Barista - PT

Job Summary

A Barnes & Noble bookstore is a gathering place for readers and the community. As a Barista, you are an integral member of the team at the heart of our Cafés. You welcome customers in a cheerful and helpful way, answer questions, and consistently go out of your way to connect readers with the right beverages and café items. Equally, you are essential in maintaining the attractive presentation and ensuring the efficient running of the Café.

You help unpack and stock deliveries, tidy the bake case and dining area, and work the registers quickly and friendly, ensuring our customers receive a highly professional service.

NJ - Princeton - Market Fair - 2368

Part‑Time

You’ll make a great Barista if you have what we call good “behaviors.” Expect your colleagues to demonstrate these behaviors and to hold you, and themselves, to high standards, and for your Store Managers to reinforce our expectations.

• Maintain reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
• Fill scheduling gaps when possible, being flexible and responsive to the needs of the store — we are open from early mornings to late evenings every day, including weekends and most holidays.
• Are positive and willing in your approach to work, performing assigned tasks with purpose and energy.
• Are supportive and considerate of colleagues, helping others in the team and showing them kindness.
• Always cheerful with customers, consistently going out of your way to help them.
• Show aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge in the store.
• Above all, enjoy being a barista!

As a Barista, you are part of a busy team and will be required to master the operational competencies of a Barnes & Noble barista. You will be trained and expected to be proficient in:

• Using varied technology including registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools comfortably and efficiently.
• Developing strong merchandising skills to maintain the café presentation and cleanliness.
• Developing effective visual merchandising for the counter and floor retail fixtures.
• Running a register competently to serve customers quickly and reliably.
• Supporting the receiving and unpacking of deliveries, and the efficient and accurate stocking that follows.
• Making food and drinks properly with ease and accuracy, using available information such as drink recipe guides, product spec sheets, and other tools.
• Maintaining café cleanliness through accurate and reliable execution of daily and weekly cleaning tasks during your shift.
• Following FIFO practices, dating product consistently and correctly.
• Supporting the book‑floor team willingly and effectively when needed.
• Understanding loss prevention procedures and de‑escalation techniques, identifying theft, spotting and seeking support for problematic behaviors and issues in the store.

All this work requires physical activity: prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting and a lot of walking. You may work in other stores if you are able and this is needed, collaboratively supporting the wider cluster.

As you gain experience, you should expect your barista knowledge and skills to develop. Each Barnes & Noble Bookstore is the product of its bookselling and café team. You will increasingly contribute as you develop your expertise.

• Build knowledge of the café products across beverage, bakery and savory options and gifting.
• Use this knowledge to maintain the presentation in an engaging manner.
• Support key sales objectives such as new LTO items or café promotions. Share this knowledge with customers and colleagues.
• Make effective food and beverage customization recommendations to customers on varied items.
• Build engagement for execution of café retail options.
• Understand and use café training tools appropriately.
• Use knowledge about café safety, hygiene, sanitation guidelines and procedures to maintain all standards correctly and reliably.
• Support the success of key products and promotions.

Above all, we expect you to enjoy being a barista. As you develop and demonstrate mastery of the skills outlined, you are expected to advance to the next step in the career path — Senior Barista — where you will take on new challenges and gain further opportunities for growth. You will, of course, comply with all company policies and procedures.

An employee in this position can expect a hourly rate starting at $16.00.

• Part‑time < 20 hours per week:
  Sick pay, Employee Discount
• Part‑time 20–29.99 hours per week:
  Sick Pay, Employee Discount, Vacation, Personal Days and Company Holidays, 401(k)
• Full‑time 30+ hours per week:
  Sick Pay, Employee Discount, Vacation, Personal Days and Company Holidays, 401(k), Health Benefits, Disability, Life Insurance, Transit, Tuition Reimbursement