Assistant In Training Buckle Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Summary

The Assistant in Training (AIT) and Assistant Manager position’s primary responsibility is to fulfill our mission statement, “to create the most enjoyable shopping experience possible for our Guests.” Additionally, AIT and Assistant Managers perform a variety of sales, merchandising and operational tasks assigned by store management (e.g. cashiering, merchandise display and pulls, register procedures, and routine cleaning of facilities). Work directly with the Store Manager and Leadership Team to develop sales, recruit new Teammates and provide leadership. The AIT and Assistant Manager will also share responsibility for training and motivating Teammates and act as the Store Manager in their absence. The Assistant Manager Position is a progression from the AIT position and therefore includes additional high level duties that are specific to that position, though the majority of job duties and responsibilities are shared.

Compensation & Benefits:  

Pay range: $17-$20/hr    

The estimated range is the budgeted amount for this position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications and other job-related reasons.   

For sales positions, Buckle pays a base rate plus commission on sales. The range listed is the estimated base rate plus commission for Teammates in this position.    

Full-Time Teammate Benefits:  

Health  

Your physical well-being matters. We provide health options that empower you to take control of your care and make informed decisions for you and your family.  

Medical Coverage Choose between two comprehensive plans. Preventive care is covered at 100%, and all plans include access to virtual care.  

Dental and Vision Insurance Preventive and routine dental and vision care to support your everyday health.  

Virtual Care 24/7 access to general, behavioral, and dermatology consultations.  

Mental Health Resources Through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), teammates have access to free confidential counseling, wellness coaching, and self-care tools.  

Wealth  

We are committed to helping you build financial security, recognize your contributions, and invest in your future.  

401(k) with Company Match Start planning for the future with traditional and Roth options. Teammates may contribute after meeting eligibility requirements. To further support Teammates, Buckle provides discretionary matching contributions to qualifying Teammates.  

Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Pre-tax options for qualified medical and dependent care expenses. Buckle contributes to your HSA if enrolled in the high-deductible medical plan.  

Performance Bonuses Eligible teammates may earn incentive-based bonuses in recognition of their performance.  

Teammate Discount 40% off Buckle products and 25% off Buckle gift cards to support your personal style.  

Peace of Mind  

We recognize the importance of stability, security, and time to recharge.  

Time Off Vacation time is earned on a progressive schedule based on your role and years of service, starting at 80 hours or 120 hours, depending on employment status and prorated for the first partial year. Teammates earn 40 hours of sick time per year (or more where required by law), prorated for the first partial year; up to 80 hours of sick time may be carried over from one year to another with a maximum of 80 hours of sick time per year including carryover. Teammates also receive one floating holiday and up to three days of bereavement leave. Salaried teammates receive one paid volunteer day.

Income Protection Buckle provides company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance, with options to add Teammate-paid supplemental life and disability plans (short term and long term), helping to protect your income if you are unable to work.  

Leave of Absence Support Paid and unpaid time away is available for qualifying situations, with guidance from our Benefits Team to help navigate your options.  Salaried teammates who meet eligibility requirements are eligible for medical leave pay, which can be used as paid parental leave for qualifying Teammates.  

Supplemental Insurance Options Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage is available for added financial protection.  

Additional Benefits Legal services, identity theft protection, and pet insurance are available to eligible teammates.   

Part-Time Teammate Benefits  

We value every teammate and offer meaningful benefits—even for those working fewer hours.  

Teammate Discount 40% off Buckle products and 25% off Buckle gift cards to support your personal style.  

Medical Plan Access Eligible part-time teammates may choose between two comprehensive medical plans. Preventive care is covered at 100%, and all plans include access to virtual care.   

401(k) with Company Match Start planning for the future with traditional and Roth options. Teammates may contribute after meeting eligibility requirements. To further support Teammates, Buckle provides discretionary matching contributions to qualifying Teammates.   

Mental Health Resources Through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), teammates have access to free confidential counseling, wellness coaching, and self-care tools.   

Paid Leave in Applicable States Paid leave accrues where required by law; one hour of leave is accrued for every 30 hours worked.   

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
This description intends to describe the general nature and level of work performed by Teammates assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties, responsibilities and qualifications. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Sales Generation and Guest Service

• Greet Guests with a friendly, engaging attitude, and is consistently prepared to provide legendary service to each Guest
• Eager and assertive to answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise
• Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on Guest needs and desires
• Anticipate and fulfill Guest’s needs by suggesting additional items and creating a wardrobing experience
• Demonstrate product utilizing product knowledge and sales education, consistently sharing that knowledge and education with Team
• Maintain and share knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices
• Remain consistent on personal sales, as well as looking for opportunities to impact Teammates’ presentations with the Sales Presentation Guide (SPG)
• Achieve personal sales-per-hour, average sales and total net sales goals set by Store Management
• Provide legendary service throughout the store in these top four areas: Front 5, sales floor, fitting rooms, and the register area
• Knowledgeable of all exchange and return procedures for Guests and exhibit the ability to turn into a showmanship opportunity
• Fill out and effectively use the Sales Presentation Guide (SPG) daily to accomplish goals
• Meets or above performance standards in all Buckle business builders and guest loyalty including fit appointments, Buckle credit card and guest connect.
• Investigate and navigate how to expand Guest selection through inventory Manager, advanced product search, iPad apps, etc.
• Maintain and build good Guest relationships to develop a client based business
• Lead by example with a high level of showmanship, excellent customer service and attentiveness
• Recognize and communicate Guest Levels with the Team 
• Passion to ask business driven and showmanship questions often to Manager, Team Leaders and all Teammates 
• Coachable; consistently welcomes feedback from Manager to improve sales presentations
• Consistently perform leadership actions and maintain high standards, whether or not the Manager is present
• Plan sales goals with Store Manager
• Demonstrate ownership of store’s sales performance (Sales, Average sale, Business builders, Denim)
• Passion for product education and showmanship to create results

