• Thrift store coordinators often work for a charitable organization.Donations image by Rebs O from Fotolia.com
  
  Thrift stores are often community-based and owned by nonprofit organizations. They rely heavily on volunteers for staffing and donated resources for merchandise inventory. One type of employee is a thrift store coordinator who specializes in one facet of maintaining the store, such as window displays, or has more comprehensive duties, such as coordinating staff, donations and promotions throughout the store. Like other thrift store staff, the coordinator position may be paid or unpaid, salaried, hourly or volunteer.
  
  

Working With Others

• Thrift store coordinators must work well with others--including the store's staff, volunteers, and community service workers--to accomplish the organization's mission.They have supervision duties and work closely with management to help train, develop and hold employees (paid and unpaid) accountable for tasks. They may oversee the customer service staff, including salespeople. A coordinator may be assigned to fulfill these duties at more than one store.
  
  

Customer Service

• The thrift store coordinators often act as the liaison between the store and the community, donors, volunteers and customers. They may have to handle grievances from any of these groups and be the main point of contact to disseminate specific information. Potential donors or volunteers may contact coordinators to find out about acceptable merchandise and volunteer opportunities. Coordinators help ensure customer satisfaction directly and indirectly through management of the sales staff.
  
  

Marketing/Merchandising

• Coordinators may help set pricing standards for the resale merchandise. They may work with the visuals department on the display of merchandise to make it appealing and inviting to the public. They may also be responsible for marketing the store's mission and inventory, soliciting donations and recruiting volunteers for the store. To perform some merchandising duties, coordinators must be able to lift and carry items of various weights. To fulfill general store duties, they must know how to operate a cash register and calculate customer sales receipts, tax-deduction amounts for donations, and any other minor accounting duties that may be required.