Description
Do you love plants, fresh air, and helping people cultivate their gardens? Valley Natural Foods is looking for a Seasonal Garden Center Associate to join our team May through June 15, 2025! This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys working outdoors, engaging with the community, and sharing knowledge about plants, soil, and sustainable gardening.
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
- Competitive pay and benefits
- A supportive, welcoming workplace rooted in sustainability and cooperation
- Employee discounts on plants, groceries, and eco-friendly products
- Opportunities to expand your gardening knowledge and skills
- A fun, hands-on seasonal role where you can make an impact in your local food and gardening community
What You’ll Do:
- Assist customers in selecting plants, soil, seeds, and gardening supplies
- Provide friendly, knowledgeable service and answer gardening-related questions
- Maintain the health and appearance of plants, ensuring they are well-watered and cared for
- Restock and organize displays, keeping the garden center tidy and inviting
- Operate the cash register and handle transactions as needed
- Support the co-op’s mission of sustainability and local food systems
What We’re Looking For:
- A passion for plants, gardening, and eco-friendly growing practices
- Some experience in a garden center, nursery, or plant-related retail (preferred but not required!)
- Friendly, customer-focused attitude with great communication skills
- Ability to work on your feet, lift up to 50 pounds, and enjoy being outdoors in all kinds of weather
- Team player who thrives in a community-oriented environment
- Availability for flexible hours (10:00AM-6:00PM), including weekends, May through June 15, 2025
- Approximately 20-24 hours a week
Valley Natural Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer: We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
Requirements
Mandatory Qualifications:
- Excellent time management, organizational and communication (oral, aural, and written) skills
- Detail oriented and able to multi-task and remain flexible to the changing needs of the business
- Regular, predictable attendance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Previous organic gardening/plant sales experience
- Previous customer service and cashier experience
- Familiarity with natural foods, grocery industry or cooperatives
Physical Demands:
- Ability to lift/push/pull/carry up to 30 pounds frequently; 30-50+ pounds occasionally
- Manual dexterity with ability to reach, grasp and utilize hands, wrists, and fingers for extended periods of time
- Close-to-mid-range visual acuity to operate cash registers and focus on and/or read data and words on a computer monitor for extended periods of time
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time
- Ability to work safely in a partially enclosed outdoor environment
- Ability to kneel, crouch, and bend occasionally required
Reports To: Produce Manager
Supervises: N/A
Department, Status and Salary: Produce, Temporary, Hourly (At-Will)
Valley Natural Foods Core Competencies
- Adaptability/Flexibility/Dependability
- Communication/Listening Skills
- Customer Service/Customer Focus
- Integrity/Ethics
- Sense of Urgency/Productivity
- Teamwork/Interpersonal Skills
- Work Environment/Safety/Job Knowledge
Position Specific Competencies
The information above is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performance by people
assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. VNF management reserves
the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary. This is
not an employment contract and does not interfere with MN’s Employment At Will Law.
