Retail merchandisers are responsible for ensuring that the right goods appear in shops and stores at the correct price. Liaising with retail buyers, who select the product ranges, merchandisers decide on the exact quantity of goods to order and specific stock levels for each store. They also set selling prices of items, and plan promotions and price reductions.
Retail merchandisers typically work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to cover busy periods. The work is mainly office based, but it can also involve some travel to visit stores and suppliers, and to attend trade shows. Some trips may involve overnight stays away from home.
Salaries range from around £15,000 to £50,000 or more a year.
Retail merchandisers need:
excellent commercial awareness
an understanding of what motivates customers to buy products
good analytical and numerical skills
the ability to take decisions and remain calm when under pressure
confidence when leading negotiations
an interest in retail and their chosen product sector.
Around 12,000 people are employed as retail merchandisers in the UK. Employers include fashion retailers, department stores, multiple chain stores, supermarkets, wholesale suppliers, manufacturers, mail order companies, internet retailers and television shopping providers. Many merchandising jobs are based in head offices, the majority of which are in London and the south east of England.
Entrants normally have a degree or higher national diploma. Employers often prefer qualifications to be in a business or mathematical subject, for example marketing, retail management, business management, maths or statistics, or economics. It may also be possible to enter retail merchandising with A levels/H grades. Retail work experience is advantageous. Apprenticeships in Retail may be available.
Many large retail organisations run general store management training schemes for new entrants. This may involve working in different head office and in-store departments, including merchandising, to gain a solid business understanding. Once established in the job, retail merchandisers may study for professional qualifications or work towards vocational qualifications, such as an NVQ/SVQ in Supply Chain Management (at Levels 2 to 5).
With experience, retail merchandisers may be able to become senior merchandisers, and potentially reach manager or director level. In some cases, it may be necessary to relocate or move companies in order to progress. Some retail merchandisers become retail business analysts or self-employed retail consultants.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
Retail Jobs for the older Worker
If you find yourself in a long unemployment line, staring at the back of the head of the person in front of you and wondering how things have come to this pass. Take heart, there is a job out there for you. Even in this economy.
The June of 2008 US News and World report listed the jobs that older Americans are most likely to find available. I will use this article as a jumping off point in the search for jobs for mature Americans. We will not visit all of the jobs and professions in the article because in our current economic straits, some of the jobs would be untenable. For instance, real estate broker does not seem like a particularly good job to have right now even if it was available.
The jobs we will look at are:
1. Retail Sales/ Sales worker 2. Driver 3. Secretaries/Administrative assistant 4. Tax preparer
Let's make a few simplifying assumptions. First, let us stipulate that the elderly worker is willing to move to get a new job and that he is willing to train for a new job if necessary. These assumptions may not be as arbitrary as they seem. If you and a large number of coworkers were laid off, it is less likely that the particular skill that you have is not in demand in the place where you live. A willingness to retrain and a willingness to move virtually doubles your chances of getting a new job.
Given that we are talking about an older worker, a long apprenticeship is out of question. Jobs like engineer, doctor, lawyer, and machinist are out unless you already possess those skills.
Of the four areas we have decided to look at let's see which one would be the most fruitful. We are going to use one of the large popular job search sites to do our looking. Namely Yahoo's hotjobs. We are going to simplify our search criteria to make it easier to search and find the most jobs.
Let's search on the word "retail" by typing that word in the keyword box and clearing out anything that might be in the City or Category boxes. Then push the search button. I get the following:
1. Retail: 21,944 jobs
A very good supply. Let's try some similar search terms:
A. Sales: 36,938 jobs B. Worker: 8,513 jobs
2. Driver: 15,167 jobs A. Truck: 8,372 jobs
3. Admin 16,455 jobs A. Administrative 16,455 jobs B. Secretary 7,511 jobs
4. Tax 3,451 jobs A. Tax Preparer 65 jobs
If you are doing a thorough job search you might want to compare these results with those from the job search sites like Monster and HeadHunter. If you really want to wade through all the jobs in the working universe--and if your skills are not much in use you may have to--I recommend one of the meta search engines such as Indeed, JuJu, or SimplyHired. The meta job search engines allow you to search all the little job search sites in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, what can we learn from our Yahoo hotjobs search? If you want to increase your odds of getting a job nationwide, don't become a tax preparer. Such advice must be taken with a grain of salt. Obviously as we get nearer to April 15th the demand for tax preparers should increase and the results of the search will change. But if you want a job right now, doing someone's taxes does not look like the way to go.
