Flexibility
- Excited about an opportunity to build a new-ish business and programming
- Extraordinary communication and customer service skills, both verbal and written
- Builds towards solutions with the team through collaboration and achieving consensus
- Positive and optimistic outlook
- Readers come in all stripes. Applicants should have an appreciation and respect for people of all races, genders & gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, ability, age, etc. This goes for their choice of reading material, too!
- Great organizational skills
- Willingness to be on-call or work extra hours, especially during off-site and special events
- Computer literate (ability to learn new web-based programs)
Essential Functions, as Book Buyer:
- Communicate with publishers representatives and wholesalers
- Analyze sales data and determine which books are selling in your market
- Pull books from shelves and complete required paperwork and procedures for returns
- Express strengths of your store and community in writing for author event proposals
- Write reviews of books for publishers
- Assist with development and implementation of policy for unsolicited indie published authors
- Coordinate with other team members (retail and events) to order specific titles for special or author events, and suggest merchandise options
- Run weekly sales reports and create weekly NYT report
- Work with marketing team to promote book sales
- Work with managers to craft, adjust and maintain book buying budget
- Research and place challenging special orders for customers
- Determine appropriate categories for new and backlist book titles
- Oversee book inventory management team with receiving books into Anthology inventory, checking book orders for accuracy, preparing books and paperwork for returns to publishers
Essential Functions, as L&O Team Member:
- Provide excellent customer service
- Operating the POS system effectively and efficiently
- Shelve new materials in correct category section
- Recommend books to customers based on interests
- If a requested book is not available in-store, assist customer with an online order
- Keep the zones clean and neat, while always scanning for customers that may need assistance
- Approach each customer with a warm and welcoming demeanor, offer assistance, but learn to read the situation: some customers just want to browse in silence, while others would like to chat. Try to accommodate different personalities, while also being aware of time management.
- Share your love of books!
- Prepared to assume the duties of any of our booksellers, whenever the occasion calls
- If you see something askew, out of place, or dirty, do something about it. Down times are opportunities to perform these kind of tasks
- Assist in sorting and re-stocking incoming retail items
- Preparing online orders and pre-orders for customers, labeling and placing them appropriately.
- Contacting customers when their orders are ready
- Re-shelving returned or unpurchased items
- Answer the phone in a courteous and friendly way
- Sometimes carrying and unloading boxes of books
- Keeping up to date on current popular books, and the classics
- Staffing off-site author events and book tables
- Taking and relaying accurate phone messages
- Taking care of duties that are unique to the zones
- Other duties, as assigned
posted June 14, 2021
Tattered Cover Book Store: Stanley Marketplace Store Manager
Job Description: This is a full-time position based out of our brand new Stanley Marketplace location (estimated open Memorial Day – early June) that will focus on children’s literature and family-friendly event programming. The position will be 40 hours per week onsite and the starting pay is: $18.42/hour. A person who loves books for ages up to mid-grade kids, working in a family friendly environment, and contributing to and hosting events for children and their families will thrive in this position.
The Stanley Marketplace Store Manager will:
● Oversee and manage all facets of store operations — scheduling, staffing, customer service, inventory mix — for a 1,400 sq ft children’s bookstore.
● Work with the general management team to communicate and implement policies, procedures, promotions, etc., to help make the store a success.
● Work with the VP Of Ops to own the bookstore’s profit and loss statement, including growing sales and controlling payroll expenses.
● Have a thorough understanding of all facets of the role of bookseller, and manage the team of on site booksellers to perform those functions to meet TC standards.
● Develop a familiarity with inventory to be able to guide staff and serve customers in a positive manner.
● Provide a thoughtful and creative merchandising approach, and implement merchandising strategies set by the buying, marketing, and general management teams.
● Help contribute to the development and execution of store specific programming.
What you’ll love about this job:
● Working in a book store that caters to the diverse needs and interests of children and their families.
● Showcasing, arranging, and selling books and merchandise that are curated to enrich kids’ lives.
● Participating in numerous family friendly events and programming throughout the year.
● Playing a big part in the opening of a new location including contributing to the planning, layout, and initial hiring stages.
● Varied health benefits options: employer subsidized HMO and HD health plans, dental, vision, PTO, and 401K options for full and part time.
What we’ll love about you:
● You have a strong track record of bookselling and excellent customer service.
● You have knowledge of or strong interest in children’s books and programming.
● You have a ton of ideas of how to engage with a community around kid-focused events, merchandising, sales, and experiences.
● You work well independently and as part of a team; while you bring your own ideas and innovations you are also happy to have the direction and help of the buying team, events and marketing teams, and your staff.
Established in 1971, Tattered Cover Book Store is one of America’s premier independent bookstores, a Denver institution, a community gathering place, and an experience you can’t download. Tattered Cover is a locally-owned business with an unwavering commitment to the customer and the community, with four unique stores in metro Denver, and three satellite stores at Denver International Airport. Each location offers personal service, a large, well-curated selection of new and used books, an extensive newsstand, and gifts. Tattered Cover hosts more than 600 authors, illustrators, public figures, community events, book festivals and schools annually. Tattered Cover Book Store is an Equal Employment Opportunity.