Wine & Beer Buyer (full-time, benefits-eligible)

Description

Wine & Beer Buyer

Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. til 7:00 p.m.

40 hours weekly

Purpose: To provide support for Food Services with purchasing product and maintain attractive and dynamic beer, wine and beverage sub-departments with an engaging promotions program while meeting customer and Co-op needs and achieving financial goals.

Status: Reports to Food Services Manager

Pay Level 5

Responsibilities:

Customer Service:

• Assist external and internal customers in a prompt, courteous and helpful manner.
• Provide information for social media, promotions, and customer inquiries.
• Respond to customer comments and questions.

Operations:

• Know and follow all state liquor laws.
• Maintain attractive, fully stocked and rotated displays.
• Prepare purchase orders for distributors.
• Oversee special orders.
• Oversee and/or direct stock displays, shelves, and bins without overcrowding.
• Ensure all products are continually fronted and faced as needed.
• Oversee the rotation of older stock to the front, making room for new stock.
• Oversee the maintenance of stocking lists and communicate with other staff.
• Coordinate tastings within State of Vermont guidelines.
• Prepare and execute plans for special displays.
• Maintain accurate inventory database.
• Oversee maintenance of organized and safe backstock storage.
• Coordinate and participate in periodic inventory counts.
• Clean up and properly dispose of glass from broken beer and wine bottles.
• Report and advise the Food Service Management team on departmental needs and concerns.

Purchasing:

• Negotiate with food and beverage suppliers for favorable prices, terms, quality, and delivery.
• Work with the Food Services manager to provide support with purchasing for the department
• Maintain effective vendor relations.
• Coordinate and place orders following established procedures to ensure a steady supply of product for Food Services and beer and wine displays, specials and promotions.
• Calculate prices to meet margin and sales goals for Food Services department
• Ensure accurate product information in the Co-op’s inventory database.
• Ensure accurate price labeling and shelf tags throughout the department.
• Evaluate vendors and research new sources of supply systematically.
• Provide support to assistant buyers with special order needs.
• Attend trade shows and other events as needed.

Merchandising and Promotions:

• Select, price, order and display products to achieve department goals for sales, gross margin, turns and non-financial values for the food services department.
• Create and maintain merchandising plans and plan-o-grams.
• Organize and coordinate periodic restructuring and remapping of department as needed.
• Coordinate appropriate, attractive and cohesive labeling and signage with Community Relations and IT Departments under the guidelines of the merchandising manual.
• Participate in promotional meetings and be an active member of the promotions team representing food services.
• Working with the Community Relations Department, maintain and grow informational outputs for department such as email list serve and website updates.
• Research product for the food services department and merchandising practices including visits of other stores.
• Notify Food Services Manager of category developments, including velocity changes, out of stocks, and discounted products for the department

Education & Events:

• Gather information about products, producers, and industry, and share with customers and coworkers in person and in writing, including in staff education and other events.
• Coordinate logistics for demos and Co-op events.
• Represent Hunger Mountain Co-op professionally at outside events.

Safety:

• Follow all OSHA and Co-op safety procedures and expectations.
• Attend all required safety trainings.
• Follow department policies and procedures.

Requirements

The responsibilities as listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. 

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years prior retail buying (in food service and wine and beer) with merchandising experience.
• Knowledge of products and trends in the food and beverage industry, including familiarity with both domestic and international producers.
• Regular and punctual attendance.
• Ability to work nights, weekends and holiday periods as needed.
• Demonstrated excellence in customer service.
• Demonstrated excellence in spoken and written communication.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills, including evaluating category management, merchandising, and Point of Sale reports.
• Experience with analysis of margins, cost of goods sold, revenue and inventories.
• Supervisory or team leader experience preferred.
• Strong computer skills, including with Microsoft Office and point-of-sale/inventory systems (Catapult preferred).
• Ability to establish and achieve goals for sales, margins and inventory turns.
• Ability to plan, communicate and direct the implementation of initiatives.
• Ability to work with others as a team.
• Ability to handle multiple demands.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds safely and continuously.
• Excellent listening skills.
• Highly organized and able to meet the needs of multiple vendors and distributors.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks.
• Familiarity with purchase orders and receiving logs.
• Well organized and pays attention to details. 
• Ability to be physically present onsite at the Co-op to perform the requirements of this position.

Updated March 2025