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Job Description: Retail & Floral Associate (Full-Time)

Walter Knoll Florist — O'Fallon, MO

Position Type: Full-Time (35–40 hours/week)

Operation: 7 Days a Week

Walter Knoll Florist, a premier floral brand serving the greater St. Louis area, is seeking a dependable, self-motivated, and creative professional to join our O'Fallon location as a Full-Time Retail & Floral Associate.

This position offers a rare combination of hands-on creativity and trusted operational leadership. Operating as an essential part of an agile, close-knit team, you will serve as the primary anchor on the retail floor, stepping up to guide daily store operations and take the lead during the 20 hours each week when the Store Manager is off-site. This is a 7 day week operation.

Previous floral design experience is highly valued and directly rewarded with higher starting pay. However, for retail professionals with natural artistic flair, strong initiative, and rock-solid reliability, this is also an exceptional, paid opportunity: we provide comprehensive, hands-on training to mentor and develop you into a skilled commercial florist.

Key Responsibilities

Shift Leadership & Store Operations

• Steer daily storefront operations independently for 20 hours each week in the absence of the Store Manager, ensuring brand standards, order fulfillment, and customer service remain flawless.

• Execute keyholder duties, including store opening/closing procedures, register reconciliation, and secure cash handling.

• Guide the daily workflow, delegate tasks, and coordinate delivery dispatches across the three-person shop team when acting as the senior staff member on duty.

• Exercise sound judgment to resolve customer inquiries, handle order revisions, and troubleshoot delivery logistics with confidence and poise.

Floral Production & On-the-Job Training

• Learn commercial floral mechanics through direct mentorship—mastering stem preparation, hydration, color harmony, and signature Walter Knoll design recipes.

• Design custom arrangements, everyday vase work, wrapped bouquets, and seasonal displays as your technique develops (experienced floral designers will jump straight to the design bench).

• Receive, inspect, and condition fresh wholesale shipments, maintaining proper cooler rotation, fresh water, and clean bucket hygiene.

Retail Sales & Customer Care

• Welcome walk-in clients and answer telephone inquiries, providing thoughtful recommendations for life’s milestone moments—from celebrations and corporate events to sympathy tributes.

• Accurately ring up purchases and process custom orders using the computerized Point of Sale (POS) system.

• Maintain an inviting, organized sales floor, including well-tended houseplant displays, clean display coolers, and rotated seasonal gifts.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated Reliability & Initiative: 1–2 years of retail experience with a proven track record of handling keyholder, shift-lead, or independent store coverage. Confident working autonomously and keeping daily store momentum strong when leadership is off-site.

• Floral Aptitude or Eagerness to Learn: Floral design or flower shop experience is a plus and will be rewarded. A genuine desire to learn the trade from the ground up through paid training is equally welcome for individuals with artistic instincts and manual dexterity.

• Team Mindset: Thrives in a collaborative, small-team environment (three-person shop) where every member pulls their weight, communicates openly, and shares daily prep and cleanup.

• Customer Polish: Warm, professional communication style suited to sensitive, celebratory, and fast-paced retail interactions.

• Technical & Physical Capabilities: Comfort navigating computerized POS systems. Ability to stand for the majority of a shift, lift supply boxes and floral buckets up to 35–40 lbs, and work comfortably around water, foliage, and walk-in coolers.

Schedule & Availability

• Full-Time: 35–40 hours per week.

• 7-Day Retail Schedule: Open availability across weekdays, rotating weekends, and mandatory extended participation during peak floral holidays (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving week, and Christmas).

What We Offer

• Paid Floral Apprenticeship: Learn professional commercial floristry while earning a dependable full-time wage.

• Experience-Based Compensation: Competitive base pay with an elevated compensation tier recognizing prior professional floral design skill.

• Generous Employee Discount: Substantial savings on fresh flowers, indoor green plants, and curated retail gifts.

• High-Trust Environment: Meaningful day-to-day autonomy and shift-leadership experience within a respected, legacy regional business.

How to Apply

Please send your resume, weekly availability, and photos of prior creative or floral work (if applicable) to [Insert Email Address] with the subject line: "Retail & Floral Associate - [Your Name]". Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.