Wine Thieves Customer Service Representative

Customer Service Representative – Wine Thieves

Wine Thieves is looking for a friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic Customer Service Representative to join our team.

Location: 

Lafayette, CA

Pay: 

$21–$23/hour

Hours:

25+ hours/week depending on schedule needs and availability. 

About Wine Thieves:

We are a neighborhood wine shop and tasting room focused on making wine approachable, interesting, and fun. We take wine seriously - but we don't believe wine needs to be intimidating or pretentious.

Job Description

The most important part of this role is customer service. You'll spend much of your time talking with customers, learning what they like, and helping them find wines they'll be excited to drink. We're looking for someone who can provide informed recommendations in a warm, positive, and completely non-pretentious way - whether a customer is looking for an inexpensive weeknight bottle or something special.

You'll also have an opportunity to contribute to the wines we feature in the shop. Our staff regularly tastes and evaluates wines, and we want team members who are interested in developing their wine knowledge and sharing their opinions about what deserves a place on our shelves and by-the-glass list.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing friendly, attentive customer service and personalized wine recommendations
• Helping customers learn about wine/beer in an approachable, conversational way
• Tasting, evaluating, and providing input on wines being considered for the shop
• Learning about new wines, regions, producers, and styles
• Pouring and discussing wines offered by the glass and at tastings/events
• Operating the register and assisting with day-to-day retail operations
• Regularly restocking wine and other merchandise
• Washing glassware and dishes and keeping the tasting area clean
• Helping with general cleaning, organization, and shop maintenance

What We're Looking For:

First and foremost, we're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys interacting with people. Wine knowledge is a big bonus, but being welcoming, curious, reliable, and able to communicate that knowledge without making customers feel intimidated is even more important. 

The ideal candidate:

• Has excellent customer service and communication skills
• Has a strong interest in wine and a desire to continue learning
• Already has, or is willing to get California RBS (Alcohol Server) Training 
• Can discuss wine enthusiastically without being pretentious
• Is comfortable offering opinions and recommendations
• Is dependable, hardworking, and willing to pitch in wherever needed
• Understands that working in a wine shop isn't all tasting great bottles—there are plenty of boxes to move and glasses to wash
• Can regularly lift and carry at least 50 pounds
• Has a college degree (preferred, but not mandatory)
• Prior wine, restaurant, hospitality, or specialty retail experience is a plus, but we are open to candidates with different backgrounds who have the right combination of customer-service skills, curiosity, and enthusiasm for wine.

Compensation:

$21–$23 per hour, depending on experience and wine knowledge.

Perks:

• Generous employee discount
• On-the-job training
• Opportunities for growth within the company 

If you love wine, enjoy helping people discover something new, and want to work in a friendly neighborhood shop where you'll have a real voice in what we put on the shelves, we'd love to hear from you.