Museum Store Sales Associate - Temporary

The Princeton University Art Museum welcomes applications for the position of Museum Store Sales Associate. A successful store associate energetically engages visitors, imparting knowledge and hospitality while incorporating strong selling skills. Professionalism and superior customer service are expected of every sales associate, with a focus on teamwork as well as individual zest for task completion. 

We have immediate openings for casual Museum Store staff for our store located at 56 Nassau Street in Palmer Square, Princeton, and the new Art Museum building, opening Fall 2025. This is an ongoing, temporary position that requires a minimum of 16 hours up to 32 hours per week, or approximately 2-4 shifts.   

About the Museum: 

With a collecting history that extends back to 1755, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country, with collections that have grown to include more than 117,000 works of art ranging from ancient to contemporary art and spanning the globe. Committed to advancing Princeton’s teaching and research missions, the Art Museum also serves as a gateway to the University for visitors worldwide. As the Museum prepares for a dramatically reconceived new building scheduled to open in Fall 2025, the Art Museum presents three exhibitions in its downtown venue Art@Bainbridge. When the new building opens, the Art Museum will open with 32 galleries and initiate its new exhibitions program with seven annual exhibitions onsite and on tour.  

To learn more about the Princeton University Art Museum, visit  artmuseum.princeton.edu.

• Welcome customers, provide general information, and answer questions.
• Use the Retail POS to complete sales transactions and returns.  
• Increase sales through customer engagement and proactive interaction with visitors.
• Tag and display merchandise, replenish stock, and assist in informing managers of inventory levels.
• Become thoroughly versed in product information, especially with artisan-created pieces.
• Maintain a clean work environment.
• Encourage and promote Art Museum membership and facilitate museum membership sign-ups.
• Demonstrate punctuality and reliability.
• Apply a proactive approach with a solution-oriented attitude.
• Uphold and promote Museum policies and procedures.
• Promote the Museum’s programs, lectures, special events, as well as museum collections.
• Find substitutes for any shifts that you are unable to fulfill, especially last-minute cancellations, and exhibit a willingness to reciprocate with other team members as needed.   
• A background in Art History is not required, but creativity and a passion for the arts are strongly preferred. 

Essential Requirements

• Previous retail sales experience, including cash handling and POS operations required.
• Ability to learn and communicate key product information, especially specifics of handcrafted artisan pieces.
• Strong communication skills to engage with diverse audiences in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in Windows-based software is required to operate the POS (point of sale) register system.
• Must be able to routinely lift 30 lb. cartons of books or merchandise.
• Skill with store display and merchandising is preferred but not required.
• Training will be provided in all store-related systems, as well as security and emergency preparedness procedures.
• A flexible work schedule, which may include hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and some evenings, is required, as well as additional availability and flexibility during holidays, Reunions, and high-volume events throughout the year.

Preferred Requirements

• Proficiency in MS Office, including Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, OneDrive, and Zoom is preferred.
• Fluency in more than one language is a plus. 

References will be checked, and a background check is required by Princeton University.  Please note that this is not a seasonal or short-term student position.  

Be advised that you will be contacted only if there is further interest in your application. Your candidate dashboard may not display status updates for this requisition. No phone calls, please. 

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are prorated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.