3. 28 Retail Careers Chapter

4. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objectives Explain retail career generalities. Describe retail sales positions. Summarize the merchandise management career track. Explain the store management career track. Describe the jobs of other retail employees.

5. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Industry Facts Many career opportunities exist in retailing for people who are interested in textiles and fashion Retail jobs are available in all geographic locations, with large and small stores, mail- order operations, TV and e-retailers Retailing has many levels of employment and degrees of responsibility

6. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Is a Retail Career in Your Future? A two-functional organization has one manager employed to oversee all merchandising duties and another manager in charge of operations A financial manager may be added for a three-functional organization In large retail companies, specialized tasks are assigned to different employees continued

7. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Is a Retail Career in Your Future? Chain retailers have jobs at centralized headquarters in various divisions Individual store managers, away from the headquarters location, have selling, customer service, security, and facility responsibilities – Those who want a career in fashion retailing should be outgoing, well organized, and able to handle figures and details well continued

8. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Is a Retail Career in Your Future? For a professional career, a program in fashion merchandising is recommended – Most large retailers offer management training programs for those with college degrees Executive (management) trainee candidates are interviewed for management careers shortly before they graduate from college

9. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Sales Positions Retail salespeople, often called sales associates, sell goods directly to customers Salespeople meet the public and represent the company and its image to the outside world – Sales associates in ready-to-wear departments may be expected to assemble various fashion looks for customers continued

10. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Sales Positions Salespeople may assist in stock counts and suggest reorders of fast-selling items – Retail sales work can be tiring, with most of the time spent walking or standing – The pay for apparel sales work is generally low to medium Sales work provides an excellent background for almost any higher-level job dealing with fashion continued

11. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Sales Positions A salesperson may advance to assistant buyer or head of stock A checkout cashier rings up customer purchases, collects and records payments, makes change, and bags the items – This entry-level job is readily available and is a good way to gain experience

12. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Merchandise Management Career Track The merchandise management career track moves executive trainees to assistant buyer, buyer, and up through merchandise management positions These jobs deal directly with decisions about the merchandise lines that are selected and sold in the stores where these employees spend their careers

13. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Buyers A retail buyer selects and buys the mix of goods to be sold by a retail company In the traditional department store format, a departmental buyer plans and purchases goods for only one department – Departmental buyers instruct salespeople about new merchandise at meetings continued

14. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Buyers Huge retail organizations centralized the procedures of both buying merchandise and distributing goods to stores They use many classification buyers who specialize in only one category of goods – These buyers locate new and exciting sources of merchandise, make selections, and place orders continued

15. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Retail Buyers The central buying system has been accused of not being responsive to various retail customers or geographic locations – Thus, some retailers are moving toward category management – Category managers oversee business units that customize merchandise and service for individual retailers to better satisfy local needs

16. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Buying Job The principles of buying are the same regardless of the type of merchandise or the organizational structure – A buyer who understands the job should be able to adapt quickly to buying different price lines or types of merchandise Collaboration and long-term partnerships streamlined some of the buying duties continued

17. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Buying Job More retail private label merchandise is being stocked, which involves product development or specification buying – Buyers sometimes become product managers, responsible for private label corporate programs – Buyers might become product sourcers who identify, research, and develop production sourcing markets and vendors continued

18. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Buying Job College graduates in apparel design or apparel production might start their retail- related careers as product development trainees Buyers work long, irregular hours and some weekends and holidays Retail companies usually pick their top executives from the best buyers

19. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Buyers’ Qualifications Buyers must keep up with fashion trends to anticipate styles and prices that will be accepted by their customers – Buyers must have technical knowledge about the merchandise, as well as a keen business sense – They need enthusiasm, dedication to their work, and good emotional and physical health continued

20. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Buyers’ Qualifications Buyers must be good with figures and details to evaluate sales, margins, markdowns, and inventories – Buyers are paid medium to good salaries – Experience, hard work, and proven talent are required – To become a buyer, it is best to have a college degree in merchandising, fashion, or business

21. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Assistant and Associate Buyers An assistant buyer is an entry-level job for a college graduate, after completing the management training program – Assistant buyers help trace items during shipment, return unsatisfactory goods, place reorders, and perform other duties – Very large firms also have the job of buyer’s clerical, a lower-level job that involves clerical tasks

22. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Resident Buying Office Buyers Resident buying office buyers help their member retail firms do a better buying job, but they have no responsibilities over retail sales or profits – They research wholesale markets and report on trends, make some buying decisions for their members, and place reorders – They must have a good sense of fashion

23. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Merchandise Managers A merchandise manager coordinates the merchandise of several retail departments – They are usually promoted after proving their hard work and abilities in lower jobs Category managers are management employees who use data and analytics for strategic decision making to choose goods – They focus on product category results continued

24. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Merchandise Managers A divisional merchandise manager (DMM) supervises a group of buyers and/or coordinates the merchandise of several related departments, divisions, or stores to maximize profits – They advise buyers about budget control and work out problems with vendors – They also serve as liaisons between upper management and buyers continued

25. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Merchandise Managers In most retail organizations, all divisional merchandise managers report to a general merchandise manager (GMM) This executive is responsible for the total retail merchandising operation – The GMM represents the merchandising organization to top management

26. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Industry Facts A retail company’s fashion director makes sure that all buyers, fashion departments, and stores of a large retail business are kept updated on the latest trends – Fashion directors assist with assembling and harmonizing what goes on display in promotions – They cover worldwide fashion centers to get advanced information

27. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Fashion Director A fashion director must be familiar with fashion cycles and understand what affects consumer acceptance or rejection They must be able to schedule time well and make sound decisions while adapting to many situations – An assistant fashion director helps the fashion director with details

28. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Operations Management Career Track For the store operations management track, an executive trainee first becomes an assistant department manager – This person helps the department manager A department manager runs a department or group of departments according to the company’s overall plan – This is the liaison between the buyer and the sales staff continued

29. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Operations Management Career Track Assistant store managers help in all phases of store operations A store manager is the top person in charge of every aspect of one store’s operations Store managers are in charge of overall customer service, promotional activities, financial accounts, and community relations continued

30. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Operations Management Career Track For department store organizations that are growing, the job of branch coordinator is important – This person keeps tabs on all the branches to see that stock, selling techniques, and general operations coordinate with company policies At a higher level, specialty store chains would promote a successful store manager to district manager continued

31. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The Operations Management Career Track A district manager is responsible for growth and volume of up to a dozen stores Above the district manager is a regional manager, who oversees several districts and may have responsibility for up to 75 or 80 stores – Merchandising jobs generally pay higher salaries than operations management jobs

32. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Stockkeeping Employees Other tasks that must be accomplished to help retail stores operate efficiently Stockkeeping involves receiving goods, protecting them, and controlling their movements – Tasks involve checking incoming goods and securing and properly storing and placing merchandise for sale to prevent shoplifting, internal theft, and damage continued

33. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Stockkeeping Employees Controlling the goods includes sales analysis to evaluate how items are selling, transferring merchandise between stores, and handling returned items – A stock clerk is an entry-level position for someone without college training – They check the condition of delivered items and file a report if any damage or soiling is found continued

34. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Stockkeeping Employees Stock clerks prepare the merchandise for selling, with price tags or hangers if needed – The job involves handling merchandise carefully, quickly, and accurately The head of stock is in charge of the merchandise for a given department or area and reports to the department manager or buyer continued

35. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Stockkeeping Employees Large retailers have distribution planners (or distribution managers) at their central or regional distribution centers to keep track of the merchandise – They also communicate with buyers and merchandise coordinators to allocate various needed items of stock and update records of all movements of goods

36. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Additional Retail Jobs Training supervisors give orientation classes in large retail companies to new salespeople Loss prevention managers protect company assets and improve profitability by developing and implementing security and safety programs for employees and customers continued

37. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Additional Retail Jobs Information technology (IT) employees are extremely important, especially for e-retailers and omni-channel retailers A human resources director is a manager who oversees the hiring and benefits for employees A customer service manager serves as an intermediary between the store and its customers continued

38. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Additional Retail Jobs Alterations experts reshape garments that do not fit the purchasing customer properly If an outside alteration service is used, a garment fitter may mark or pin changes wherever they are required Comparison and secret shoppers compare prices, services, displays, and advertisements of competitors continued

39. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Additional Retail Jobs Personal shoppers, also called fashion consultants, select merchandise in response to customers’ mail or telephone requests Quality assurance testers evaluate merchandise to determine if quality standards are met – Only a few large companies maintain their own product testing laboratories

40. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. In Summary Various levels of retail jobs are available in all geographic locations The largest number of employees in most retail companies do direct selling The merchandise management career path includes buying jobs Fashion directors update merchandisers about the latest fashion trends continued

41. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. In Summary The operations management career path goes from department to store to district to regional managers Stockkeeping employees receive, protect, and control the movement of goods Other retail positions are available, such as training supervisor, personal shopper, and customer service manager