Garden Centre Sales Clerks
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Job description
These individuals sell plants and horticultural products in garden centres. They advise clients about the care and treatments to provide plants. They recommend adapted treatments and provide solutions to problems encountered. They ensure the quality of the plants available for sale and provide them with the necessary care (watering, repotting, etc.). They manage the merchandise and present it in a visually pleasing way.
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Hazardous chemical
- Odours
Main tasks
- Answer questions from clients.
- Recommend complementary products (soil, fertilizer, etc.) and services (delivery, planting, soil analysis, etc.) when selling plants.
- Ensure the maintenance of the plants and the workspace.
- Place and receive orders.
- Receive the merchandise.
- Help label orders.
- Receive payments and manage the cash register.
- Provide after-sales service.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience or additional training leads to supervisory positions.
Training and requirements
Formation
Also required
- Knowledge of plants and horticultural products required.
Sometimes required
- Experience in sales and customer service usually required.
- A Class 5 driver's licence may be required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Persuasion
- Oral expression
- Active listening
- Service oriented
- Social perception
- Critical thought
- Result evaluation
- Negotiation
- Equipment selection
- Equipment maintenance
- Installation
- Active learning
- Reading comprehension
- Information processing
- Time management
- Coordination
Abilities
- Verbal skills
- Oral comprehension
- Speech recognition
- Written comprehension
- Near vision
- Speech clarity
- Colour perception and distinction
- Written expression
- Awareness of issues
- Information organization
- Basic numeracy
- Originality
- Memorization
- Classification
- Mathematical reasoning
- Hand-arm stability
- Deductive reasoning
- Limb coordination
- Overall coordination of the body
- Overall balance of the body
- Manual dexterity
- Dynamic physical flexibility
- Idea generation
- Visualization
- Time sharing
- Processing flexibility
- Perception speed
- Physical flexibility in extension
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to develop and maintain business relations
- Capacity to influence and mobilize
- Knowledge of customer and personalized services
- Versatility
- Sense of initiative
- Attention to detail
- Vitality
- Knowledge of sales and marketing
- Sense of observation
- Knowledge of plant and animal production
- Spoken bilingualism (French and English)
Interests
- Work in sales or client service
- Work in contact with nature and animals
- Assist and advise
- Work outdoors
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Appellation d’emploi liée (à traduire)
Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers (CNP 64100)
Skill type
Sales and service
Related occupations
- Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
- Cashiers
- Other sales related occupations
- Procurement and purchasing agents and officers
- Real estate agents and salespersons
- Retail and wholesale buyers
- Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers
- Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade
Last update: January 29, 2026
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