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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.