keplers.com
Employment
Part Time Seasonal Bookseller - Menlo Park, CaliforniaEmployment type: Part-time, seasonal — guaranteed through the first week of January. Kepler's regularly extends strong seasonal booksellers into permanent part-time roles after the holidays, based on performance and store needs.Hours: Approximately 12 hours per week through Thanksgiving, increasing to up to 40 hours per week from late November through early January to cover our holiday season.Compensation: New Booksellers — $20–22/hourAvailability Requirements: Must be able to work opening and closing shifts, one weekend day per week, and additional hours during the holiday ramp-up (late November through early January). Shifts are typically 4 to 8 hours. About the PositionAs a bookseller, you'll work the retail floor helping customers find and purchase books, share information about our programs and events, and make personal reading recommendations. Day-to-day responsibilities include:Creating a great in-store experience — helping customers find and purchase books, answering questions, and giving a great floor experience, especially during high-volume holiday seasonWorking register shifts — ringing up sales, processing payments and returns, and handling gift wrapping at checkoutStore presentation — keeping the whole store neat and shelved correctly so customers can easily find what they're looking for, and flagging restocks or misplaced inventoryBehind-the-scenes tasks — receiving and processing stock returns, pulling and processing online orders, and light cleaningDuring your first two weeks, you'll shadow experienced booksellers, train on our register and inventory systems, and build familiarity with our current bestsellers and staff picks before working shifts independently.Kepler's is a creative and innovative place to work, and if you're committed to books and bookselling, we want to talk to you. You can see profiles of our current staff at https://keplers.com/staff-picks.As a seasonal employee, you'll be eligible for PTO and staff discounts on books and merchandise. If your role converts to a permanent part-time position, you'll also become eligible for our 401k program and ICHRA health benefit. We prefer promoting from within — several current booksellers have moved into roles in events, buying, and store supervision, and we look to seasonal staff as a pipeline for those permanent openings. Ideal Candidates Will HaveA passion for talking with people about books, and a proclivity for reading across genresAn outgoing personality and excellent customer service skillsOrganizational skills and attention to detailEfficient and resourceful time management skillsStrong written and verbal communication skillsThe ability to proactively self-direct, especially during high-volume holiday shiftsThe ability to lift boxes of books up to 40 lbsFlexibility to take on additional hours as the holiday season ramps upPreferred but not required:Interest in a long-term career in bookselling and/or social enterprisesPrevious experience working in a bookstore or libraryBachelor's or advanced degree in Literature, Education, or a related fieldExperience with inventory systems (we use IBID-IE) To ApplyPlease send a current resume (including relevant job experience), cover letter, and three professional references to jobs@keplers.com. We read cover letters closely, both for content and for how clearly you write. Please address each of the following questions in your cover letter:a) Explain why you want to work in a bookstore.b) Write about a book you read and enjoyed recently: what type of customer might it appeal to, and how would you talk about it with them?c) Kepler's is guided by our founder's mission to open minds, deepen literacy, and promote critical thinking. Spend some time reviewing the About Us section of our website at www.keplers.com and tell us why this mission resonates with you.d) List the hours you're available to work now, and let us know if your availability will change after Thanksgiving.Incomplete applications will not be considered for an interview. About Kepler'sKepler's has been the intellectual and cultural hub of Menlo Park and the greater Peninsula community for 71 years. Kepler's is known for its outstanding literary events, knowledgeable staff, broad selection of books and magazines, and deep ties to the community, including local schools and non-profit organizations.Kepler's was the first bookselling institution in the US to pioneer an innovative hybrid business model that includes a community-financed bookstore and a non-profit organization producing a rich roster of literary events with leading intellectuals and writers. This approach to sustainable bookselling has won numerous accolades and been covered by Stanford Social Innovation Review, Washington Post, and Publishers Weekly. In recent years, our non-profit, Kepler's Literary Foundation, has produced well-attended events with Nancy Pelosi, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ann Patchett, Ezra Klein, Viet Thanh Nguyen, John Green, Heather Cox Richardson, Roxane Gay, and many others.Kepler's is a social enterprise with a mission to provide public education and cultural enrichment for our community, and meaningful work and living wages for our staff. We're located next door to Café Borrone and are conveniently accessible by Caltrain and the public bus system.
