Sales Associate - FT

Eastern State; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 28,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern State is seeking a Sales Associate to support store operations and guest services at the museum. You will handle purchases, maintain a clean, organized sales floor, and restock merchandise to reflect the museum’s history and mission.

The role requires strong communication, reliability, and a 1-year minimum in customer service. Weekend and holiday availability is essential, and experience with POS systems helps ensure smooth transactions and visitor satisfaction.

Qualifications

• 1 year of customer service or sales experience preferred.
• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Ability to greet visitors warmly and resolve issues professionally.
• Comfort with POS systems; familiarity with store tech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Operate POS to process purchases, returns, and exchanges with various payment methods.
• Restock shelves; alert management when stock is low.
• Assist with opening/closing duties and register setup.
• Maintain clean, organized store appearance and accurate inventory.
• Upsell relevant items to enhance guest experience and memberships.
• Provide excellent customer service and resolve inquiries professionally.
• Adhere to safety, loss prevention, and ticketing procedures.
• Sell and scan admission tickets; support ticketing systems and pricing structures.

Skills

Customer service experience

Cash handling

Strong communication

Teamwork

Flexibility for weekends/holidays

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Counterpoint

Ticketure

BigCommerce

Job description

Description

Job Summary:

The Sales Associate supports Eastern State’s Sales operations by providing excellent customer service, facilitating smooth transactions, and ensuring the store is clean, organized, and well-stocked. This role helps deliver a high-quality visitor experience by connecting guests with merchandise that reflects Eastern State’s history, mission, and brand.

Key duties include accurately handling cash and credit transactions, maintaining an organized and appealing store appearance, and ensuring the efficient restocking of inventory. The ideal candidate possesses strong interpersonal skills and a genuine enthusiasm for Eastern State’s mission and educational offerings. This role requires flexibility to work weekends and holidays and contributes directly to the museum's financial support and visitor experience. This is a public-facing role that requires reliability, attention to detail, and a strong sense of teamwork.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Maintain cleanliness and organization of the store throughout each shift.
• Restock shelves and displays; alert manager of low stock or needed supplies.
• Assist with opening and closing duties, including setting up registers and securing merchandise.
• Monitor and handle inventory with care and accuracy.
• Operate point-of-sale system to process purchases, returns, and exchanges, including handling various payment methods such as cash, credit/debit cards, gift cards, and staff and member discounts. This includes scanning items, ensuring correct pricing, and correctly applying sales, coupons, and refunds/exchanges according to store policy.
• Upsell or suggest relevant items to enhance the guest experience.
• Collaborate with fellow staff to ensure a supportive work environment and smooth daily operations.
• Follow safety procedures for guests and staff, including emergency protocols.
• Maintain awareness of loss prevention procedures and report concerns promptly.
• Maintain awareness of the product connection to Eastern State’s mission
• Sell tickets, scan tickets, and resolve ticketing issues in a fast-paced environment while maintaining quality customer service. This may include handling and resolving issues for tickets sold through online travel agencies and other third-party ticket resellers, as well as tickets with complex tiered pricing structures.
• Manage the sale of admission tickets, which may involve using a separate ticketing software, understanding tiered pricing (general admission, student, senior, etc.), and promoting membership upgrades or add-ons.
• Maintain a balanced cash drawer, accurately provide change, and report any discrepancies.
• Address all customer inquiries related to transactions, tickets, returns, and exchanges professionally and courteously, ensuring a seamless and positive experience that reflects positively on Eastern State

Requirements

Required Skills/Abilities:

• At least 1 year of customer service or Sales experience preferred.
• High School Diploma or GED required
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Strong verbal communication is necessary for clearly explaining merchandise features, membership benefits, ticket options, and store policies to a diverse audience.
• Strong customer service skills mandatory. The ability to greet visitors warmly, engage in positive interactions, and resolve complaints or issues professionally and patiently.
• Comfortable using POS systems and basic technology. Familiarity with Counterpoint, Ticketure, and BigCommerce are a plus.
• Demonstrated accuracy and accountability when handling cash, processing credit/debit transactions, managing receipts, and operating an inventory management system and a specialized ticketing system.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulousness in counting inventory, performing cash reconciliation, and ensuring that all sales and ticketing records are accurate.
• Reliability and Teamwork: Dependability in adhering to schedules (especially for weekend/holiday hours) and a willingness to collaborate with other staff.
• Availability on weekends and holidays is required.
• Interest in history, museums, criminal justice, justice reform, education, or Eastern State’s mission is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time.
• Ability to traverse from post to post within the 10-acre site
• Frequent bending, stooping, and reaching overhead or below the waist to retrieve, organize, and restock merchandise on shelves, racks, and display fixtures
• Sufficient manual dexterity to accurately handle cash, process credit cards, operate the POS system, and neatly wrap merchandise or gift-wrap purchases
• Ability to work in outdoor environments, including in the elements and in indoor or covered spaces where temperatures may vary.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds