Employee Records
Bookstore Buyer
Busboys and Poets
Full Time
2 Years Experience
Coins Icon $52000 - $62000 / Year
Bookstore Buyer
Busboys and Poets

Full Time
2 Years Experience
Coins Icon $52000 - $62000 / Year
Skills
Fast-Paced Experience
Description
Please note that this salary range is accurate as of July 1st, 2024. It reflects our starting rate ($52,000) as well as the compensation for our most senior employees at this time. All positions will initially be offered at the entry-level rate, with consideration for annual increases based on performance assessments


Busboys and Poets is a restaurant/bar/bookstore/event space/community space where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted and a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul. It is also a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide. We believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world. At Busboys and Poets, our ongoing goals are to develop and retain a first-class team that encourages personal and professional growth, innovation, and team loyalty. If this sounds like the place for you to continue to grow, please consider applying to be the Bookstore Buyer.  

Responsible for frontlist book buying, supporting location bookstore supervisors with inventory management and ordering training, and additional administrative projects/tasks within Busboys and Poets Books.

The role of the Book Buyer is to provide integral attention to curatorial decisions in the space to ensure the progressive and social justice-minded mission of Busboys and Poets is well represented. The Book Buyer is responsible for placing frontlist book orders for all locations and supporting bookstore staff with order training, receiving inquiries, and returns training. The Book Buyer works with the Director of Operations and the (AUX SUPERVISOR) to improve systems and procedures within the bookstore through project management and data analytics. 


Starting Salary: $52,000 - $62,000

This is a full time 40 hr/week salaried position, with benefits including paid time off, 401k, medical, dental, vision, and accident insurance etc. At Busboys and Poets Books, we pride ourselves on the growth and professional development opportunities we offer to our staff members throughout the year.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

    • Frontlist Buying

      • Place 50-60 orders annually (on a rolling basis) for all locations focusing on frontlist catalogs for publishers/vendors

      • Develop and maintain positive working relationships with publisher reps

      • Make curatorial decisions based on company mission, industry knowledge, comp titles, turns data, and historic sales 

      • Conduct frontlist appointments with publisher sales reps to review orders and discuss suggestions (virtually and in-person)

      • Maintain frontlist order records, including but not limited to: buying reports, importing Edelweiss orders into IBID to create Purchase Orders, and frontlist spending records

    • Offsite/Bulk Buying

      • Monitor the bulk orders form for incoming bulk and B2B requests and serve as the primary point of contact for bulk purchase clients

      • Utilize publisher promo discounts and programs to maximize profits on large-scale orders for off site events and bulk purchases

      • Assist with packing and shipping processes for large-scale orders

      • Curating and organizing book orders for festivals (200-1,000 attendees)

      • Assist the Programs Coordinator when needed with maintaining book event order records, including but not limited to: submitting orders with publishers via email, creating the relevant Purchase Orders in IBID, buying reports, and updating the Event Action Log as appropriate

      • Conduct off site event sales analysis and sharing relevant data with clients

      • Support the Programs Coordinator and Director of Operations with additional internal event and data analytics support

    • General Buying 

      • Train supervisors and new bookstore leadership staff on restock ordering in IBID using EDI and email

      • Update the Ordering Manual for supervisors as needed

      • Maintain the vendor spreadsheet 

      • Communicate active promos with the supervisor team

      • Lead quarterly PO clean up procedures for all stores

      • Coordinate group orders for smaller publishers to capitalize on seasonal promos

    • Operations and Administration 

      • Create and update annual Progress Tracker with quarterly and monthly projects/task deadlines 

      • Provide daily support to supervisors through Slack during working hours

      • Develop more efficient processes and procedures with the Director of Operations

      • Further develop training manuals/materials and SOPs for bookstore personnel

      • Manage and track the returns process for all stores, quarterly or as-needed

      • Maintain our Bookshop.org storefront and create relevant lists to optimize sales potential 

      • Manage Toast Retail partnership on behalf of the bookstore

        • Maintaining item library and updating with seasonal batch imports

        • Pulling weekly sales reports for all staffed locations

        • Investigating any odd patterns or issues as they arise from these sales

        • Working with Toast Rep to troubleshoot issues and provide product feedback


Qualifications: 

  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills

  • Highly organized with strong time management 

  • Past retail, publishing and/or bookstore experience required (2 years minimum)

  • Bibliophile- you must be able to talk about literature and popular titles and decide if they fit within our ethos as a company focused on progressive politics and social justice 

  • Compassionate and respectful management/conflict resolution skills

  • Enjoys working within a team but is self-motivated and able to work independently and without daily supervision

