Liquor Associate Jobs in Appleton, WI (NOW HIRING)

At Festival, people are at the top of our list. Youll see it in everything from our daily interactions to how we treat our guests even in our extensive associate benefits and programs.

Job Title: Wine and Spirits Department Manager

Reports To: Sr. Center Store Manager

Do you have a passion for creating exceptional customer service experiences? Have you led in a restaurant, bar, or as a bartender and love helping guests find exactly what they need? Are you a retail leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and loves mentoring others? If this is you, we encourage you to apply! 

As a Wine & Spirits Department Manager, you’ll lead a team of knowledgeable associates who provide thoughtful product recommendations and create an enjoyable shopping experience for every guest. Your leadership, operational skills, and focus on service excellence will make an impact every day.

As a Wine & Spirits Department Manager at Festival Foods, you will:

• Lead and develop your team: Coach, mentor, and support Wine & Spirits associates while reinforcing Festival culture, customer service standards, and performance expectations. Conduct performance reviews and provide guidance to help associates succeed.
• Hire and onboard associates: Partner with Human Resources to review and interview candidates, extend job offers, and ensure new associates are trained thoroughly — helping them become experts in beer, wine, and liquor selections.
• Plan and manage schedules: Approve weekly schedules and maintain adequate staffing levels to meet department needs while controlling labor expenses.
• Support associate growth: Mentor Assistant Department Managers and Department Leads to prepare them for future advancement opportunities.
• Oversee department operations: Manage inventory, pricing accuracy, and product rotation to ensure the department is well-stocked, organized, and profitable. Assist associates with stocking and rotating beer, wine, and liquor.
• Deliver exceptional guest service: Help guests find the perfect beer, wine, or liquor for their occasion, offer pairing suggestions, and provide insights that even a bartender or restaurant pro would appreciate. Handle special orders and resolve concerns with professionalism and care.
• Maintain merchandising standards: Observe the sales floor and back stock conditions daily, correcting issues and ensuring attractive, organized displays that highlight seasonal or trending products.
• Ensure timekeeping accuracy: Monitor associate hours, communicate issues to HR, and ensure payroll records are accurate.
• Maintain department cleanliness and safety: Lead by example in keeping work areas, shelving, and sales floor organized, clean, and compliant with all safety requirements.
• Honor commitments: Regular, timely attendance in compliance with the work schedule, and adequate notice to find a replacement for occasional absences
• Support the team: Assist with other duties as assigned to ensure overall store success.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

To excel in the Wine & Spirits Department Manager role at Festival Foods, you'll bring: 

• Education & Experience:
  • High School education or equivalent.
  • Strong leadership experience with the ability to motivate and develop a team.
  • Knowledge of retail food and beverage operations, including beer, wine, and liquor management. Experience in restaurants or bartending is a plus.
• Skills & Knowledge:
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to work effectively with a diverse team in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
  • Strong decision-making skills and operational focus.
• Safety & Compliance:
  • Understanding of all safety requirements and company policies.
  • Requires proper training and application of training in relevant equipment.
  • Ability to safely operate equipment such as hand jacks, balers, forklifts, hand trucks, and trash compactors.
  • Proper lifting techniques and scanning procedures.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

• The employee must possess the ability to stand in place for long periods of time; walk in the store; bend, stoop and kneel regularly.  Requires fine finger and broad manual dexterity, and eye-hand-foot coordination in order to operate equipment. 
• This position requires the employee have the ability to have full range of upper body motion in order to occasionally lift stock.  Requires the ability to perform repetitive tasks for prolonged periods of time.
• Must possess functional sensory abilities in order to visually monitor the store, create attractive displays, and to operate equipment.
• The position requires the employee to lift up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Working conditions consist of occasional exposure to extreme temperatures.

Work Schedule:

The Wine and Spirits Department Manager is a full-time position. The work schedule will include mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Ready to lead our Wine & Spirits team and help guests discover the perfect beer, wine, or liquor pairing for any occasion? Apply now to bring your expertise — whether from a restaurant, bartender experience, or retail background — to Festival Foods!