Live Goods Specialist

Live Goods Specialist

Since 1978, Big Tool Box has been the family-owned hardware haven where "all the expertise is under one roof," putting customer service at the heart of everything it does. Spanning five powerhouse categories—Ace Hardware and Tools for every nut, bolt, and power tool imaginable; the Rental & Repair Center to keep projects moving without breaking the bank; the Highlands Garden Center bursting with plants, soil, and green-thumb guidance; the Lawn & Sprinkler Center for flawless outdoor irrigation and landscape solutions; and the Grillin and Chillin Center stocked with premium BBQ grills and all the accessories for perfect backyard cookouts—Big Tool Box remains the go-to destination for contractors, gardeners, grill masters, and DIYers alike.

Job Summary

• Serve as the in-store expert for live goods (annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, houseplants, bulbs, sod) by owning purchasing, receiving, cycle counts, merchandising, plant credits, outdoor garden center setup, and monitoring exceptional service.
• Keep plants healthy, displays stunning, and inventory accurate while delivering "wow" customer experiences in the garden center.
• Full-time position with flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Praise worthy customer service is our goal in every customer interaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Purchasing Live Goods
• Forecast and place weekly orders with local nurseries, Monrovia, Proven Winners, Bonnie Plants, Costa Farms, and Ace co-op using weather trends, sell-through velocity, and contractor pre-books.
• Negotiate early-order discounts, co-op tags, and freight terms; lock in spring color rotations by December.
• Track PO aging; expedite late trucks and update out-of-stock board daily.
• Receiving Live Goods
• Inspect every pallet/truck upon arrival: count plants, check for pests/disease, verify cold-chain, scan tags, and photo-document damage.
• Quarantine suspect stock, notify vendor within 2 hours, and stage healthy plants by sunlight/water needs.
• Process live receipts in Ace Vision; reconcile shorts and log temperature logs.
• Cycle Counts & Inventory Accuracy
• Execute daily cycle counts on 50–100 live SKUs using mobile RF scanner; focus on high-shrink (succulents, herbs) and negative on-hand.
• Pull Mango live goods reports: Zero Sales, Over 30 Days, Shrink %; cull and credit unsellables same-day.
• Maintain 98% accuracy; adjust for transplant loss, customer damage, or theft.
• Merchandising & Outdoor Garden Center Setup
• Set up and refresh outdoor garden center tables, A-frame racks, color bowls, hanging baskets, and tree corrals per seasonal calendar.
• Build themed zones (pollinator patio, veggie start, shade retreat) with Proven Winners POP, QR care tags, and cross-merch (pots saucers fertilizer).
• Water, prune, deadhead, rotate stock daily; consolidate trays and cull wilted before opening.
• Pursuing Plant Credits
• Photograph and submit credit requests within 24 hours for DOA, pest-infested, or mis-shipped plants via vendor portals.
• Track credit aging; follow up weekly until posted; reconcile monthly statements.
• Reduce shrink credits 20% YoY through better receiving protocols and vendor scorecards.
• Monitoring Exceptional Service
• Walk the garden center every 30 min; greet customers, offer carry-out, loading, or plant care advice.
• Train staff on exceptional service scripts: "Let me wheel this tree to your car."
• Monitor Ace Rewards attachments, clinic sign-ups, and 5-star Google reviews; recognize top service associates weekly.
• All other duties as assigned by management.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Education
• High school diploma or GED; Horticulture certificate or Master Gardener a plus.
• Experience
• 2 years live goods purchasing/receiving in garden center or nursery; merchandising and credit processing required.
• Skills & Abilities
• Purchasing precision-orders enough to grow sales, but not too much that is lost to waste
• RF/Mango mastery—closes 100 live counts before lunch, exports shrink dashboard in <2 min.
• Merchandising artistry—turns empty tables into $10K color bowl sales in one weekend.
• Credit tenacity—recovers 95% of eligible DOA credits within 30 days.
• Service obsession—spots wilted leaf or confused customer from 50 ft.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Physical Requirements
• Lift/carry up to 50 lbs repeatedly (flats of annuals, 5-gal shrubs, bagged soil).
• Stand/walk full shift outdoors; bend, kneel, reach overhead; work in heat, cold, rain, sun, pollen.
• Push/pull rolling plant racks (500 lbs) across gravel.
• Other
• Valid driver's license (nursery pickups, jobsite consults).
• Early spring/summer flexible availability.
• Passion for plant health, pollinator habitats, and zero-waste credits.