Retail Garden Center Department Sales Lead - Hardgoods, Soils, and Pottery in Durham, North Carolina at Premier Lawn & Pest Management Inc

For Garden’s Sake is a family-owned garden center and landscaping company, in operation since 1999. We are continually growing, and offer customers a one-stop shop for plants, landscape design/installation, and lawn maintenance services. Working with us allows you to enjoy a beautiful, natural environment every day with teammates that want to see you shine. You’ll be given opportunities to train, learn, and grow to your greatest potential. We prioritize caring for our employees as much as our customers.

Plus, we have resident goats, chickens, and ducks!

We are seeking a passionate and knowledgeable Department Sales Lead for our retail garden center, focusing on Hardgoods, Soils, and Pottery. This role is filled with opportunities to cultivate connections, inspire customers, and help bring their gardening dreams to life. With a welcoming presence and a passion for customer service, you’ll spend much of your day on the sales floor, helping customers discover the perfect pottery, soils, fertilizers, mulches, pest control, weed control, and gardening tools to complement their plants and outdoor spaces. Through friendly conversation, thoughtful recommendations, and product expertise, you’ll create an inviting and inspiring shopping experience that encourages customers to explore, learn, and grow.

Behind the scenes, you’ll nurture the department much like a garden itself—keeping a watchful eye on inventory, anticipating seasonal needs, and ensuring fresh merchandise makes its way from delivery to display. From unloading and preparing new arrivals to replenishing shelves, designing eye-catching displays, refreshing signage, and maintaining a clean and organized space, you’ll take pride in creating a department that is both beautiful and easy to shop. You’ll also serve as a growing resource for your team, sharing product knowledge, cultivating confidence in others, and working side by side to keep daily operations flourishing. While your primary focus is pottery, soils, and hardgoods, you’ll also lend a helping hand wherever the garden center needs you, whether providing cashier support, tending to the watering needs of the plant department, or pitching in with seasonal plant care. Ultimately, this role is about more than managing merchandise—it’s about cultivating an exceptional customer experience and helping every corner of the garden center thrive.

This is a full-time year-round position with pay starting at $20+/hour, based on experience. We offer paid time off and holidays; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; matching 401K; discounts at the Garden Center; and work-life balance. Advancement opportunities available as we continue to grow.

Work days are 8:45am - 5:00pm with one required weekend day and split days off. The workweek averages 40 hours.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Sales and Customer Service (50%)
  • Knowledge of different types of soils, fertilizers, mulches, pest control, weed control, and gardening tools
  • Strong focus on sales - Be outgoing and enthusiastic about customer service and making sales, and be readily available to customers on the sales floor
  • Engage with customers directly to assist with pottery, soils, and hardgoods product selection, offering expert advice and knowledge
  • Create a welcoming and informative environment to enhance the customer experience and drive sales
  • Provide backup support for cashiering as needed
• Product Management and Merchandising (40%)
  • Check the department daily for low stock, display gaps, and ordering needs; provide recommendations for and place product orders as required
  • Take ownership of getting merchandise onto the sales floor promptly and create attractive merchandising to maximize sales potential
  • Lead receiving, stocking, and replenishment of department - Personally participate in receiving and unloading new inventory, assessing product quality, unpacking, pricing and labeling, and moving products to the sales floor
  • Maintain department cleanliness and organization, ensuring products are well-displayed and easily accessible
  • Regularly update department signage to reflect current promotions and information
• Training and Team Collaboration (10%)
  • Serve as the department product expert and train team members to confidently recommend and sell hardgoods, soils, and pottery; this includes explaining product uses and helping customers choose the right products for their plants and projects
  • Delegate responsibilities to support staff in a professional and clear manner to ensure efficient operations, while actively working alongside the team on physical department tasks
  • Assist with additional tasks to support the garden center as a whole, including covering a plant-watering section and helping with seasonal plant care as needed, even though this department does not include live plants

REQUIREMENTS:

• Very strong knowledge of hardgoods, soils, and pottery, including product uses, selection, and recommendations
• Knowledge of live plants (or a willingness to learn) to assist customers, recommend complementary plants and products, and support basic plant care
• Ability to safely lift 50+ pounds and perform regular physical tasks, including unloading, moving and stocking merchandise, prolonged standing, bending, kneeling, and walking on gravel and sloping ground
• Willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions
• Passion for customer service, retail, and driving sales
• Background in retail, specifically garden centers, strongly preferred
• Exceptional customer service skills with the ability to communicate calmly, clearly, and professionally (both verbally and in writing) with customers and staff
• Teamwork mindset and willingness to be flexible and jump in where needed including watering and register coverage
• Keen eye for detail, motivation to meet and exceed goals, interest in the numbers (sales goals, margins, budgets)
• Proficiency in POS systems and Google suite

For Garden’s Sake is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.