Advertising yourself as a worker or a guy who knows trucks does not look like the best way to get a job.
If you have a resume that says you are a secretary, it seems like you might do better by creating a new resume that talks up your strengths as an administrative assistant.
Despite the weak economy, someone somewhere is still hiring retail sales folks. An administrative assistant with retail sales experience should be able to find a job pretty easily.
For grins let's add a few more jobs that we think might be in demand.
1. Manager 36,652 jobs
2. Trainee 1,560 jobs
3. Entry level 14,734 jobs
Even if you are trying to enter a new field, do not look for a job as a trainee. Rather you should look for the entry level jobs.
As long as there are employees there must be managers so if you have a management skill that looks to be a good bet for you.
Different jobs sites go through different procedures when you actually look for the details on a job and try to apply. On Yahoo, you will sometimes need to click through to the website of an individual company and apply for work there. On the other hand, if you have saved your resume on Yahoo hotjobs, there will likely be some jobs you can apply for while never leaving the Yahoo website.
I would advise against the work at home jobs that you find on job search sites. Yes, such jobs exist. I have had two different ones. The problem is that most of the work at home jobs you will see are a scam intended to do one of two things. Either separate you from your money or to infect your computer with viruses or adware.
The June of 2008 US News and World report listed the jobs that older Americans are most likely to find available. I will use this article as a jumping off point in the search for jobs for mature Americans. We will not visit all of the jobs and professions in the article because in our current economic straits, some of the jobs would be untenable. For instance, real estate broker does not seem like a particularly good job to have right now even if it was available.
The jobs we will look at are:
1. Retail Sales/ Sales worker 2. Driver 3. Secretaries/Administrative assistant 4. Tax preparer
Let's make a few simplifying assumptions. First, let us stipulate that the elderly worker is willing to move to get a new job and that he is willing to train for a new job if necessary. These assumptions may not be as arbitrary as they seem. If you and a large number of coworkers were laid off, it is less likely that the particular skill that you have is not in demand in the place where you live. A willingness to retrain and a willingness to move virtually doubles your chances of getting a new job.
Given that we are talking about an older worker, a long apprenticeship is out of question. Jobs like engineer, doctor, lawyer, and machinist are out unless you already possess those skills.
Of the four areas we have decided to look at let's see which one would be the most fruitful. We are going to use one of the large popular job search sites to do our looking. Namely Yahoo's hotjobs. We are going to simplify our search criteria to make it easier to search and find the most jobs.
Let's search on the word "retail" by typing that word in the keyword box and clearing out anything that might be in the City or Category boxes. Then push the search button. I get the following:
1. Retail: 21,944 jobs
A very good supply. Let's try some similar search terms:
A. Sales: 36,938 jobs B. Worker: 8,513 jobs
2. Driver: 15,167 jobs A. Truck: 8,372 jobs
3. Admin 16,455 jobs A. Administrative 16,455 jobs B. Secretary 7,511 jobs
4. Tax 3,451 jobs A. Tax Preparer 65 jobs
If you are doing a thorough job search you might want to compare these results with those from the job search sites like Monster and HeadHunter. If you really want to wade through all the jobs in the working universe--and if your skills are not much in use you may have to--I recommend one of the meta search engines such as Indeed, JuJu, or SimplyHired. The meta job search engines allow you to search all the little job search sites in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, what can we learn from our Yahoo hotjobs search? If you want to increase your odds of getting a job nationwide, don't become a tax preparer. Such advice must be taken with a grain of salt. Obviously as we get nearer to April 15th the demand for tax preparers should increase and the results of the search will change. But if you want a job right now, doing someone's taxes does not look like the way to go.
Advertising yourself as a worker or a guy who knows trucks does not look like the best way to get a job.
