Barista - Temporary

Barnes & Noble • Augusta, ME

21d • Onsite

About The Position

A Barnes & Noble Barista is an integral member of the bookstore Café team, welcoming customers, answering questions, and helping them select beverages and café items. The role contributes to an attractive, clean, and efficiently run Café by stocking deliveries, maintaining the bake case and dining area, preparing food and drinks, and serving customers quickly and professionally at the register.

Baristas are expected to demonstrate reliable attendance, flexibility in responding to store scheduling needs, a positive and energetic approach to work, consideration for colleagues, cheerful customer service, and willingness to learn. The position involves mastering café operations, including technology and register use, merchandising, receiving and stocking deliveries, food and beverage preparation, cleaning, FIFO and product dating, and loss prevention procedures. Baristas may also support the bookfloor team and other stores in the wider Cluster when able and needed.

As experience grows, Baristas build product knowledge across beverages, bakery, savory options, and gifting; maintain appealing product presentation; share information about promotions; recommend customizations; and follow café safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards. The role is a step in a career path that may lead to Senior Barista. Employees must comply with company policies and procedures. The work involves prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.

Requirements

• Reliable and punctual attendance for scheduled shifts.
• Flexibility and responsiveness to store needs, including filling scheduling gaps when able; stores are open early mornings through late evenings, including weekends and most holidays.
• Positive, energetic, dependable approach to assigned work.
• Considerate and supportive behavior toward colleagues.
• Cheerful, helpful customer service.
• Aptitude and willingness to learn new skills and knowledge.
• Willingness to use registers, computers, tablets, programs, and other tools comfortably and efficiently.
• Ability to perform physical activity including prolonged standing, repetitive bending, lifting, and extensive walking.
• Enjoyment of working as a barista.

Responsibilities

• Welcome customers cheerfully, answer questions, and help them choose beverages and café items.
• Maintain an attractive, clean, and efficiently operating Café, including the bake case, dining area, counter, and floor retail fixtures.
• Operate registers quickly and reliably and provide professional customer service.
• Unpack and receive deliveries and accurately stock products.
• Prepare food and drinks correctly, using product information and recipe guides as needed.
• Complete daily and weekly café cleaning tasks during shifts.
• Follow First In First Out (FIFO) practices and date products consistently and correctly.
• Support the bookfloor team when needed and, when able and needed, support other stores in the wider Cluster.
• Apply loss prevention procedures and de-escalation techniques; identify theft and seek support for problematic behavior or issues.
• Build knowledge of beverage, bakery, savory, gifting, and café retail products and maintain appealing product presentation.
• Communicate café promotions and sales objectives to customers and colleagues and recommend food and beverage customizations.
• Use café training tools and follow café safety, hygiene, and sanitation guidelines and procedures.
• Comply with company policies and procedures.

Benefits

• Employee discount.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Sick pay.
• Paid time off, including paid maternity and parental leave, for employees scheduled for 20 or more hours per week.
• Company-paid holidays for employees scheduled for 20 or more hours per week.
• Transit benefits for employees scheduled for 20 or more hours per week.
• 401(k) with company match for employees scheduled for 20 or more hours per week.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees scheduled for 30 or more hours per week.
• Healthcare and dependent care spending accounts for employees scheduled for 30 or more hours per week.
• Disability benefits for employees scheduled for 30 or more hours per week.
• Life insurance for employees scheduled for 30 or more hours per week.
• Tuition reimbursement for employees scheduled for 30 or more hours per week.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed