Page 22 - DMGT554_RETAIL_BUYING

Unit 1: The Buyer's Role

Notes
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Case Study Career Opportunity in Retail

bout to graduate from college, Toby Phillips has been investigating the possibility
of a buying career with several companies. During her last semester, she
Aparticipated in a number of recruitment sessions on campus. Human resources
managers from the major retail organizations have interviewed her, and the time for a
decision is drawing near. After considerable investigation and deliberation she has
narrowed her choice to three companies, one a department store with 15 branches, one an
off-price chain operation with 75 units, and one a catalog company without any stores. A
summary of these opportunities follows.
1. Crane’s Department Store is based in Kansas City, Missouri. Its flagship is in the
downtown area, with the branches in the suburban part of the city and in St. Louis.
It is a specialized operation catering to women’s and men’s clothing and accessories.
Its executive training program is limited to 25 trainees each year. The trainees
participate in a rotational program that rotates them through different jobs and
takes them to a number of branches in both Kansas City and St. Louis. Regular
evaluations are performed every 3 months. The successful trainees generally achieve
the level of buyer or some other executive position within 5 years. The starting
salary is $30,000, with regular increases every 6 months, until a regular managerial
position has been achieved. In that case, salaries are commensurate with the demands
of the job and individual progress.
2. Centrally operated from New York City, Sebastion’s, an off-price specialty chain
dealing exclusively in women’s apparel, has 75 units throughout the eastern seaboard.
It has been in business for 20 years and expects to open 10 new units every year. Its
merchandise offerings include closeouts from all of the top designers and
manufacturers as well as private-label products made exclusively for the company.
The private-label goods are generally developed by the buyers. The buyer is
responsible for covering the New York City garment center as well as overseas
markets. The starting salary is $32,000, with periodic increases based on performance.
3. Potpourri is a retail catalog company that doesn’t have any stores. Their business is
all catalog-generated. Based in Chicago, they have been in business for 15 years,
dealing exclusively with ornaments and accessories for indoor and outdoor gardens.
Each year since their beginning, they have had significant sales increases. They
employ eight buyers, with each having a different merchandise responsibility. The
available position is for a buyer of glass and metal products used to grow indoor
plants. The company has no formal training program, but on-the-job assistance is
used to train new employees. The starting salary is $32,000.
Ms. Phillips, who lives in New York City, majored in retailing at a 4-year college and has
a 3.2 grade point average.
Questions
1. Develop a list of criteria for Ms. Phillips to use in the evaluation of the three
opportunities.
2. Which job would you recommend she choose? Why?

Source: http://wps.pearsoncustom.com/wps/media/objects/5808/5947551/MCH150_Ch01.pdf

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