One of the most competitive, glamorous, and sought-after jobs in the world of retailing is that of the fashion coordinator. Just as the title implies, the fashion coordinator has to make sure that all fashion departments are kept up-to-date on the latest fashion trends. Fashion coordinators are taste makers and should have a highly developed sense of fashion themselves. The fashion coordinator advises buyers and merchandise managers on style trends, assists the advertising and promotion departments, and handles fashion shows. This last responsibility involves choosing clothing and accessories, working with the models, and arranging for publicity.
The fashion coordinator also may work with local high schools and colleges to form a "college board" or similar fashion event. The coordinator often will go into wholesale and retail markets to get the feel of what is happening in the fashion world and relay the information gathered on these trips to store employees to keep them well informed. Fashion coordinators also may suggest what merchandise from other departments might be offered in a single shop or boutique. In this way, the coordinator attempts to present a single fashion look or "fashion story" to the customer, so that buyers in each department don't end up with conflicting looks for each season. For example, the fashion coordinator will work hard to ensure that there will be shoes, handbags, jewelry, and cosmetics to coordinate with the sportswear and dresses being promoted in different areas of the store.
The job is a busy one, but a very desirable one. Knowledge of fashion merchandising and broad retail experience are required, plus imagination and a highly developed fashion sense. Sensitivity to what is new and ahead of the times is vital, as is an interest in color, design, style, and fabrics. Of course, the fashion coordinator must look and sound the part as well by being a model of stylish dress, good grooming, and excellent speaking ability.
With the recent focus on fashion in the home, it is likely that a fashion coordinator will be an expert not only in the clothing and accessories areas but also in coordinating merchandise in the home furnishings departments. It may fall to the fashion coordinator to put together a group of model rooms, using the latest styles of furniture, fabrics, and accessories. Many customers enjoy viewing these model rooms, as they inspire them to consider new ways of decorating their own homes or apartments.
If this job interests you, remember that it is highly competitive, and job openings tend to be scarce. Unless you are a top-notch candidate with an extensive merchandising background, it may be an extremely difficult or even impossible career to achieve. In addition to stores, jobs for fashion coordinators may be found in advertising agencies and textile and clothing manufacturing firms.
ASSISTANT TO THE FASHION COORDINATOR
The entry-level job for anyone who dreams of becoming a fashion coordinator is assistant to the fashion coordinator. The assistant may be hired in any type of retail store, buying office, textile firm, Pattern Company, or manufacturer's office. Or sometimes a trade organization may have need for such a beginner. The duties are often clerical in nature, and for this job good typing skills are an important asset. There is a great deal of detail and follow-up work that the fashion coordinator delegates to the assistant, such as making appointments, telephoning contacts, booking models, and even running errands. But it is possible for the assistant to work closely with the fashion coordinator in putting on fashion shows, helping to write fashion bulletins, and spending time out in the market observing trends and new looks.
To compete successfully for these very scarce and very competitive beginning jobs, it is essential to look the part of a fashion coordinator-to-be. Excellent grooming and a keen sense of fashion are required. Poise, a polished manner, and a good speaking voice are all part of the personal qualities that will be looked for. To stand in for and represent the fashion coordinator successfully, the assistant must be a model of good taste and style. And, of course, clerical skills and good typing are a plus.
THE STORE MANAGER
The broad title of store manager has many duties attached to it. As chain and specialty stores continue to grow and add new branches, it is a job increasingly available to those who would like to run the store, perhaps even their own stores in the future. The store manager is in charge of every aspect of the store's operation: opening and closing the store, serving customers, bringing daily receipts to the bank, keeping the store supplied with merchandise, hiring and training workers, and handling the displays, advertising, accounts, and store security. This job focuses on every phase of retailing. If the store being managed is a large one, many assistants work with the manager. In small outlets, the store manager is a one-person show, handling everything in an attempt to help the store grow and become more profitable.
ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER
Department stores, boutiques, chain stores, and specialty stores need mature and dependable individuals to groom for store managers. Starting out as an assistant store manager, you work closely with the store manager and assist in all store operations as described here. Working as a salesperson may be a part of the assignment as well. The training is generally informal and occurs on-the-job rather than in a classroom situation. As in any retail operation, you must be prepared for late evenings and some weekend work. With good experience, it is possible to be promoted to the position of store manager once you have proved yourself.
Those who would like to rise to this position must have initiative, a high energy level, leadership abilities, and the capacity to deal with many people in a firm yet friendly manner, and a good fashion sense. The ability to relocate also may figure importantly in your success, as chain stores may place employees in any area where jobs open up. In suburban areas, a car is often required.
RESIDENT BUYING OFFICES AND CENTRAL BUYING OFFICES
If the retail store operation has no special appeal for you and you live in an area where there are buying offices, you might consider working in a resident buying office or in a central buying office. Both are an excellent source of entry-level jobs for people starting out in fashion merchandising. And, as resident buying offices and central buying offices have a five-day work week and are not open on evenings or weekends, they often have greater appeal for those who want to avoid the long and irregular hours of most retail operations.
Resident Buying Offices
Resident buying offices service stores and shops all across the country. Since most manufacturers have their showrooms in New York City, it is hard for smaller stores outside the New York area to keep pace with the heartbeat of the fashion market. So these stores, chains, and mail-order houses work with a resident buying office. Resident buying offices are really misnamed. Their true function is not one of buying at all, but of giving service to their customers. Resident buying offices help their stores' buyers do a better job of buying. They offer out-of-town buyers all of these services: covering wholesale markets and reporting on trends; buying for the member stores if requested; following up on deliveries, adjustments, and complaints about merchandise; providing office space, clerical help, and mail and telephone service for visiting buyers; going with the out-of-town buyers to the market; suggesting sales promotion and publicity ideas; getting merchandise samples for the buyer to see before buying decisions are made; planning merchandise clinics or previews of the leading resources; and offering fashion coordination services.
Resident buying offices are located mainly in New York City, the fashion market of the country. A smaller group of offices is located in the Los Angeles area. Some resident buying offices are owned by a group of stores, while others are independently owned to offer their services to stores for a fee. Either way, the resident buying office is staffed with employees who help the buyers do their job for their own stores.
BUYER'S CLERICAL
For those with good clerical abilities, strong typing skills, a facility for working with figures, and of course, a fashion interest, the beginning job of buyer's clerical may be an excellent starting spot. This worker handles the many clerical records that supply the buyer with needed information. The buyer's clerical answers telephones, makes appointments for the buyer, follows up on shipments, and may handle problems related to late deliveries or damaged merchandise. The buyer's clerical has contact with the buyer and the assistant buyer as well. It is an on-the-job training position that can lead to advancement as an assistant buyer and eventually a buyer. Candidates for the position should be well organized, outgoing, be good with detail, have excellent clerical skills, and have the ability to work well with many different people. Buyer's clerical positions are usually available in both resident buying offices and central buying offices.
ASSISTANT BUYER TRAINEE
This entry-level position can be found in smaller resident buying offices or central buying offices. It is a middle-level job in large buying offices, but regardless of where it is offered, the position is a fine starting point for college graduates with specialized background in merchandising. Fast-paced, on-the-job training allows the assistant to help the buyer in as many ways as possible. Learning about major resources in any market usually happens when the assistant is assigned to do the follow-up tasks with the buyer. While working on-the-job, the assistant quickly learns to place special orders and reorders for the buyer. There is a heavy emphasis on keeping accurate records, following up on merchandise, and keeping in touch with manufacturers and stores.
At some point the assistant may go with the buyer to visit manufacturers and view merchandise. Later, the assistant may begin to handle a section of the market under the buyer's supervision.
In larger resident buying offices, each buyer has at least one assistant. However, in some smaller offices, several buyers may share the services of one assistant. The assistant buyer in a buying office tends to work fewer hours and fewer days than the assistant buyer in a retail store, and he or she often has fewer responsibilities. Therefore, salaries are lower. The skills needed to be a successful assistant buyer are the same as those required for the buyer's clerical, plus the ability to handle work under pressure and manage several tasks at the same time.
RESIDENT BUYERS
Resident buyers or market representatives spend most of their workday in the market. Before the store buyer arrives from out-of-town, the resident buyer searches the marketplace thoroughly for the latest items. The resident buyer offers ideas and information to the store buyer on the latest trends and the newest resources. He or she also may make suggestions about what the store buyer might consider ordering.
