Are you looking for a retail and customer service position with flexibility, fun coworkers, and a creative environment? Join our amazing team of toy and book experts!
Our Store
The Learning Tree is an independent toy store and children's bookstore built around the idea that the best toys spark curiosity, invite play, and grow with the child. Our shelves are curated — not stocked — with games, puzzles, building sets, books, plush, arts and crafts, and open-ended classics that parents, grandparents, and educators trust. We're a neighborhood store where kids are welcome to touch, try, and decide.
Store Manager
We're hiring a Store Manager to run the day-to-day, grow the team, and own the customer experience that makes The Learning Tree feel like The Learning Tree. The Store Manager's major responsibilities include:
- The team — all aspects of staff management, from scheduling to daily tasking
- The customer experience in store — the single biggest reason customers come back
- The condition of the store — clean, organized, and ready for customers every day
- Merchandising — making sure the store is properly merchandised against the buyer's plan
- Presence — in-store five days a week, on call when out
This is a full-time, 40-hour-a-week position. You'll be on the floor five days a week, with a typical retail schedule that mixes weekdays, evenings, and weekends, and a livelier pace during the holidays, and reachable on your off days if the team needs you.
What you'll do
Manage the staff
- Build and publish weekly work schedules; maintain accurate time records and approve time-off requests
- Assign daily tasks — opening, closing, register coverage, restock, gift-wrap, cleaning, floor zones — and adjust assignments through the day as the store's needs change
- Hire, train, and evaluate sales associates and shift leads; promote, coach, and counsel staff as needed
- Run regular team huddles and one-on-ones; set clear performance expectations
- Resolve conflicts among staff fairly and quickly
Own the in-store customer experience
- Set the tone for every customer interaction — warm, knowledgeable, unhurried
- Greet customers, answer questions, and step in on complex, high-value, or sensitive sales (gifts, returns, special requests)
- Coach associates on product knowledge, age-appropriate recommendations, and the art of a good gift conversation
- Handle escalated customer complaints with judgment and care
- Monitor service quality throughout the day and intervene when the experience slips
Keep the store orderly
- Open and close the store; ensure the floor is clean, well-lit, organized, and customer-ready at all times
- Maintain back-of-house organization — stockroom, receiving area, breakroom, office
- Maintain a safe, healthy, and secure environment for staff and customers
- Purchase operational supplies — gift wrap, ribbon, bags, register tape, cleaning supplies, office and breakroom items, signage materials — within the operating budget
Ensure the store is properly merchandised
- Conduct cycle counts and full inventory; flag low or out-of-stock items so reorders can be placed
- Ensure every item is correctly priced and displayed per the store's merchandising plan
- Maintain store layout, build and refresh displays, endcaps, and feature tables on a regular cadence
- Execute in-store signage, promotions, and seasonal resets (back-to-school, Halloween, holiday, summer)
- Share floor feedback with the buyer — what's selling, what isn't, what customers are asking for
Be present and available
- Be in-store five days per week, including coverage across evenings, weekends, and the holiday season
- Be reachable on the remaining days to answer questions from staff and back up the team when needed
What you bring
- 3+ years of retail experience, including at least 1 year as a supervisor, key-holder, or assistant manager
- Strong people skills — you can lead a team, coach an associate, and de-escalate a frustrated customer in the same hour
- Good judgment and the ability to make sound decisions quickly on the floor
- Comfort with a POS system, basic spreadsheets, and email
- A real interest in toys, books, and the families who shop with us
- Availability evenings, weekends, and extended hours through the holiday season
- High school diploma or equivalent
Nice to have
- Experience managing a specialty, independent, or small-format store
- Familiarity with toys, children's books, education, or a related field
- Background in early childhood education, child development, or library/bookstore work
Sales Associate
Our Sales Associates are the heart of the store. You'll greet customers as they come in, learn what they're looking for, and help them find just the right gift — whether that's a board book for a new baby, a science kit for a curious eight-year-old, or a thousand-piece puzzle for a grandparent.
Full-time and part-time positions available, with flexible scheduling. Some evening and weekend shifts are required.
What you'll do
Take care of customers
- Greet every customer warmly
- Listen for what a customer actually needs — the gift, the recipient, the budget, the occasion
- Help customers find just the right gift for their loved ones
- Go above and beyond customer expectations
- Ensure that all customers leave happy and looking forward to coming back
- Wrap gifts (we offer free gift wrapping)
- Develop and maintain customer relationships with our regulars
Keep the floor ready
- Restock shelves throughout your shift
- Merchandise and display new products as they come in
- Clean and organize the store, front-of-house and back
- Receive and check merchandise
Be part of the team
- Attend monthly staff meetings
- Share what you're hearing from customers with the team and the buyer
- Pitch in on the small things that make the store run smoothly
What you bring
- Warmth with customers and genuine interest in helping them
- Attention to detail and reliability — you show up on time, ready to work
- A willingness to learn the brands we carry and the age ranges they suit best
- Comfort standing or walking for most of a shift, and lifting up to 30 lbs
- Availability for some evenings and weekends
Nice to have
- Previous retail or customer-service experience
- Familiarity with kids' toys, books, or games
- Background in education, childcare, or working with families
How to Apply
If either role sounds like a fit, we'd love to hear from you.
You can also call us during store hours (CST) at 913-385-1234 or email us at info@learningtreetoys.com.