Sales Associate- Seasonal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at EASTERN STATE

Job Summary:

The Sales Associate supports Eastern State’s Sales operations by providing excellent customer service, facilitating smooth transactions, and ensuring the store is clean, organized, and well-stocked. This role helps deliver a high-quality visitor experience by connecting guests with merchandise that reflects Eastern State’s history, mission, and brand.

Key duties include accurately handling cash and credit transactions, maintaining an organized and appealing store appearance, and ensuring the efficient restocking of inventory. The ideal candidate possesses strong interpersonal skills and a genuine enthusiasm for Eastern State’s mission and educational offerings. This role requires availability for Saturday shifts, including evenings, from June 20 through August 1 until 9:30 pm. Additional availability for 2–3 days per week on Sundays, Mondays, or Fridays from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from May 19 – September 19, 2026. This is a public-facing role that requires reliability, attention to detail, and a strong sense of teamwork.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Maintain cleanliness and organization of the store throughout each shift.
• Restock shelves and displays; alert manager of low stock or needed supplies.
• Assist with opening and closing duties, including setting up registers and securing merchandise.
• Monitor and handle inventory with care and accuracy.
• Operate point-of-sale system to process purchases, returns, and exchanges, including handling various payment methods such as cash, credit/debit cards, gift cards, and staff and member discounts. This includes scanning items, ensuring correct pricing, and correctly applying sales, coupons, and exchanges according to store policy.
• Upsell or suggest relevant items to enhance the guest experience.
• Collaborate with fellow staff to ensure a supportive work environment and smooth daily operations.
• Follow safety procedures for guests and staff, including emergency protocols.
• Ensure high-quality quality customer service. This may include handling and resolving issues for tickets sold through online travel agencies and other third-party ticket resellers, as well as tickets with complex tiered pricing structures.
• Manage the sale of admission tickets, which may involve using a separate ticketing software, understanding tiered pricing (general admission, student, senior, etc.), and promoting membership upgrades or add-ons.
• Maintain a balanced cash drawer, accurately provide change, and report any discrepancies.
• Address all customer inquiries related to transactions, tickets, returns, and exchanges professionally and courteously, ensuring a seamless and positive experience that reflects positively on Eastern State Penitentiary.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Availability for Saturday shifts, including evenings, from June 20 through August 1 until 9:30 pm. Additional availability for 2–3 days per week on Sundays, Mondays, or Fridays from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from May 19 – September 19, 2026
• At least 1 year of customer service or retail experience preferred.
• High School Diploma or GED required
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Strong verbal communication is necessary for clearly explaining merchandise features, membership benefits, ticket options, and store policies to a diverse audience.
• Strong customer service skills mandatory. The ability to greet visitors warmly, engage in positive interactions, and resolve complaints or issues professionally and patiently.
• Comfortable using POS systems and basic technology. Familiarity with Counterpoint, Ticketure, and BigCommerce are a plus.
• Demonstrated accuracy and accountability when handling cash, processing credit/debit transactions, managing receipts, and operating an inventory management system and a specialized ticketing system.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulousness in counting inventory, performing cash reconciliation, and ensuring that all sales and ticketing records are accurate.
• Reliability and Teamwork: Dependability in adhering to schedules (especially for weekend/holiday hours) and a willingness to collaborate with other staff.
• Interest in history, museums, criminal justice, justice reform, education, or Eastern State’s mission is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time.
• Ability to traverse from post to post within the 10-acre site
• Frequent bending, stooping, and reaching overhead or below the waist to retrieve, organize, and restock merchandise on shelves, racks, and display fixtures
• Sufficient manual dexterity to accurately handle cash, process credit cards, operate the POS system, and neatly wrap merchandise or gift-wrap purchases
• Ability to work in outdoor environments, including in the elements and in indoor or covered spaces where temperatures may vary
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Eastern State employees are expected to be flexible and to take on additional duties as assigned, according to the organization’s needs and the staff member’s skills and abilities.

EEO Statement

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, arrest record or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.

ESPHS strongly believes in second chances and, as such, is committed to providing appropriate employment opportunities to those who have been incarcerated. As a condition of employment, all individuals who accept an employment offer must complete a criminal background check. Eastern State will review any criminal record and make appropriate employment decisions in accordance with applicable law and its policies.