Working at a coin shop?

gecko109

How does an average Joe like myself go about obtaining employment part-time at a regular B&M coin shop? There are several owners of such shops that post in this forum, and I'd love to hear opinions. I have a regular job that pays well, provides all needed benefits, and allows me approximately 23 days per month of free time. My ultimate idea of a part-time gig would be to work in a coin shop just for shop credit, but moreover, allow me to expand my knowledge of the hobby and business side of numismatics. Im no expert on any one thing (other than bullion perhaps) but im a fast learner, and GREAT with numbers. What is the proper way to seek out such a position?

Longacre

Gecko-- if I had a job that paid well, provided benefits, and let me have 23 days off per month, the last thing I would want to do is work somewhere else. Can I apply to your company???

MadMarty

I hear Laura is looking for a new boytoy!!!

Longacre

In a more serious response, if there are shops in your area, have you tried discussing this issue with the owner?

STONE

I know that in the Chicago Suburbs it's tough to get a part-time job in a coin shop unless you are in that shop once a week, religiously. (Taken from experience)

I think you would have to be real good friends with the owners and catch them when times are tough and they need another staff member helping out.

Good luck and I wish you the best

gecko109

<< <i>Gecko-- if I had a job that paid well, provided benefits, and let me have 23 days off per month, the last thing I would want to do is work somewhere else. Can I apply to your company??? >>




It would seem that way looking in from the outside I suppose. But in my profession, just about every guy has some sort of "side job", and most of those involve the trades. Since im no good at sweating copper pipes, or framing out bedrooms, and dont particularly enjoy moving furniture in August for $15/hour, I figured I'd try my hand at something I enjoy. "Working" in a local B&M probably wouldnt seem like work at all for me. But the amount of experience and knowledge gained from such a venture would probably even exceed the gains I have made from just joining this forum 3 months ago. As far as applying to my company, testing is done about once every 10 years or so, and the last test was in '06.

UtahCoin

It takes a LONG relationship with the shop to gain trust then employment (at most of the small shops). Coin shops being such a cash business with valuables coming and going daily, is the perfect place for thievery. In our shop we've often discussed how easy it would be for an employee to take a small handful of junk silver quarters a day ($100) out of the junk buckets and not be noticed.

astrorat

One way is to find a shop where you will good mentorship and volunteer. Since, based on your OP, you are not specifically seeking income, so a "job" in a shop is not a priority. Rather, it is the experience and education appears to be your goal. Refer back to the PM I exchanged with you regarding one specific shop and consider them. I will PM the names of a couple of folks to you at the shop.

You will likely being doing a lot of scut work until you develop your numismatic chops and as the folks in the shop develop trust in you and your abilities.

I started out by volunteering in a local shop and then it quickly turned into my part-time job during much of college. Sadly, the owner knew little about numismatics, but it was a great opportunity for self-education and there was a great client base.

Lane

Longacre

There was one dealer in my area who mailed a very well received and insightful newsletter on a monthly basis to a national audience. The unfortunate thing was that the newsletter was riddled with spelling errors and gramatical errors, choppy sentences, fragments, etc., etc. In my opinion, it took away from the content of the newsletter.

So I dropped the dealer a note offering to edit the newsletter and make it more readable (for free). In exchange (because he is such a prominent dealer), I wanted him to help me with grading and some other numismatic issues. He responded that he is not the best with computers, spelling and typing, and he would get back to me if he was interested. He never followed up. [PS. this was a dealer in CT, and not one in NJ].

gecko109

<< <i>I know that in the Chicago Suburbs it's tough to get a part-time job in a coin shop unless you are in that shop once a week, religiously. (Taken from experience)

I think you would have to be real good friends with the owners and catch them when times are tough and they need another staff member helping out.

Good luck and I wish you the best >>



I actually live in the city of Chicago, but for the same reasons that motivated me to start this thread, Im simply baffled on how to approach the shops I have been doing business with as far as possible employment goes. I got up the gumption to half jokingly suggest to the owner of a local shop, on a very busy Saturday afternoon where he was simply SWAMPED, that I'd be happy to work for him for free for a week, and if he deemed I was worthy, get on the "payroll". His response? "Well im getting old, and might be selling soon, you interested in buying the place?". It was almost demoralizing.

PerryHall

<< <i>I hear Laura is looking for a new boytoy!!! >>

guitarwes

I'm with STONE and UTAHCOIN on this one. Unless you've built a reputible trust with a certian dealer/shop owner, they would put their business in jeopardy by hiring someone they don't know.

wes

agentjim007

It's tough if your not well know to the owner. Theft by employees is a major concern of most shop owners. I know of one shop owner here that only has his mom working for him and has told me what I have stated is the reason he has no one else working there. B&M's have coins laying all over the place and something (unless a major piece) will never be missed. This dealer purchased some foreign bulk coins once for basically nothing and when he went through them he found a Chain cent he sold for $17K (I bet he's kicking himself for that, Chain cents went crazy within a year of him owning that coin). If you were working the shop for him that day when that deal came in would that Chain cent ended up in your pocket?

BBQnBLUES

Show up every day with a box of doughnuts

habaraca

UTAH,

You got 100's of dollars in your JUNK buckets that wouldn't be missed.

WOW

gecko109

I wonder if my credit rating, and current job title would be enough to override an owner's natural instinct to not trust me? To be perfectly fair, if I owned a smallish shop, it would weigh heavily on my mind the security issue as well.

penny2many

I agree about the theft issue. It happens in a lot of places not even dealing with money. I know where I work there has been some and also where my husband works part time they have problems with the family that works there taking tools etc home since Dad is part owner and they have my husband checking out tools now. When you don't even trust you children it is bad. I would say you would have to know someone real well and you could even get bonded for such a thing if it was that important to you. Otherwise I would just learn from the boards, books and any other means available to you. I know going to coin shows a lot you can see the difference in good, bad and the ugly after a while.

UtahCoin

<< <i>UTAH,

You got 100's of dollars in your JUNK buckets that wouldn't be missed.

WOW >>



To clarify, we have buckets in back for Silver dimes, quarters, halves and 40% halves. Could be $400 - $500 face at any time. Taking a handful of quarters ($10 face) would not be missed.

gecko109

ttt for the evening crowd.

nickel

a possibility may be in asking to do grunt work if the dealer sets up at shows

robkool

I could always look for some part-time work at any local B&M coin shop, just to help me get started on my own business soon, and gain valuable experience in the numismatic field...

Barbercoin

I agree. If you don't know the owners, trust is a huge factor.

Volunteer "grunt work" as Nickel suggested sounds like a good beginning.

I'd love to spend more time around coins myself. Good luck.

CaptHenway

Talk to the owner. Get to know him, and let him get to know you.

Be prepared to give references if asked. Trust is indeed everything.

When I was at ANACS, we once calculated that we had at the moment approximately $12 million worth of other peoples' coins and the keys and passwords to the vault. Only once had a theft, when a new person at the front desk (hired by personnel) signed for some packages and put one in her purse. She didn't know that we checked the packages in against the post office form. In the back room, we only hired people WE trusted.

TD