People may see job listings for merchandisers on career websites or in help wanted ads. This may cause them to ask what is a merchandiser? There are several types of merchandisers, but usually they work in a retail store setting and represent a vendor, manufacturer or company. They make sure there is adequate stock on the shelves, remove old or expired product from shelves, remove damaged or defective product from the shelves or storeroom, and issue the store credit for damaged items.
While the stores themselves are responsible for most of the products on display or on store shelves, there are specialty items serviced by outside vendors and some companies have representative merchandisers go into stores to care for their products, push sales, try to increase space allotted to generate increased sales, and to make sure the product is displayed correctly.
In grocery stores, one aisle of product that is serviced by outside vendors is soft drinks. Each of the major soft drink manufacturers have a bottling or distribution center located within major cities. Shoppers might sometimes see the trucks parked outside the store and see the merchandiser hauling the cases of soda into the store on a dolly or hand truck.
Because of the bulk and quickness that the product sells, it is easier to have the merchandiser load the product directly to the shelves instead of any product being stored in the stores back room. Beer is treated similarly with the product going straight from the truck to the shelves.
Grocery stores periodically get trucks in with cases of general merchandise such as canned goods. These products can be stored on pallets in the back room. Since they have a longer shelf life, excess product can be stored and stocked onto shelves by store personnel over time as needed.
But because items like baked goods have a shorter shelf life, they are brought into the store often each morning very early. Merchandisers representing local bakeries stock fresh breads, buns, and other items each day. They also rotate stock so that older product is sold first, or they remove out of date items.
Newspapers, magazines and books are also serviced by outside vendors or merchandisers. The vendors will come into the store periodically at remove old magazines and replace them with new copies. This is also true of items like greeting cards, flowers, bulk candy, and any similar specialty items.
Merchandisers perform an important role in the day-to-day operation of grocery stores. They make sure that the company they represent is happy with the products presentation on the store shelves. They make and or hang signage and create visually appealing displays. They report to the store manager at the beginning and end of their visit, first to let the manager know they are there and what they will be doing that day. Then at the the end of their visit they report on what tasks were completed and inform the manager of any issues or problems they might have. Then it is on to the next store where the merchandiser will repeat the whole process.
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