🌿 WE’RE HIRING! 🌿

Fixed Term Retail Assistant

October 2026 – February 2027
Fridays & Saturdays | 10am–5pm
Plus the opportunity for extra hours over Christmas

We’re looking for someone lovely to join the Tussock & Thread team for our busy spring and summer season!

This is a fixed-term position from October 2026 through to February 2027, with guaranteed work every Friday and Saturday, 10am–5pm.

There will also be the opportunity for additional days and hours over our busy Christmas and summer holiday period, so some flexibility to pick up extra shifts would be a definite bonus.

This could be the perfect role for a tertiary student, someone looking for a couple of regular days each week, or simply someone who loves retail, beautiful things and working with people.

More than anything, we’re looking for the right person — someone warm, reliable, enthusiastic and happy to roll up their sleeves and get involved in all the little things that make Tussock & Thread what it is.

Have we described you?

• You genuinely enjoy people. You can welcome someone through the door, have a chat, listen to what they’re looking for and help them find just the right thing — without making them feel like they’re being “sold to”.
• You love beautiful products, thoughtful gifting, homewares, clothing and discovering something a little different.
• You have an eye for presentation and notice when something needs straightening, restocking, moving or simply making a little more beautiful.
• You’re the sort of person who can wrap a gorgeous gift, tie a great bow and appreciates those little finishing touches.
• You’re organised and have good attention to detail — whether that’s processing a sale, checking stock, packing an online order or working through the day’s to-do list.
• You’re a great communicator. You’re comfortable asking questions, following instructions, sharing ideas and keeping the rest of the team in the loop.
• You’re happy working independently but also love being part of a small, supportive team.
• You don’t need someone to constantly tell you what to do next. You can look around, see what needs doing and get stuck in.
• You’re reliable. Friday and Saturday will be your regular rostered days and we need to know we can count on you to be there.
• You’re comfortable learning new systems and aren’t afraid of a computer, website or point-of-sale system.
• You understand that in a small business everyone pitches in. One minute you might be helping someone find the perfect gift and the next you could be unpacking boxes, changing a display or tidying shelves.
• You appreciate independent businesses and understand the care, work and heart that goes into running one.
• Most importantly, you’re friendly, down-to-earth, positive and enjoy having a bit of fun while getting the job done.

What will you be doing?

No two days at Tussock & Thread are quite the same, but your role will include:

• Welcoming and assisting our customers.
• Helping customers find products and put together beautiful gifts.
• Processing sales through our point-of-sale system and handling payments.
• Gift wrapping — there’ll be plenty of that at Christmas!
• Receiving, unpacking and checking new stock.
• Pricing, displaying and replenishing products.
• Keeping the store tidy, organised and looking beautiful.
• Helping create and maintain displays and merchandising throughout the store.
• Picking, packing and preparing online orders.
• Assisting with stock management and our website systems.
• Answering customer questions in store, over the phone or online when required.
• Helping with seasonal promotions, events and busy trading periods.
• And all those other little jobs that help keep a small retail store ticking along.

Skills & experience

Retail or customer service experience would be fantastic, but personality, attitude and reliability are just as important to us.

We’re happy to teach the right person the rest!

Bonus points if you have experience or an interest in:

• Retail or hospitality
• Visual merchandising
• Gift wrapping or creating gift packs
• Fashion, homewares or gifting
• Photography
• Social media and content creation
• Shopify or online retail
• General administration

The role does involve being on your feet for much of the day, along with unpacking deliveries, lifting boxes, reaching shelves and moving stock and displays around the store.

The important bits

Position: Fixed Term Retail Assistant
Term: October 2026 – February 2027
Guaranteed days: Friday & Saturday
Hours: 10am–5pm
Location: Tussock & Thread, 55a Main Street, Oxford

Additional shifts may be available during November, December and across the Christmas/New Year and summer holiday period.

We’re particularly interested in someone who has the flexibility to help with additional shifts during these busy periods.

A little about us

Tussock & Thread is an independent, family-owned boutique in the heart of Oxford, North Canterbury.

Our store is filled with a carefully chosen collection of clothing, homewares, gifts, pantry treats and beautiful things from New Zealand and beyond.

We’re proud of the experience we create for our customers. We like things to feel friendly, relaxed and personal — somewhere you can wander, discover something new, have a chat and hopefully leave with something you genuinely love.

We’re a small team, which means everyone plays an important part in what we do.

Curated in Oxford, delivered across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Sound like you?

We’d love to hear from you!

We’re looking for the right person to fit our little team, so we’d love to know a bit more than what’s written on your CV.

Send your resume to tussockandthread@gmail.com and tell us a little about:

• You! Who are you and what makes you tick?
• Why you’d like to work at Tussock & Thread.
• How you think you would fit with our team.
• Any relevant retail, hospitality, customer service or other experience.
• Any special skills or interests you could bring to the role.
• Confirmation that you can work Fridays and Saturdays, 10am–5pm, from October through to February.
• Your availability for additional work over the Christmas, New Year and summer holiday period.

Experience is great, but for us, personality, reliability, enthusiasm and finding someone who genuinely fits with our team matter just as much.

If this sounds a little bit like you, send us an email. We’d love to meet you.

Applications: tussockandthread@gmail.com

Tussock & Thread
55a Main Street, Oxford
Curated in Oxford, delivered across Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

ROLE CLOSES: Friday 11th September 2026 (unless advised otherwise)