Reset Merchandisers: How to Make Money and Where to Find the Jobs

Being a reset merchandiser is relatively simple and you can make some great money doing it. Merchandising, simply put, is the behind the scenes work of a store. They are the ones who typically cut-in any new items, stock incoming items, change old tags, put up displays, or re-do, or "reset", a section. . (Ex. The toilet paper section) There are some other things they can do, but we will just cover the main ones. Merchandisers represent a certain company and, whatever products that company has in the store, are what they are responsible for. Routes are usually assigned with different stores and the schedules are extremely flexible. Usually only travel teams or stores that have been scheduled for a complete remodel have strict timetables.

I was a reset merchandiser for five years and loved every minute. There are tricks to making money at this and I was taught by some veterans in the business. Some people first starting out make a few mistakes. First, it is very hard to get on with a company at full-time status. Most jobs are considered part-time, which is great, because that leaves room to apply for different companies. It is possible to work for numerous places once you get your foot in the door, which can be tricky.

Secondly, you must learn how to read a plan-o-gram. These are very simple "maps" of how each item should be placed. They are not hard, but you need to become accustomed to them before accepting any job, as these are the brains of merchandising.

The next most important tip I can give someone is to manage your time properly. Timeframes given for certain jobs are sometimes much longer that what it should actually take. For example, say you are given three hours to do a minor reset on the paper towel section. Being minor, there is probably minimal movement for current items and possibly a few new item cut-ins. With paper towels being bulky and light, this should take around one hour to do. That means you are getting paid for two hours of, well honestly, nothing. Take this time and use it wisely! Do not stand around and jab with managers; leave and start your next task. If you can build your schedule up with enough jobs through the week, you could easily get paid for 40-50 hours and only work a portion of that. Some companies do require exact time for work done, but there are those that do not.

Make "friends" with the store manager, or whoever you are to report to. This will make your job a lot easier for repeat visits, especially if you are to be working there often. If they ask you to do something extra that is not part of your job for the day, I would suggest doing it, as long as it doesn't take too much time. If you keep them happy, you will be happy. You don't want a manager of a store having a bad taste in their mouth for you, believe me!

Don't take too much time checking dates. Yes, you need to rotate the stock and make sure there is nothing sitting there out-of-date, but train your eyes to skim. You can do this and do your job efficiently.

Most importantly, take the time to make your area look perfect. Turn every product the same way and make sure the front of the label is facing forward; toward the customer. Have you ever went down an aisle at the grocery store and noticed how neat the shelves looked? This is what managers like and it is part of the job. Make sure there are tags for every different item. This should be noticed anyway, if using a Plan-o-gram.

Now, here is the part most are probably asking, "Where do you find these kinds of jobs?" Here is a great website for newbies, NARMS. On this site you will find a vast pool of merchandising jobs and it is a great place to start if you have no experience. Once you get going, word-of-mouth is great. You will meet other reps from different companies while you are in the stores. There are many smaller companies out there where you can apply, but there are three "Mother" merchandising companies; Acosta Sales and Marketing, Advantage Sales and Marketing, and Crossmark. These are a little harder to get in with, but you can sometimes get lucky. They actively post new jobs and they also have great benefits.

Being a reset merchandiser is excellent for stay-at-home moms, college students, or someone wanting a great career where you choose when you work and as much as you work.

Sources:

http://www.narms.com/

http://www.acosta.com/

http://www.asmnet.com/Pages/default.aspx

http://crossmark.com/