Job Description

About Us

Zingerman’s Mail Order is the online and catalog shop for Zingerman’s. We ship great food and gifts all across America, everything from bread and cheese to cured ham and tinned fish.

The holidays at Zingerman's Mail Order are exciting, fast-paced and a lot of fun. We grow from a crew of 100 to a team of nearly 500. People come to work here from all walks of life. Moms, dads, students, retirees, landscapers, artists. Some people are in between jobs. For some folks, this is their first job. Some join us for the season, while others may wish to seek long-term opportunities. Every reason for joining is welcomed. Many of our current team members began their journey with us as part of our holiday crew!

We'd love for you to join us!

What kinds of things do you do in this job?

We take care of our customers. They call, email, chat, fax, and mail in their orders. (yes, paper orders still happen!)

There’s a lot that goes into getting our delicious food prepped and shipped to our customers and it takes a whole team to make it happen! Here are just a few of the roles you might find yourself in:

• We talk on the phone with many people each day.
• We email and chat with our customers
• We take orders in person
• We train our holiday staff
• We help our corporate clients each step of the way in the gift giving process
• We solve any and all problems that might come up
• We do the little things that make our customers happy.

And that’s just the beginning - there are many more things that make our service call center run smoothly!

What is the pay?

$17 per hour

What are the shift times?

You must be available to work a minimum of three shifts per week. The shifts can be any combination of the shift times below:

• 8:45am-4pm
• 9am-2pm
• 10am-6pm
• 2pm-9:30pm
• 4:30pm-12:30am (this shift ends at 9:30pm, October-November)
• 5pm-10pm (this shift ends at 9:30pm, October-November)

What is the criminal background check?

If you are offered a position in the Zingerman’s Mail Order Service Center, a criminal background check is required. While we are open to hiring individuals with certain types of past convictions, the nature of our work (handling customer payments and financial information) means that we are unable to hire candidates with specific types of criminal histories.

Will I get full time work?

We aim to. The more shifts you are available to work the more likely you are to get full time hours.

What’s the type of person that fits well in this job?

• You have the ability to speak passionately and enthusiastically about food.
• You love to deliver amazing service every day to those around you.
• Humor under pressure. You can smile through the tough calls and occasional tricky customers.
• You enjoy problem solving and taking care of others.
• You are on time. You value punctuality.
• You're nice. (we are nice too!)

Are there any other perks and benefits?

Absolutely! Paid training and breaks. Unlimited freshly brewed Zingerman’s coffee. Complimentary homemade meals, served during paid lunch breaks. 50% discount on nearly everything we sell, 25% discount at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, and a 10% discount at all other Zingerman’s businesses. (Delicatessen, Miss Kim, Roadhouse, Candy Manufactory, Coffee Company and Miss Kim). Plus a handful of discounts at local retailers that we will share once you begin working.

When does this job begin & end?

Work can start as early as October and will end on or before December 23rd, 2026. You can pick your start date. We have new training sessions each week through November.

Where is this job?

This is a job in our Service Center located at 720 Phoenix Drive Ann Arbor MI 48108. We are on the AATA bus route.

Can I apply for year round work after this job ends?

Yes. We encourage it - almost all of us who work here started as seasonal holiday crew. We usually have a limited number of positions at Zingerman’s Mail Order and elsewhere in the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses.

What is the hiring process like?

The process is quick! You’ll hear from us within a day of applying. All hiring is done virtually, so you can complete everything from home. Take your time, be accurate on your application. Spelling and grammar count. The information you provide helps us decide who to interview. If selected, we’ll invite you to interview. By the end of that conversation, you’ll know if you’ve got the job and when your first paid training shift will be. You’ll get to choose from several start dates, some as soon as the following week. Our goal is to get you working, and paid, as quickly as possible.

Requirements

What does it take to get hired in our Service Center? What are the essential functions of this job?

There are a lot of qualities we are hoping to find in anyone that applies. We don’t have a lot of hoops to jump through. You do not need to have call center experience to work with us. There are six key things you’ll need to be able to do:

• You must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. We’ll conduct a test. Feel free to prep and take practice runs at typingcore.com
• You know your way around a computer and the Internet.
• You can communicate fluently in English (reading, speaking & writing).
• You can commit to training which will be 3 shifts. You can choose between day or evening sessions.
• You are available to work a minimum of three shifts per week. We are open seven days a week.
• You must successfully pass a criminal background check.