Teammate Recruiting, Training and Development

• Consistently recognize recruiting opportunities by utilizing Jobs & Careers cards, email referrals and Teammate Recommend
• Coach and create relationships through Guest Loyalty and Guest Preferred
• Develop skills and assist in leading, directing, motivating and educating new Teammates to meet and achieve Buckle’s accountability, shift orientation, Loss Prevention and sales presentation standards on a daily basis
• Maintain a positive attitude at all times creating a positive floor culture
• Demonstrate personal dress code to encourage and coach the latest fashion in all Teammates and Team Leaders
• Participate effectively in daily setup, training, impacting and reviewing while effectively utilizing the Performance Tracker
• Motivate Teammates to initiate and complete daily tasks set by Store Management
• Personal passion to demonstrate, coach, and influence results of denim showmanship and denim fit cards through Teammates and Guests
• Create and develop results in your department and balance all DM actions within your segment as well as completing the mid-week check in
• Execute actions from department calendars and track on the Weekly Delegation Worksheet
• Demonstrate leadership actions during segments
• Demonstrate how to get the Guest involved with product
• Be vocal and continuously update fellow leader and Team
• Responsible for asking for and remembering Guest names
• Ability to effectively understand and show the merchandise of both the Gals and Guys’ sides to benefit the Team and Guests
• Partner with Store Manager to pick store’s education focus and help delegate and implement focus all week
• Help execute all segments to support business goals.
• Assist Store Manager in Recruitment of all store staffing needs
• Understand how to explain pay and Buckle Benefits
• Responsible for keeping up to date with contact list and adding top talent on the team consistently
• Execution/training on Leadership playbook
• Accountability of all characteristic pieces
• SPG Teammate/leader training shifts
• Responsible for training and coaching with manager on all non-sales positions
• Assertive to execute actions with constantly changing sales focuses 
• Ability to identify and follow through on all Teammate training needs

Visual Merchandise Management

• Own and influence product through zone ownership, exhibiting the ability to recognize and assign Zones and projects to Teammates daily with a specific learning goal in mind
• Ability to execute and demonstrate all new tools and videos that apply to zone ownership and take initiative in knowing and executing zone ownership questions
• Partner with Store Manager to delegate, demonstrate, and review all 4 zones
• Confirm Teammates are following through with Visual Standards, Visual library and Weekly Visual Checklist throughout their shift with a sense of urgency and accountability
• Show aptitude in recognizing merchandising opportunities from freight to floor and life cycle of product, communicating recommendations and solutions to Store Manager
• Give informational and influential store tours
• Ensure sales floor is consistently sized and new freight is appropriately displayed
• Exhibit ability to create changes to improve store’s overall performance via Performance Tracker
• Ability to foresee and anticipate changes in product and act independently to improve overall visual results
• Responsible for visual standards on floor and backroom

Operations

• Ability to work a flexible schedule, which may include mornings, evenings, and weekends, and the day of/day after Thanksgiving and Christmas, based upon store and business needs
• Understand and utilize planner including completion of Opening and Closing Checklists
• Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts, and know how to prevent or handle these situations
• Follow all Loss Prevention guidelines, including daily bag and purse checks
• Ability to execute and teach all Point of Sale (“POS”) procedures
• Appropriately handle calls from Corporate Office
• Maintain positive attitude when dealing with challenging situations that involve Guests or Teammates
• Understand and execute all policies regarding payments, returns, exchanges and Loss Prevention practices
• Ability to navigate and execute all tools on the home page
• Knowledge and ability to give guidance and feedback to all non-sales positions
• Complete all scheduled shifts and cover shifts when needed
• Consistently maintain a clean, organized and shoppable store to fulfill Buckle’s mission statement
• Provide feedback to Store Manager and Leadership Team regarding merchandise handling concerns
• Communicate any policy violations and Teammate or Guest concerns to Store Manager, District Manager, and/or Human Resources in a timely, confidential manner
• Understand and apply the Buckle’s Code of Ethics and all policies, procedures, and handbooks
• Other duties as assigned
• Insure all New Hire paperwork and tasks are promptly and accurately completed based on Human Resources guidelines and Legal policies
• Planning (week/month/year)
• Executes and trains others on opening/closing checklist
• Complete Markdowns, Pulls, inbound/outbound freight, recalls, Return to Vendors (RTVs)
• Establish relationships and excellent communication with Corporate Office Departments to assist Store Manager in effective operation of the store
• Monitor and maintain adequate inventory of supplies
• Immediately handle emergenci...