Job Summary:
At Heeman’s, each staff member is titled a “Daymaker” first and foremost. Our amazing staff is the key to making our space a “Happy Place” for everyone who enters. As a Front End Associate, you will bring Heeman’s customer experience to life in the Front End by ensuring a positive customer experience for everyone who visits the greenhouse. As the first and last Daymakers to see our customers, this role is crucial to ensuring that every customer leaves Heeman’s with their day made. The position may entail processing transactions, greeting customers, orchestrating line control, retrieving carts, stocking retail displays, operating the Berry Beanery and more.
Employment Type:
- Full-time or part-time, seasonal contract
Responsibilities:
- Take customer inquiries and direct them to the appropriate department or area they seek.
- To ensure efficient communication, answer radio calls from all departments with proper radio etiquette.
- Operate the golf cart safely as needed (training will be provided).
- Keep the physical space clean by sweeping, weeding, emptying compost bins, and organizing shared staff spaces.
- Learn about a wide range of plant varieties and their care requirements, as well as related garden products.
- Perform other duties as assigned to support the team and ensure smooth operations.
- Work in compliance with all human resources, operational (SOP), and Food, Health & Safety policies and procedures.
The Front End Team comprises the various Daymakers a customer interacts with on their way into and out of Heeman’s. For this reason, making excellent first impressions and meaningful last impressions is everything in this position. The Front End team comprises Cashiers, Berristas, Baristas, Berry Drive-thru Attendants and Housekeeping. While some Front End Associates may specialize in an area, most Front End Associates will be cross-trained in several positions to allow for coverage and help to flex as needed between areas. Below is an overview of each of the specializations.
Cashiers
- Accurately and efficiently processing customer transactions with a POS
- Understanding plant pricing based on SKUS, container types and plant varieties
- Providing customers with plant care information before purchase, when required
- Effectively knowing and applying promotions, discounts and sales to customer purchases, when applicable
- Being accountable for till accuracy and ensuring post-shift till balancing
- Retrieving customer carts from the parking lot or greenhouse and returning them to their initial location
- Manage customer soil purchases, verify soil orders, and assist customers with loading soil into their vehicles when necessary.
- Supporting the Front End team by inquiring about additional job duties when soil and cart duties are temporarily completed
- Smart Serve Certification is required for all staff 18+
Berrista
- Preparing and selling coffee, specialty beverages, milkshakes, sundaes and produce items by following recipes and preparation techniques
- Maintaining a safe and healthy work environment by following organization standards and sanitation regulations
- Maintaining inventory for all food and packaging supplies
- Smart Serve Certification is required for all staff 18+
Berry Drive-Thru (Summer & Fall)
- Working in a remote location (shipping container) to serve produce to customers in a drive-thru
- Taking customer orders and payments and processing their transactions on a cash register
- Loading customer orders into their vehicle promptly
- Filling cartons with the correct quantity of produce items for customer orders
Housekeeping
- Adhere to safety protocols by wearing the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during cleaning tasks.
- Clean and sanitize customer and staff bathrooms to ensure hygiene standards are met.
- Wipe and disinfect high-touch and high-traffic areas regularly in the greenhouses and offices, including door handles, light switches, on/off buttons, touch screens, computers, and other devices.
- Replenish sanitation supplies throughout all areas and departments of the greenhouses and workspaces.
- Prepare, refill, and maintain cleaning and sanitizing solutions as needed.
- Dispose of garbage and recycling safely and efficiently.
- Perform laundry duties as required.
- Provide cleaning assistance to other buildings and areas on the premises as needed.
Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes
- Excellent customer service skills
- Open communication style
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to quickly change pace and adapt to new job tasks with minimal notice
- Capable of working independently and in a team environment
- Excellent time management skills and ability to manage frequent interruptions
- Adaptability to a continuously changing work environment
Education, Experience & Language
- Gardening experience or willingness to learn
- Prior retail, agriculture or greenhouse work experience is considered an asset
- Language: English (written and oral)
Availability:
- Availability to work before and after regular hours and during all hours of operation (which will include evenings and weekends)
- Availability to work up to 6 days per week
- Flexibility to accommodate scheduling changes
- Open availability
- Transportation plan; Heeman’s is not located on a bus route
About Working at Heeman’s:
No two days are the same at Heeman’s, which keeps things interesting and exciting. As a seasonal farm business open year-round, we see some pretty busy times and experience down seasons, too. The environment here in the greenhouse and outdoors means it can be sunny and hot or cold and snowy. You’ll need to be capable of performing in this kind of environment, and you’ll spend most of your time in a hot greenhouse, standing for prolonged periods, and moving heavy items (that can weigh up to 50lbs). Heeman’s is proudly a family-owned, farm/agriculture-based business, and our employees are classified as agriculture employees under the ESA.