What does a bookstore assistant do?
Bookstore assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real bookstore assistant resumes:
- Monitor calls, manage calendars, travel, meeting arrangements, video conference and teleconferencing.
- Make sales and other transactions on QuickBooks POS.
- Assist with bookstore production, have contact with publishing companies, reconcile charges with POS system.
- Handle VIP arrangements, coordinate all interdepartmental meetings and correspondence, compile and produce reports for internal and external management.
- Compute invoices and campaign credits in QuickBooks database and submit for payment to respective customers.
- Greet customers, operate the cash register, and serve Starbucks drinks.
Bookstore assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Bookstore Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, POS, and Sales Floor. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Dexterity, and Near vision.
We break down the percentage of Bookstore Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 25%
Provided training and direction to part-time staff, ensuring accurate customer service information was delivered.
- POS, 17%
Assisted with bookstore production, had contact with publishing companies, reconciled charges with POS system.
- Sales Floor, 11%
Cashier Inventory Stocked items on sales floor Accounts Receivable Arrange displays and unpacked merchandise General Retail duties
- Purchase Orders, 9%
Process shipping and receiving materials while verifying accuracy of Purchase orders, pricing inventory, shrink wrapping textbooks and restocking shelves.
- Inventory Control, 6%
Implemented and enforced inventory control including monthly, quarterly and annual inventories.
- General Merchandise, 4%
Designed general merchandise displays and assisted in shipping and receiving packages.
Most bookstore assistants use their skills in "customer service," "pos," and "sales floor" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential bookstore assistant responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in bookstore assistant job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what bookstore assistants do. Bookstore assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." You can also see how bookstore assistant duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "handled telecommunication support gained interpersonal communication skills tracked inventory and organized products executed customer assistance"
Writing skills. While "writing skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to bookstore assistant responsibilities. Much of what a bookstore assistant does relies on this skill, seeing as "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of bookstore assistants: "performed accounting technician duties to include bank deposits and writing checks. "
The three companies that hire the most bookstore assistants are:
- Barnes & Noble7 bookstore assistants jobs
- Highline College1 bookstore assistants jobs
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Bookstore assistant vs. Assistant secretary
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, bookstore assistant responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "pos," "sales floor," and "purchase orders." Meanwhile a typical assistant secretary has skills in areas such as "payroll," "scheduling appointments," "financial statements," and "office equipment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that assistant secretaries earn slightly differ from bookstore assistants. In particular, assistant secretaries are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a bookstore assistant. Additionally, they're 2.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bookstore assistant vs. Assistant operator
The duties of an assistant operator depend on one's industry of employment or the kind of machine that they are operating. Typically, their tasks may revolve around coordinating with operators and other staff, handling and managing documents, understanding blueprints, and adhering to the directives of operators and supervisors. Furthermore, as an assistant operator, it is essential to perform support tasks, such as preparing tools and conducting regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency of machines and maintain a safe work environment.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real bookstore assistant resumes. While bookstore assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "pos," "sales floor," "purchase orders," and "general merchandise," assistant operators use skills like "ladders," "safety procedures," "cash control," and "safety committee."
Assistant operators earn similar levels of education than bookstore assistants in general. They're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bookstore assistant vs. Associate administrative assistant
An associate administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the business operations, ensuring the timely submission of deliverables. Associate administrative assistants work closely with the financial department, especially on organizing financial reports, issuing invoices, verifying time sheets for payroll purposes, and releasing petty cash. They also manage meeting and conference schedules, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for inventories, and sort documents for reference. An associate administrative assistant must have excellent communication and organization skills, as well as the knowledge of the data processing procedures to update information and track business transactions within the database.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, bookstore assistants are more likely to have skills like "general merchandise," "book orders," "cash drawers," and "stock merchandise." But a associate administrative assistant is more likely to have skills like "data entry," "financial reports," "payroll," and "travel arrangements."
Associate administrative assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to bookstore assistants. Specifically, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bookstore assistant vs. Information assistant
The duties of an information assistant depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a university setting, an information assistant is typically a working-student whose responsibilities revolve around answering office inquiries and correspondence, assisting students and faculty as needed. They may also perform support tasks, such as preparing and processing documents, creating information materials, managing schedules and appointments, coordinating with different university offices, maintaining extensive records, and updating databases, all while adhering to the institution's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between bookstore assistants and information assistants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a bookstore assistant might have more use for skills like "customer service," "pos," "sales floor," and "purchase orders." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of information assistants require skills like "patients," "data entry," "athletic website," and "press releases. "
In general, information assistants hold similar degree levels compared to bookstore assistants. Information assistants are 4.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Updated January 8, 2025











