Wholesale Sales & Customer Assistance Team Leader

Join Hicks Nurseries - Long Island's Largest Garden Center!

Located in Westbury, NY | $40 Million Annual Revenue | Retail & Wholesale

Hicks Nurseries, the premier retail and wholesale garden center on Long Island, is looking for a Team Leader in the Wholesale division. With a proud legacy in the industry, Hicks offers a fast-paced, friendly environment where customers and team members alike love to grow.

We are seeking a customer-focused and results-driven Customer Sales & Assistance Team Lead to oversee front-end operations, lead a team of customer service professionals, and drive sales growth through exceptional customer engagement. This role is responsible for supervising daily customer service and point-of-sale activities, ensuring operational excellence, maintaining accurate cash controls, and fostering a positive customer experience.

The ideal candidate will leverage strong leadership, sales, and product knowledge to support both customers and team members while contributing to the overall success of the business.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Staff Development

• Lead, coach, and support a team of Customer Assistance Team Members.
• Ensure team members work safely and follow company policies and procedures
• Assign tasks and monitor performance to achieve operational objectives.
• Train and onboard new team members while providing ongoing coaching and development.
• Share product knowledge, industry insights, and best practices to improve customer interactions and team effectiveness.
• Coordinate labor resources with other departments as needed.

Sales & Customer Engagement

• Actively engage customers to identify needs and recommend appropriate products and solutions.
• Assist walk-in and phone-in customers with product selection and purchasing decisions.
• Identify opportunities for product substitutions, cross-selling, and upselling.
• Provide expert product and industry knowledge to support customer decision-making.
• Promote customer loyalty programs and communicate associated benefits.

Customer Service Excellence

• Deliver a welcoming, professional, and efficient customer experience.
• Respond promptly to customer inquiries regarding product availability, specifications, and services.
• Refer special orders, quotes, and complex requests to the appropriate Customer Service Specialist.
• Support customer onboarding activities and ensure a positive first-time customer experience.
• Provide guidance on website navigation, online ordering, and product selection.

Point-of-Sale & Cash Management

• Assist customers through the checkout process while ensuring transaction accuracy.
• Oversee front-end operations and monitor checkout efficiency.
• Troubleshoot point-of-sale equipment and hardware issues.
• Authorize and process returns, voids, and other exception transactions.
• Maintain secure cash handling practices and ensure compliance with cash control procedures.
• Conduct daily opening and closing register procedures.
• Ensure registers are balanced, cash is secured, and required cash pickups are completed.
• Verify that all cashiers adhere to established cash-handling standards.

Inventory & Order Management

• Ensure accurate scanning and processing of customer purchases.
• Monitor outgoing sales to maintain inventory accuracy and prevent discrepancies.
• Prevent unauthorized customer self-loading through active monitoring of sales and yard areas.
• Communicate inventory shortages and replenishment needs to management.
• Assist with customer account setup and data entry.
• Support order entry, status updates, substitutions, deposits, and order fulfillment activities.
• Contact customers when orders are ready for pickup and follow up on expired or unclaimed orders.

Process Improvement & Business Growth

• Participate in the development and improvement of sales and customer service processes.
• Contribute customer insights and feedback to enhance operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with management and sales teams to develop strategies that attract customers and increase revenue.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the customer experience.

Front-End Operations & Store Presentation

• Ensure the front-end area remains clean, organized, and customer-ready.
• Maintain counters, floors, trash and recycling areas, and customer amenities.
• Oversee the maintenance and stocking of customer service and front-end inventory items.
• Ensure signage, labels, barcodes, and product information are accurate and up to date.
• Communicate supply and inventory needs to management in a timely manner.
• High School degree or equivalent
• Formal training or equivalent experience in horticulture, particularly houseplants, tropicals,

annuals, woody plants, and/or perennials for a retail or wholesale operation.

• 3 years of experience in a wholesale setting.
• Computer literate, including Microsoft Office products.
• Effective and articulate fluency in English, written and oral, including face-to-face, on the phone,

in formal letters, texting, and via email.

• Ability to maintain cooperative professional relationships with customers, peers, managers, etc., while projecting a professional image through in-person, electronic, and telephone interactions.
• Ability to safely operate relevant equipment and vehicles, such as electric golf carts.
• Previous experience in retail sales, customer service, or front-end operations.
• Prior leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Strong customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to coach, train, and motivate team members.
• Experience handling cash, operating point-of-sale systems, and managing transactions.
• Strong organizational, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities.
• Knowledge of inventory management and retail operations is preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.

Physical Requirements

• Regular physical activity required, including standing, walking, reaching, bending, lifting,

climbing, pushing, pulling, squeezing, and grasping.

• Must be able to consistently lift, carry, push, and pull 25-40 lbs. independently and occasionally

up to 50 lbs.

• Must be able to push/pull wheeled carts of 400 lbs. consistently.
• Must be able to use a handheld computer device.
• Must be able to type, use a computer mouse, and write.

Work Environment

• Fast-paced.
• Team focus.
• Indoor and outdoor activities in all types of weather conditions.
• Greenhouse location with fans and other cooling devices but without air conditioning; the

temperature in warm-weather seasons can be above 90 degrees at times.

• Environment where noise level varies but can be loud at times.
• Dusty, dirty, muddy work areas.