  • High School diploma or equivalent (higher education preferred but not required)

  • Ability to lift up to 25 lbs

Please note that this salary range is accurate as of July 1st, 2024. It reflects our starting rate ($52,000) as well as the compensation for our most senior employees at this time. All positions will initially be offered at the entry-level rate, with consideration for annual increases based on performance assessments


Busboys and Poets is a restaurant/bar/bookstore/event space/community space where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted and a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul. It is also a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide. We believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world. At Busboys and Poets, our ongoing goals are to develop and retain a first-class team that encourages personal and professional growth, innovation, and team loyalty. If this sounds like the place for you to continue to grow, please consider applying to be the Bookstore Buyer.  

Responsible for frontlist book buying, supporting location bookstore supervisors with inventory management and ordering training, and additional administrative projects/tasks within Busboys and Poets Books.

The role of the Book Buyer is to provide integral attention to curatorial decisions in the space to ensure the progressive and social justice-minded mission of Busboys and Poets is well represented. The Book Buyer is responsible for placing frontlist book orders for all locations and supporting bookstore staff with order training, receiving inquiries, and returns training. The Book Buyer works with the Director of Operations and the (AUX SUPERVISOR) to improve systems and procedures within the bookstore through project management and data analytics. 


Starting Salary: $52,000 - $62,000

This is a full time 40 hr/week salaried position, with benefits including paid time off, 401k, medical, dental, vision, and accident insurance etc. At Busboys and Poets Books, we pride ourselves on the growth and professional development opportunities we offer to our staff members throughout the year.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

    • Frontlist Buying

      • Place 50-60 orders annually (on a rolling basis) for all locations focusing on frontlist catalogs for publishers/vendors

      • Develop and maintain positive working relationships with publisher reps

      • Make curatorial decisions based on company mission, industry knowledge, comp titles, turns data, and historic sales 

      • Conduct frontlist appointments with publisher sales reps to review orders and discuss suggestions (virtually and in-person)

      • Maintain frontlist order records, including but not limited to: buying reports, importing Edelweiss orders into IBID to create Purchase Orders, and frontlist spending records

    • Offsite/Bulk Buying

      • Monitor the bulk orders form for incoming bulk and B2B requests and serve as the primary point of contact for bulk purchase clients

      • Utilize publisher promo discounts and programs to maximize profits on large-scale orders for off site events and bulk purchases

      • Assist with packing and shipping processes for large-scale orders

      • Curating and organizing book orders for festivals (200-1,000 attendees)

      • Assist the Programs Coordinator when needed with maintaining book event order records, including but not limited to: submitting orders with publishers via email, creating the relevant Purchase Orders in IBID, buying reports, and updating the Event Action Log as appropriate

      • Conduct off site event sales analysis and sharing relevant data with clients

      • Support the Programs Coordinator and Director of Operations with additional internal event and data analytics support

    • General Buying 

      • Train supervisors and new bookstore leadership staff on restock ordering in IBID using EDI and email

      • Update the Ordering Manual for supervisors as needed

      • Maintain the vendor spreadsheet 

      • Communicate active promos with the supervisor team

      • Lead quarterly PO clean up procedures for all stores

      • Coordinate group orders for smaller publishers to capitalize on seasonal promos

    • Operations and Administration 

      • Create and update annual Progress Tracker with quarterly and monthly projects/task deadlines 

      • Provide daily support to supervisors through Slack during working hours

      • Develop more efficient processes and procedures with the Director of Operations

      • Further develop training manuals/materials and SOPs for bookstore personnel

      • Manage and track the returns process for all stores, quarterly or as-needed

      • Maintain our Bookshop.org storefront and create relevant lists to optimize sales potential 

      • Manage Toast Retail partnership on behalf of the bookstore

        • Maintaining item library and updating with seasonal batch imports

        • Pulling weekly sales reports for all staffed locations

        • Investigating any odd patterns or issues as they arise from these sales

        • Working with Toast Rep to troubleshoot issues and provide product feedback


Qualifications: 

  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills

  • Highly organized with strong time management 

  • Past retail, publishing and/or bookstore experience required (2 years minimum)

  • Bibliophile- you must be able to talk about literature and popular titles and decide if they fit within our ethos as a company focused on progressive politics and social justice 

  • Compassionate and respectful management/conflict resolution skills

  • Enjoys working within a team but is self-motivated and able to work independently and without daily supervision

  • High School diploma or equivalent (higher education preferred but not required)

  • Ability to lift up to 25 lbs

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