Part time bookshop and book removals assistant (casual contract) London, England
Job description
Part time bookshop and book removals assistant (Casual contract).
About us:
We are The Charing Cross Road Bookshop, a general secondhand bookshop in the classic tradition.
We sell a wide range of general secondhand books, ranging from £1.50 clearance bargains in our much loved barrows outside the shop, to collectable antiquarian books for several hundred pounds. Our customers are Londoners, tourists, collectors and other book dealers. We have many regular loyal customers. We also sell online and ship books across the world.
Any Amount of Books is looking for a part time bookshop assistant (bookseller) and book collections assistant, to work in our bookshop and to assist us when we are buying and collecting books. We are looking for a reliable, enthusiastic individual who is interested in a mix of manual work (carrying boxes!) and working in a secondhand bookshop environment.
This is a casual contract, and hours and days will be varied, as the bookshop role is to cover other staff when they are on annual leave or on sick leave. Helping with the collecting of books will also be on varied days and hours, due to the nature of the work.
The role would suit someone who is looking for part time work on an occasional (but fairly regular basis) and is able to accommodate flexible days and hours around their other existing schedules. Most of the days will be scheduled in advance, but in terms of covering sick leave this can be at very short notice. (However we do not expect someone to be available all the time).
The cover will be a mix of full days in the shop (10.30 to 7.30) and part days (usually 10.30 to 4.00). Book collections vary but often require an early start (9am)
The bookshop is open 7 days a week, so there will be some weekend days.
Book collections only happen weekdays (usually Tuesday to Thursday)
In terms of the bookshop role, please see the full bookseller job description below for a detailed explanation of the work involved. We would expect someone to have some previous bookshop experience or at a minimum previous retail experience aligned with other book related experience. A full induction will be given into the job.
The book removals role is to help our buyers with packing and collecting books that have been bought, from various locations across London. The job involves making up cardboard boxes from flatpacks, getting these to the location, packing books into boxes, carrying boxes from the client’s house or business to a courier van, and helping unload boxes into our storage.
The nature of the work requires someone who is reasonably fit and able to lift and carry boxes of books up and down stairs and work at a reasonably swift pace.
A collection can be anything from 30 to several hundred boxes.
For the collections role we will pay for your travel time and travel expenses for locations outside of Zone 2. We are a Living Wage employer and currently pay £12.00 an hour, just above the London Living Wage.
Bookseller role at Any Amount of Books
What we are looking for:
In order to work effectively for us and for the job to be fulfilling for you will need to have:
o A real interest in a range of books. You do not need to be an expert in any field but a general knowledge of writers and literature, and a good general knowledge is important.
o Some prior experience of working in a bookshop.
o Good communication and confident in dealing with a wide range of people.
o A willingness to take on a range of tasks each day.
o Attention to detail and care about how the bookshop looks.
o Good numeracy skills. You will need to be able to add simple numbers up in your head to effectively work on the till. An ability to be methodical and accurate when cashing up at the end of your shift is a necessary requirement of the job
o The ability and interest to work well with others as part of a small team.
What we offer you:
o We are a Living Wage employer and pay London Living Wage as our starter wage.
o 1/3 off all staff book purchases (20% discount during the initial probation period).
o Access to knowledge about secondhand bookselling, including training to catalogue books.
o Relaxed friendly work environment, casual dress.
o Standard 5.6 weeks annual leave (pro rata for part time staff)
o Contributory workplace pension
What is the working day like?
The shop is open Monday to Saturday 11.30am to 7.30pm. The workday is 10.30am to 7.30pm, with a one hour (unpaid) lunch hour. There is a 10 minute break in the first part of the day, and staff can help themselves to tea, coffee and biscuits etc and of course toilet breaks during the day at any time.
On Sundays the work hours are 11.30am to 6.30pm and the shop opens at 12.30pm with a one hour ( 30 minutes paid) lunch hour.
We always have at least 2 staff in the shop at any time. One member of staff will be based near the till, and the other out in the main body of the shop. It is very important that this is maintained and that staff don’t just gather around the till. You will organise amongst yourselves who is based where and when you swap over.
There are always tasks to be done in the shop and you should be pro-active in getting on with sorting shelves, putting books out, checking the window displays and more.
There is often a 3rd staff member working in the office or downstairs part of the shop, and the 3rd member covers lunch breaks, so there is never a point where you are on your own.
During the day you will be covering a range of duties, which include:
o Opening up the shop and putting out our barrows of books outside.
o Refreshing the window display.
o Restocking the shelves with new arrivals.
o Sorting, tidying and alphabetising sections.
o De-pricing or pricing books as required.
o Putting book protector sleeves on books.
o Helping to carry boxes of books in and out of the shop, and up and down stairs.
o Being on the shop floor to help customers and to monitor what is going on in the shop at all times.
o Using the till and taking cash and card payments.
o Recording larger sales in a ledger.
o Cashing up at the end of the day.
o Taking customer enquiries over the phone.
o Looking up online queries on our database.
o Updating management with messages as required.
o Light clean (vacuum floors etc) shop as required at start of day, washing up teacups at end of the day
o Putting out recycling and rubbish at 6pm.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, the duties and responsibilities for this post may evolve and change over time, but the responsibilities outlined above will remain central to your role.
Physical requirements:
o The job requires you to be on feet a lot of the day – when on the till and when restocking books on the shelves. But you are welcome to sit down when you need to do so.
o There is a fair degree of bending down and reaching up to shelves and using library kick stools and stepladders.
o You will be required to help lift and carry boxes of books into the shop and up and down stairs regularly.
o There are wheeled trolleys of books which need to be put out and brought in from the street each day. They are fairly heavy to move.
General expectations:
You are expected to be at the shop ready to start your day on time, and be prepared to stay a few minutes after closing time to lock up etc.
Focus and detail are important, as is completing tasks that you have been asked to do.
You should be aware of what is happening around you in the shop at all times, and to be pro-active in responding to customer queries.
You should be aware of the books we have in stock on the shelves – it would be impossible to know every book, but by tidying and sorting sections and putting books out, and just spending time each day looking at the shelves you should become familiar with what is in each section; there is an expectation that you will be interested to know what we have available in the shop.
In addition to the above there are other tasks that are required of a bookseller in the shop, some regularly, some on occasion:
Helping with house clearances and collections of books:
On occasion we need assistance with packing and moving stocks of books we have bought from various locations within London. Being able to pack up books at reasonable speed and carry boxes of books up and down stairs is a non-glamorous but important part of the job.
Job Types: Part-time, Freelance, Zero hours contract
Part-time hours: 0-30 per week
Salary: £12.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Flexitime
- Store discount
Schedule:
- Flexitime
COVID-19 considerations:
We have maintained very high standards of Covid safety throughout the time we have been open during the coronavirus pandemic. We have established ourselves as a shop known for its emphasis on safety, through our clear messaging a
Ability to commute/relocate:
- LONDON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- The job involves packing and carrying boxes of books, often up and down stairs at various locations. Are you physically able to do this level of work at reasonable pace?
- Please set out what your previous bookshop experience is.
Experience:
- bookshop: 1 year (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 14/04/2023
Expected start date: 28/04/2023