If you have a resume that says you are a secretary, it seems like you might do better by creating a new resume that talks up your strengths as an administrative assistant.
Despite the weak economy, someone somewhere is still hiring retail sales folks. An administrative assistant with retail sales experience should be able to find a job pretty easily.
For grins let's add a few more jobs that we think might be in demand.
1. Manager 36,652 jobs
2. Trainee 1,560 jobs
3. Entry level 14,734 jobs
Even if you are trying to enter a new field, do not look for a job as a trainee. Rather you should look for the entry level jobs.
As long as there are employees there must be managers so if you have a management skill that looks to be a good bet for you.
Different jobs sites go through different procedures when you actually look for the details on a job and try to apply. On Yahoo, you will sometimes need to click through to the website of an individual company and apply for work there. On the other hand, if you have saved your resume on Yahoo hotjobs, there will likely be some jobs you can apply for while never leaving the Yahoo website.
I would advise against the work at home jobs that you find on job search sites. Yes, such jobs exist. I have had two different ones. The problem is that most of the work at home jobs you will see are a scam intended to do one of two things. Either separate you from your money or to infect your computer with viruses or adware.
A nice little earner in Retail Sales
All kids love marbles but if you look around, there are just no good marble sets for kids anymore. If you really want to know how to earn money quick, buy marbles wholesale and repackage them to sell to parents that want kids to experience marbles.
Even if you never played with marbles as a kid, you still probably thought they were awesome. Those beautiful little round glass balls that came in so many different sizes and colors. The really old ones were milk glass with orange and brown and blue and sometimes yellow swirls.
And then there were the clear ones that looked like tiny crystal balls. Some of them looked like cats eyes. What fun it was to be a kid with marbles. How can you deny kids today that joy? If you really want to know how to earn money quick, just buy some of these great marbles and watch people stand in line to get them.
Knowing how to earn money quick is all about supply and demand. Once people know you have marbles, they will want them. You also need to know how to market them. First of all you need to package them in a good drawstring pouch. If you cannot locate the type you want, you can easily make them yourself. If you want to sell the pouches separately, making them yourself will allow you to have a much larger selection of fabrics and colors. Be sure to print up an instruction booklet so that kids will know how to play some of the different marble games.
Even if you never played with marbles as a kid, you still probably thought they were awesome. Those beautiful little round glass balls that came in so many different sizes and colors. The really old ones were milk glass with orange and brown and blue and sometimes yellow swirls.
And then there were the clear ones that looked like tiny crystal balls. Some of them looked like cats eyes. What fun it was to be a kid with marbles. How can you deny kids today that joy? If you really want to know how to earn money quick, just buy some of these great marbles and watch people stand in line to get them.
Knowing how to earn money quick is all about supply and demand. Once people know you have marbles, they will want them. You also need to know how to market them. First of all you need to package them in a good drawstring pouch. If you cannot locate the type you want, you can easily make them yourself. If you want to sell the pouches separately, making them yourself will allow you to have a much larger selection of fabrics and colors. Be sure to print up an instruction booklet so that kids will know how to play some of the different marble games.
Increasing Retail Sales
It is a proven fact that Handmade Jewelry displays will increase retail sales. Time and again we have seen that retailers who take advantage of handmade jewelry display packages dramatically increase their sales and their reorder rate also increases.
One of the most important factors for sale increases in the 300-400 % range has to be offering your customers a wider variety of choices. Most handmade jewelry displays are designed to hold handmade earrings, unique bracelets, handcrafted necklaces, rings, lockets, etc. This increases the number of multiple piece sales, "Aunt June loves butterfly jewelry, let's get these butterfly earrings and the matching bracelet." When placing your orders at the upcoming Wholesale Jewelry and gift shows always keep in mind that most customers who like a product will also be likely to buy matching sets.
Most handmade jewelry wholesalers offer retail display packages that are free of charge or the cost of the display is offset with free merchandise. Generally the buyer is responsible for the shipping charges of the display. Jewelry wholesalers will work with the retail store buyers to find the most suitable display for their stores taking into consideration space restrictions of the store itself. Large free-standing displays work well for bigger stores increasing the variety of designs, styles and products that you can make available to your customers. Smaller stores with limited space tend to opt for the counter top displays.
