Clothes Closet Associate

GoochlandCares; Maidens (VA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

GoochlandCares is seeking a Clothes Closet Associate to steward donated goods, process donations, and assist clients in need. You will coordinate with managers to move items from receipt to floor, while ensuring a safe, respectful shopping environment.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed care, DEI principles, and strong teamwork to support daily operations, training volunteers, and ensuring efficient flow of donations.

Qualifications

• Customer service or retail experience preferred.
• Ability to work two Saturdays per month and one weeknight per week.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and respectful communication.
• Trauma-informed-care and DEI approach preferred.

Responsibilities

• Processes donations daily by sorting, pricing, tagging, and discarding as appropriate.
• Operates the POS system and handles sales transactions.
• Provides exceptional customer service and assists clients with account needs.
• Monitors the retail floor and maintains neat, attractive displays.
• Trains, guides, and empowers volunteers to stay engaged and valued.
• Collaborates with Clothes Closet staff to coordinate duties and shift schedules.

Skills

Customer service

Retail experience

Interpersonal communication

Trauma-informed care

DEI awareness

Organizational skills

Cash handling

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

POS System

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

The Clothes Closet Associate is a good steward of donated goods and plays a key role in sourcing, processing, and distributing donations. This position supports the daily operations of the Clothes Closet by coordinating, in conjunction with managers, the flow of clothing and household items from receipt through preparation and placement for clients in need. The associate also ensures a safe shopping environment, listens carefully to shoppers’ needs, and addresses those needs with understanding, dignity, and respect throughout the process.

Schedule: Full-time, 35 hours per week. Primarily scheduled during business hours Monday through Friday, with occasional Tuesday evenings until 7:15 p.m. and one Saturday morning per month.

Essential Job Functions

Processes donations daily by sorting, pricing, tagging, and discarding as appropriate.

• Sorts items in appropriate categories to be processed and put on the floor.
• Researches branded donations to ensure items are priced accordingly.
• Ensures appropriate items are placed in the correct place on the floor.
• Identifies seasonal items to be placed on the floor or packed away if out of season.
• Loads and unloads the Clothes Closet dishwasher and/or washing machine and dryer with donated items so they can be prepared for pricing.

Operates the Point-of-Sale (POS) system.

• Answers client questions about account-specific needs.
• Completes sales transactions.
• Ensures breakable items are secured for transportation.
• Closes out register at the end of the day; completes end of day reporting and discusses report discrepancies with the Clothes Closet Manager or Assistant Manager.
• Looks up client information on E-Clinical Works (ECW) to ensure eligibility and account information is updated in the system.

Provides exceptional customer service in a trauma-informed-care manner to meet client needs daily.

Monitors the retail floor.

• Walks the floor, straightens racks, ensures items are securely hung/displayed, and ensures hangers are replaced and items are returned to their proper place.
• Ensures merchandise is displayed appropriately and attractively on shelves, visible to customers, and appropriately paired as needed.
• Hangs pictures on the wall.
• Ensures fitting rooms are clean.
• De-escalates situations on the floor as needed.
• Ensures the store is safe and secure at all times.

Organizes supplies and inventory.

• Ensures clothes hangers are properly maintained, sorted, and stored.
• Informs Clothes Closet Manager or Assistant Manager of supplies needed.
• Ensures there is plenty of room for associates to work in designated areas.
• Helps maintain an efficient flow of donations by transporting heavy carts and bags from the loading dock or donation storage area to the appropriate processing areas.

Maintains an organized and clean space behind the registers for efficiency and safety of staff.

Trains, monitors, guides, and empowers volunteers to ensure they are engaged and feel appreciated.

Collaborates with other Clothes Closet staff to review job duties, priorities, and shift schedule needs.

Supports the processing of online sales and special events as needed.

Collaborates with the Development Department to collect stories and photos from clients, staff, and volunteers to promote the mission of the organization.

Collaborates with other GoochlandCares programs to get clients the care they need.

Completes other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School diploma or GED is preferred.
• Customer service experience and/or retail experience is preferred.
• Ability to work two Saturdays (8:30am-12:30pm) per month and one weeknight each week until 7:30PM as needed (schedule may vary at times to accommodate the needs of the organization).
• Strong interpersonal communication and collaboration skills displaying a caring, tactful, diplomatic, and respectful attitude towards staff, volunteers, and clients.
• Ability to provide care under a trauma-informed-care approach and DEI approach.
• Experience working in an ever-changing work environment and ability to be flexible and adaptable in changing tasks frequently.
• Strong organizational skills with an ability to multi-task, have a strong attention to detail, and manage different priorities.
• Commitment to the mission of GoochlandCares.
• Understand that all employees participate in engaging volunteers to help fulfill our mission.
• Ability to remain professional in all interactions with clients, staff, and volunteers.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times and manage appropriate boundaries with clients, staff, and volunteers.
• Ability to provide and maintain a valid driver’s license in good standing.

Technical Skills:

• Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel.
• Basic computer skills required.
• CPR or Basic First Aid certified or willingness to be certified.
• Experience handling cash and credit cards is preferred.
• Point-of-Sale (POS) experience is preferred.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions:

• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times.
• Repetitive movements of lifting donations and pushing carts.
• Prolonged periods of standing, walking, talking, typing, lifting, and operating equipment (large heavy clothing bins, washing machine/dryer, dishwasher, ladders, hand carts, dollies, etc.).
• Repetitive movements of gripping (holding hand equipment/tagging).
• Frequent exposure to varying inclement outdoor weather conditions for up to 4 hours at a time.