Sales Associate

JOB OVERVIEW

Foster Thrift is seeking a Part-Time Sales Associate to join our team. The position requires availability on Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Beginning January 15, 2025, this role will transition to temporary full-time status (Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM) to cover for an employee on leave. This temporary assignment will last approximately 3 to 4 months.

We are looking for a dependable, self-motivated individual who demonstrates:

• Outstanding customer service skills
• Attention to detail
• A collaborative, team-oriented mindset

In addition to retail responsibilities, this role may occasionally include assisting with tasks on the processing floor, such as receiving donations, sorting items, and preparing inventory for the retail space.

If you are passionate about purpose-driven retail and aspire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of youth in foster care, we invite you to apply today and become a valued member of the Foster Thrift Team.

Applicants must be 21 years of age or older to apply.

Below is a more in-depth review of the position:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB

1. Provide a friendly and joyful welcoming to all customers when they enter the store and throughout their shopping experience.
2. Assist the Retail Management team in register transactions including handling of cash and credit card payments and any non-cash purchases, in order to ensure the accuracy and security of all transactions.
3. Work with the Retail Management team to establish and maintain customer service standards in order to ensure compliance with the company mission statement and to provide a pleasant shopping experience for each customer.
4. Work with store staff in maintaining the physical appearance of the store on every shift, including, but not limited to: communicating and restocking of janitorial and restroom supplies, removing safety hazards, picking up store merchandise and restoring to proper place, cleaning parking lot, sidewalks, windows and doors, store floors, break room(s), restrooms and other public areas, to ensure the safety and health of customers and employees.
5. Maintain and clean out fitting rooms on a regular basis.
   
6. Assist store staff, in stocking store shelves and clothing racks, in order to provide customers with maximum shopping opportunities.
7. Under the direction of the Retail Management team, assist store staff, as needed, to set up or change store displays in order to provide a pleasant shopping environment and to entice customers to shop new areas or items within the store.
8. Communicate, daily, all events related to customer service issues or problems, register mistakes, employee issues or accidents, and general store operations to the manager, in order to ensure all issues are handled properly and in accordance with company policies and procedures.
9. Attend as required, or requested, all training events provided by the company and all store meetings as scheduled by the manager in order to keep current on any policy changes, new procedures, and other information essential to performing the job.
10. Other job duties as assigned (i.e. assist with the processing floor).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Must have a commitment to Foster Thrift Stores mission.
2. Must be a people person with a pleasant and willing attitude and have a servant’s heart.
3. Experience in retail operations preferred.
4. Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) with an excellent command of the English language.
5. Excellent math and money handling skills.
6. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written or oral form.
7. Ability to operate a cash register and credit card machine.
8. Ability to operate general office machines, copier, fax, printers, scanners.

PLANNING/ORGANIZING

1. Must be detail-oriented and have solid organizational skills.
2. Must be a problem solver and be able to work with a minimum of supervision and take initiative.
3. Excellent time management skills
4. Must possess a demonstrable level of skill and proficiency in planning so to meet established goals.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND REQUIREMENTS

1. High School Diploma or GED Required.
2. Must be over the age of 21.
   
3. One to two years’ experience in retail or related experience preferred.
4. Must have a reliable form of transportation to travel to work.
5. Must provide proof of auto insurance upon hire and annually while employed.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS

Stand                                                                                       3/4 of the time

Walk                                                                                        3/4 of the time

Sit                                                                                            1/4 of the time

Use hands to type – computer keyboard or register          3/4 of the time

Use hands to handle documents and merchandise            3/4 of the time

Talk or hear                                                                             All Day

Moderate physical activity on a daily basis, with occasional strenuous activity. Able to lift at least 50 pounds. Use hands to lift, sort, clean, organize throughout a standard workday. Store is a well-lit, heated and/or air-conditioned indoor retail and office setting with adequate ventilation.

VISION REQUIREMENTS

1. Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less)
2. Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more)
3. Color Vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors).
4. Peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point).
5. Depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships).
6. Ability to adjust focus (adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus)

About Foster Thrift

Foster Thrift is a division of Foster First, a Child Placing Agency specialized in Foster Care services located in Yakima.  The store first opened its doors in Kennewick on March 17, 2022, to provide financial support to the foster care program, and to bring awareness to foster care.  In the state of Washington, there are thousands of youths in the foster care system in need of a home, a family.  Foster Thrift helps connect interested adults and/or parents to Foster First's licensors to learn about the licensing process on how to become a foster parent.  With Foster Thrift's help, we will continue to expand our foster care services to Benton County and the surrounding counties.   

Foster First is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, religion, age, marital or nursing mother status, pregnancy, national origin, citizenship, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.