Additional points to consider when choosing a handmade jewelry display is your stores clientele as well as your stores traffic patterns:
A) If you are located in a tourist area where you have large numbers of people arriving at the same time, like bus tours, you need to have a good variety as well as quantity on the display. The larger free standing displays will make sure you don't run out of the best selling designs and more people can view the product at the same time.
B) If your clientele is composed largely of repeat local customers offering a larger selection will increase your sales but the counter top display is probably your best option. Always have a catalogue close by in case they would to special order their favorite design if out of stock. You may want to reorder often so the products are always new and fresh to returning customers.
C) Keep in mind your stores' security record, these are tough times and some stores are more vulnerable than others. In these cases, when ever possible place handmade jewelry displays in close proximity to the cashier where customers are in plain view. Having sales staff in those areas to help customers will also provide additional security.
D) Especially with handmade jewelry your customers always appreciate extra information so be knowledgeable on each product line you carry. Some wholesale jewelry suppliers will go that extra mile and supply literature regarding their products, cards or flyers, explaining how they make their unique handcrafted jewelry. This gives each purchase a personal touch and a connection with the artisans who have made the jewelry.
Handmade Jewelry displays are well worth the investment and your store will benefit from greatly increased sales. Your customers will appreciate the wider selection of designs and styles to fit everyones tastes and budget. In these days of financial crisis it is important to offer your customers unique products of lasting quality and value.
One of the most important factors for sale increases in the 300-400 % range has to be offering your customers a wider variety of choices. Most handmade jewelry displays are designed to hold handmade earrings, unique bracelets, handcrafted necklaces, rings, lockets, etc. This increases the number of multiple piece sales, "Aunt June loves butterfly jewelry, let's get these butterfly earrings and the matching bracelet." When placing your orders at the upcoming Wholesale Jewelry and gift shows always keep in mind that most customers who like a product will also be likely to buy matching sets.
Most handmade jewelry wholesalers offer retail display packages that are free of charge or the cost of the display is offset with free merchandise. Generally the buyer is responsible for the shipping charges of the display. Jewelry wholesalers will work with the retail store buyers to find the most suitable display for their stores taking into consideration space restrictions of the store itself. Large free-standing displays work well for bigger stores increasing the variety of designs, styles and products that you can make available to your customers. Smaller stores with limited space tend to opt for the counter top displays.
Additional points to consider when choosing a handmade jewelry display is your stores clientele as well as your stores traffic patterns:
A) If you are located in a tourist area where you have large numbers of people arriving at the same time, like bus tours, you need to have a good variety as well as quantity on the display. The larger free standing displays will make sure you don't run out of the best selling designs and more people can view the product at the same time.
B) If your clientele is composed largely of repeat local customers offering a larger selection will increase your sales but the counter top display is probably your best option. Always have a catalogue close by in case they would to special order their favorite design if out of stock. You may want to reorder often so the products are always new and fresh to returning customers.
C) Keep in mind your stores' security record, these are tough times and some stores are more vulnerable than others. In these cases, when ever possible place handmade jewelry displays in close proximity to the cashier where customers are in plain view. Having sales staff in those areas to help customers will also provide additional security.
D) Especially with handmade jewelry your customers always appreciate extra information so be knowledgeable on each product line you carry. Some wholesale jewelry suppliers will go that extra mile and supply literature regarding their products, cards or flyers, explaining how they make their unique handcrafted jewelry. This gives each purchase a personal touch and a connection with the artisans who have made the jewelry.
Handmade Jewelry displays are well worth the investment and your store will benefit from greatly increased sales. Your customers will appreciate the wider selection of designs and styles to fit everyones tastes and budget. In these days of financial crisis it is important to offer your customers unique products of lasting quality and value.
Retail Sales Jobs
Working in retail can mean many things, however the thing that most people associate with retail is sales. It is similar to the restaurant industry, where people assume that if you work in a restaurant, you must be a server. In reality, there are cooks, dishwashers, prep cooks, managers, and hosts who all support the servers or otherwise work to make your stay pleasant.