Once the store buyer returns home, the resident buyer continues to be helpful by placing orders and reorders. Part of the resident buyer's job is done in the office. Mail from the customer stores must be answered, manufacturer's salespeople who bring their lines in to be viewed must be met, and there is much telephone contact with out-of-town store buyers.
The resident buyer writes fashion news bulletins that are sent to all the member stores on a regular basis. These news flashes forecast the most current fashion information. With a particular client's approval, the resident buyer may even select additional items to be shipped to the out-of-town store. Basically, though, the three major tasks of the buyer are: researching the market, buying with the store's permission, and promoting the goods. The resident buyer's job is like acting as a consultant for people who need the latest fashion news. It is an ideal position for anyone with a keen interest in fashion.
The Central Buying Office
The central buying office represents its own chain of stores and has responsibility for centrally buying and selling goods in each of its stores. The individual stores do not participate in that part of the merchandising process. The buyer's clerical, as in the resident buying office, is often an entry-level spot in the central buying office.
DISTRIBUTOR/PLANNER TRAINEE
For those who have excellent math and analytical skills, are well-organized, and are good with details, the job of distributor/planner trainee may be of interest. Working with many precise records and computer printouts, the trainee keeps track of thousands of units of merchandise and assigns various items of stock to the many branch stores. A good memory and the ability to deal with many people, often by telephone or fax machine, is important for success. Promotion may be to head distributor/planner or to buyer.
CENTRAL BUYER
The central buyer is a specialist in the marketing end of buying for a large chain of stores or for a mail-order house. Central buyers work right in the major markets and buy for all of their stores. This means locating new and exciting sources of merchandise, making selections, and ordering and reordering based on what promises to sell well, be it for a few or a few hundred stores. The selling and publicizing of the merchandise and other related tasks are then left up to the individual store managers to handle in their own style.
THINKING OF YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
Why not? More and more men and women are becoming small store owners after obtaining some solid experience in the retail field. To be a successful retailer, you must be a people person as so much of what is done involves the customer-how he or she thinks and feels about your products. A merchant must have a good sense of how to attractively and creatively display wares to help promote sales. You will need to rely upon good communication skills to deal effectively in the marketplace and then clearly convey current information back to workers in the store. You'll need to be able to function well under pressure, be a self-starter, and be able to do more than one task at a time without feeling stressed.
A thorough knowledge of all areas of retailing is an invaluable asset to any future store owner. At the start, small shop owners generally handle all aspects of the business themselves-choosing and buying merchandise from manufacturers or wholesalers, pricing the goods to be sold, having responsibility for the store's inventory, giving customers credit, collecting bills, and hiring and training a few employees. Selling the merchandise to customers may also be a part of the owner's task. This really means that the owner can become the merchandise manager, the buyer, the financial expert, personnel director, and public relations person all rolled into one. Chances are the owner of the store will be the housekeeper and janitor as well.
If the business thrives, the owner can then give some of these duties to other employees. Be prepared, however, for a lean period for the first few years, while the store is acquiring a reputation and a group of satisfied customers. Know, too, what all the financial obligations will be, and plan for their payment even when business is slow. Rent, electricity, advertising costs, income taxes, sales taxes, fire, theft, and liability insurance, and payroll costs all must be paid on time if you are to establish a solid reputation for your business. Generally speaking, retail businesses have a low survival rate. However, it is said that if a business can get through the first two years, the chances for survival are better-and the rewards are many. Certainly it's a great feeling to be your own boss and to decide where the shop will be located and what the image of the shop will be; and of course it's also a great feeling to succeed. Success rarely occurs by chance, however, and thus it is important for the small business owner to learn all there is to know about managing a business.
A growing number of small business owners are taking advantage of courses and workshops that have become increasingly available all across the country. Almost every business school and many specialized schools with programs in merchandising or retailing now offer courses relating to independent business ventures. Many adult and continuing education centers are picking up on this new trend too, and are starting to offer short seminars on small business operations. You can learn everything from how to raise venture capital for the new business to how to deal with the do's and don'ts of merchandising, from business law to financial practices. But before you even get that far, here's an extremely valuable bit of advice: Don't start your own operation without getting a good business background first!
If you are ready to work hard, the payoff of a career in retailing can be very gratifying and financially rewarding. One's earning power in retailing is impressive. It's a field that provides great opportunities and upward mobility faster than many other professions. As well, it's a good place for women and minorities to advance.
