Purpose of Postion: To select and obtain products and to supervise department staff to meet objectives for sales, margin, and customer service to ensure that the department contributes to the financial best interest of the store.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Produce department in ordering to minimize out-of-stocks and overstocks and maximize sales and turnover.
• Ensure adherence to co-op product policies when selecting new products, and ensure vendors are informed of policies.
• Evaluate turns quarterly by pulling item movement reports of best sellers and slow movers and adjust assortment accordingly. Maintain overall balance of number of SKU’s to space available.
• Ensure proper receiving by department staff according to established procedures.
• Ensure that receiver and buyers obtain credit where applicable.
• Set pricing to meet margin goals; mark-down items as needed to reduce losses.
• Ensure department buyers keep their prices and products updated in the POS system.
• Coordinate periodic inventory counts.
• Assure compliance with all purchasing contracts.
• Oversee the overall floor plan
• Oversee stocking to ensure shelves/coolers are fully stocked and rotated to ensure freshness and turnover.
• Plan attractive displays, coordinate end cap design and ensure ordering of sufficient merchandise to stock displays for period of display.
• Do periodic comparisons with competitors
• Ensure that product-related signage is accurate, up-to-date and follows the co-op’s established format.
• Coordinate regular marketing activities with department buyers
• Ensure on-the-job training.
• Schedule hours for department staff within budget.
• Organize meetings of department staff as needed.
• Ensure department staff is informed of storewide meetings, store sales goals and policy changes.
• Participate in setting sales, margin, turns and labor goals for grocery department’s
• Review financial reports of department performance with department buyers and take corrective action as needed.

Qualifications

• Natural foods purchasing and merchandising experience.
• Inventory control and management experience.
• Supervisory experience: hiring, training, evaluating, giving directions.
• Ability to read financial statements
• Firm grasp of margin pricing.
• Organized, consistently follows through on commitments.
• Communications skills--clear directions, good listener.
• Highly organized with the ability to prioritize.
• Required computer literacy, including Catapult.
• Regular, predictable attendance.
• Willingness and ability to learn to meet the changing requirements of the job.

Location: TPSS Co-op, Takoma Park Store

Responsibilities:

• Assist customers with product questions, in prompt, friendly, courteous manner, referring them to other staff when necessary.
• Offer suggestions for purchases and ways to prepare products.
• Help customers place special orders.
• Replenish and rotate displays, culling several times daily, and following stocking priorities. Dispose of damaged or spoiled goods promptly according to procedure.
• Pull short-date or low-quality items and follow established procedures for recording and disposing.
• Label items accurately with price tags or signs. Report price discrepancies to buyers.
• Maintain stocking lists for later shifts. Notify buyers of out-of-stocks.
• Help with receiving deliveries and rotate overstock into back stock.
• Stock produce and close it for the night as needed.
• Remove trash, clean cases and keep prep and storage areas in clean, orderly condition.
• Participate in periodic inventory counts.
• Attend department and storewide meetings.
• Perform other tasks assigned by Buyer or Purchasing Manager.

• Ability to lift 50 lb.
• Familiarity with or interest in bulk
• Experience serving the public
• Ability to stand for long periods
• Manual dexterity with hazardous equipment
• Ability to project friendly, outgoing personality
• Regular, predictable attendance
• Willingness and ability to learn and grow to meet the changing requirements of the job