The same goes for retail. When you are working in retail, the most common starting position and the position that is most often seen by the public is the position of cashier. A cashier rings up your products, takes your money, and hopefully thanks you for your business, but they are only the face of the company for you, and are a small fraction of the people that are actually working to make your shopping experience a good one.
A retail job might include positions that are considered executive, like human resources managers, technical specialists, accountants or bookkeepers, buyers, loss prevention officers, and more. These are the people who run the store from behind the scenes. They may be the ones called upon to give you a discount on your merchandise, but they are also the people who set schedules, track shipments, make sure that there is enough inventory in the store, hire new employees, and many other jobs.
There are also many supervisory positions that you may see all around a retail store. These people might be managers of many different kinds, who coordinate the supervisors, or they may be the supervisors who actually coordinate the employees. Supervisors may train employees who are new to the business, assign tasks, and sometimes have many other jobs.
However, even if you work in a selling position in a retail store, your job may entail much, much more than just handing someone their change. Any of the following job duties might be things you're responsible for doing while working:
Cleaning the store: While most stores have a janitorial crew, some smaller stores do not. You might be in charge of sweeping, wiping counters, picking up products, organizing the shelves or racks, and washing the windows.
Reporting shoplifters: In some companies, cashiers are specially trained to spot shoplifting when it happens. You might be asked to help catch thieves as well as confront them.
Customer service: If your store doesn't have a customer service desk, it might be up to you to help customers find what they need or relay complaints and problems to your manager or the store's owner.
Take phone calls: Most cashier desks have a phone nearby, and it might be your job to answer it if possible. Callers will commonly ask things like when the store opens and closes, what sales you're offering for the day, how to get to your store, and so forth. You may have to also answer harder questions about your merchandise or pass the call on to the appropriate person.
As you can see, retail is not just about selling. While this is the main goal of any store, it is important to remember that you can find a job in retail that is more than putting a person's purchases in bags and taking their money. Even as a cashier, the more responsible you act, the more job duties you will be given, which leads to higher pay and, if you're lucky, promotion
The same goes for retail. When you are working in retail, the most common starting position and the position that is most often seen by the public is the position of cashier. A cashier rings up your products, takes your money, and hopefully thanks you for your business, but they are only the face of the company for you, and are a small fraction of the people that are actually working to make your shopping experience a good one.
A retail job might include positions that are considered executive, like human resources managers, technical specialists, accountants or bookkeepers, buyers, loss prevention officers, and more. These are the people who run the store from behind the scenes. They may be the ones called upon to give you a discount on your merchandise, but they are also the people who set schedules, track shipments, make sure that there is enough inventory in the store, hire new employees, and many other jobs.
There are also many supervisory positions that you may see all around a retail store. These people might be managers of many different kinds, who coordinate the supervisors, or they may be the supervisors who actually coordinate the employees. Supervisors may train employees who are new to the business, assign tasks, and sometimes have many other jobs.
However, even if you work in a selling position in a retail store, your job may entail much, much more than just handing someone their change. Any of the following job duties might be things you're responsible for doing while working:
Cleaning the store: While most stores have a janitorial crew, some smaller stores do not. You might be in charge of sweeping, wiping counters, picking up products, organizing the shelves or racks, and washing the windows.
Reporting shoplifters: In some companies, cashiers are specially trained to spot shoplifting when it happens. You might be asked to help catch thieves as well as confront them.
Customer service: If your store doesn't have a customer service desk, it might be up to you to help customers find what they need or relay complaints and problems to your manager or the store's owner.
Take phone calls: Most cashier desks have a phone nearby, and it might be your job to answer it if possible. Callers will commonly ask things like when the store opens and closes, what sales you're offering for the day, how to get to your store, and so forth. You may have to also answer harder questions about your merchandise or pass the call on to the appropriate person.
As you can see, retail is not just about selling. While this is the main goal of any store, it is important to remember that you can find a job in retail that is more than putting a person's purchases in bags and taking their money. Even as a cashier, the more responsible you act, the more job duties you will be given, which leads to higher pay and, if you're lucky, promotion
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)