Produce Clerk at SACRAMENTO NATURAL FOODS CO-OP – Sacramento, California

POSITION SUMMARY

The Produce Clerk creates a phenomenal shopping experience for Co-op customers by upholding the cooperative values and supporting the cooperative principles through exceptional customer service. This position works cutting, packaging, and merchandising produce as well as maintaining cleanliness and food safety standards. Most importantly, the Produce Clerk will make all our customers feel welcomed by acknowledging or greeting each customer and providing genuine, helpful, and respectful customer service based on the ethical values of cooperatives.

DEPARTMENT Produce

FLSA STATUS Non-exempt

REPORTS TO Produce Manager

UNION STATUS Teamsters Local 150

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Uphold all Co-op policies, procedures, and expectations.
2. Customer Experience
3. Exceed our customers’ expectations for service and provide a welcoming environment for all people and all diverse backgrounds, in accordance with the Co-op’s customer service standards.
4. Model, provide, and ensure customers receive prompt, friendly, and courteous services in a professional manner that markets our cooperative advantage.
5. Maintain a calm and friendly demeanor with all customers and in all situations.
6. Help customers make product selections by answering questions and providing information about all produce items.
7. Department Operations
8. Order, receive, and merchandise produce products following proper guidelines for merchandising, rotation, sanitation, pricing, mechanizing, and organic quality standards.
9. Reorder products following the Produce department procedures.
10. Consistently replenish products to ensure freshness and visibility.
11. Accept, order, receive, stock, and retrieve special orders.
12. Follow proper procedures for opening and closing.
13. Maintain inventory of products and supplies.
14. Handle product returns from customers and arrange returns and credits to vendors.
15. Conduct price changes and signage orders following department procedures.
16. Ensure accurate and sanitary product processing, packaging, labeling, dating, and pricing according to department procedures.
17. Maintain a working knowledge of all items, ingredients, vendors, and products in all department areas.
18. Prioritize time to ensure that prep work, stocking, cleaning, and customer service are handled efficiently.
19. Receive orders, weigh in product, inspect for quality, record date received, and fill out receiving reports and other paperwork as needed.
20. Clean and maintain work areas, including floors, facilities, utensils, and equipment; collect and place garbage, recycling, and compostable items in designated containers.
21. Follow department procedures for processing known loss, invoices, special orders, and transfers.
22. Rotate all products using first-in, first-out (FIFO).
23. Check chemical sanitation levels (PPM) on sanitizer buckets and report all discrepancies to management.
24. Properly handle all chemical and sanitation products.
25. Clerk Duties
26. Adhere to scheduled shifts and be ready for work when the shift begins.
27. Wear proper clothing during shift, including apron and nametag, closed-toe shoes, and a shirt with sleeves.
28. Maintain accurate and attractive signage within your department.
29. Keep the department orderly and clean.
30. Other Duties
31. Assist in inventory counts, storewide cleaning, and other projects as needed.
32. Attend meetings and events as requested.
33. Adhere to department dress code.
34. Demonstrate support for the cooperative values and principles daily.
35. Perform other duties and work in other departments as assigned.
36. Maintain and update California Food Handler’s Certification as requested by management.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Required Experience
2. Customer Service experience.
3. Language Ability
4. Read and comprehend complex instructions, correspondence, and memos.
5. Communicate effectively and respectfully in oral or written form to staff and customers of diverse backgrounds.
6. Effectively present information in one-to-one and small group situations to customers and other employees.
7. Math Ability
8. Add and subtract two-digit numbers and multiply and divide with 10’s and 100’s mentally.
9. Perform these calculations using units of U.S. currency and weight measurement, volume, and distance.
10. Read and follow a standard recipe.
11. Measure, mix, and prepare raw ingredients according to company specifications and recipes.
12. Reasoning Ability
13. Apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed written or oral instructions.
14. Deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
15. Prioritize work tasks, multitask, and maintain focus.
16. Computer Skills
17. Use Email, website, and time clock software proficiently.
18. Education
19. High school diploma, GED, or equivalent certificate.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Desired knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience are not essential to be able to perform the essential duties of the position.

1. Previous experience handling produce.
2. Previous customer service experience.

ESSENTIAL MENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND COMPETENCIES To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Customer Service
2. Manage difficult or emotional customer situations.
3. Communicate respectfully at all times.
4. Respond promptly to customer needs.
5. Respond to requests for service and assistance.
6. Attendance and Punctuality
7. Consistently report to work and arrive on time.
8. Ensure work responsibilities are covered when absent.
9. Arrive at meetings and appointments on time.
10. Dependability
11. Respond to management direction.
12. Commit to meeting department goals and expectations.
13. Complete tasks on time.
14. Quality
15. Demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness.
16. Look for ways to improve and promote quality.
17. Apply feedback to improve performance.
18. Monitor own work to ensure quality.
19. Quantity
20. Work quickly and accurately with a sense of urgency.
21. Meet productivity standards.
22. Strive to increase productivity.
23. Safety and Security
24. Use equipment and materials properly.
25. Protect the safety of self, co-workers, and Co-op customers at all times.
26. Report any potentially harmful equipment or situations to supervisors without delay.
27. Report safety-related accidents and incidents to a manager immediately.
28. Follow all company safety policies and procedures.
29. Operate equipment properly and in a safe manner that will not lead to injury to oneself or others.
30. Follow all safe food handling guidelines as required by local, state, and federal laws.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Frequent Physical Demands
2. Stand for extended periods of time.
3. Use hands to grasp, handle, and feel.
4. Reach with hands and arms.
5. Walk, climb, balance, stoop, squat, and kneel.
6. Lift and move up to 30 pounds.
7. Talk and hear.
8. Occasional Physical Demands
9. Lift and move up to 50 pounds.
10. Specific Vision Ability
11. Close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Frequent exposure
2. Cold to hot, and wet or humid conditions (weather and non-weather).
3. Standing on cement floors for extended periods of time.
4. Fumes or airborne particles ranging from natural to chemical.
5. Hand washing and wearing disposable gloves.
6. Work with knives and other tools, including plastic and metal.
7. Work with various cleaning products, including bleach.
8. The noise level in the environment is usually moderate to loud