Description

This position is a frontline position prioritizing customer service and optimizing book sales while representing Letterpress Play + Books and its goods, services, and programs to the public. A bookseller is also responsible for the daily appearance of the store. 

Core Responsibilities:

• Customer service: 
  • Customer service includes greeting customers and giving expert advice based on a strong knowledge of our store inventory based on determined customer needs. 
  • Recommending and handselling books to customers, through making staff recommendations cards and verbally. 
  • Enjoyment of being around and talking to people, and clearly communicating in person, on the phone, and via email. 
  • A general awareness of the publishing industry will be extremely useful as will a helpful attitude, research skills, and the perseverance to find a book even when the customer isn’t able to provide a lot of information.
• Operations: 
  
  • Manage daily store functions, including opening/closing tasks
  • Point-of-sale transactions include sales, customer returns/exchanges, taking special orders and gift-wrapping.
  • Maintaining a comfortable bookstore environment including keeping the store clean, safe, and comfortable for customers and staff. 
  • Duties include dusting, sweeping, cleaning bathroom facilities, trash, and recycling, as assigned
  • Assist with the facilitation of in-store and/or off-site events, including helping with inventory management/transport, giving a short introduction to an event, setting up/breaking down the event area, helping with A/V setup
• Merchandising and Marketing: 
  
  • Basic merchandising including: receiving inventory, shelving, creating displays, organizing books and other merchandise, and yearly inventory.
  • Participating in marketing and promotions includes contributions to social media, writing staff cards, and involvement in events and promotions, as needed.
• Loss prevention: 
  
  • Use of Point of Sale as trained, to ensure little to no operational loss
  • Awareness of customers behavior while in the bookstore, to protect company assets. Notify the manager if shoplifting is suspected. 
• Human Resources:
  
  • Arrive to work on time, ready to work. 
  • Follow all LLP+B policies as outlined in handbook 

Requirements

Core Competencies:

• Basic computer skills, including MS Office and the ability to learn new systems, like our Point of Sale system (Shopify/Emersoft) and other databases, as needed.
• Creative problem-solver and self-starter
• Able to work with minimal supervision after training
• Show initiative to do what needs to be done, to the best of your knowledge and ability, even without explicit instructions.
• Ability to ask clarifying questions, and help, when needed.
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Must have a comfort level interacting with children.

Other requirements:

• Ability to bend, stoop, and lift up to 40 pounds.  
• Ability to be on your feet for hours at a time.
• Nights and weekends required; hours and daily schedule will vary

Benefits offered and perks of working for Letterpress Play & Books: 

• (30 hours+ employees) Health insurance including medical, dental, vision
  Paid Time Off
• Vacation accrual starting first day of employment  (all statuses)
• Sick leave available immediately upon start of employment  (all statuses)
• Holiday Pay available to 30 hours+ employees after 3 months of employment
• Company paid parking 
• 25% Employee discount on Letterpress Play + Books merchandise, gifts and books
  
  • Book discount goes up to 35% FOR BOOKS ONLY after 90 days of employment
• Access to Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) as well as other industry exclusive opportunities!

**Letterpress Play & Books, a stationery and gift store in south Austin, Texas, is moving and expanding to include an approximately 1,100-square-foot book section, opening Fall 2026. 

Resumes will be accepted, with a cover letter, until EOD Sunday, July 12th. The start date will be in early August. 

The Bookstore Mission statement: Come explore the possible and the impossible at Letterpress Play & Books. If you have questions, we have more questions! In our gallery of 10,000 worlds, there is a book for every mood, a journey to satiate each yearning, a story to soothe your unquiet mind. Plus, coffee! Come join our community of regulars (and irregulars). At LPP we believe that when you pluck the right combination of words and pictures off of the shelf, you can explain the unexplainable. Whether you want to get lost or be found, there is a book for you at Letterpress Play & Books.