Why Retail Merchandising Services?
Execution
Great execution starts with great employees. This is why we hire employees, not
independent contractors. And because we hire and train every employee in our company
we are able to provide a high degree of direction and control over your service project.
We routinely achieve execution rates of 98% and higher.
We have a merchandising rep within 10 miles of every Target store in the U.S. and Canada. A rep “owns” the
responsibility for all service work in his or her assigned store. Retail Merchandising Services reps are paid by the
job. Most merchandising firms pay by the hour and or have a set time limit that reps work on a project.
When the time is up the rep is done working. We require every job to be fully completed, even
if there are complications or unforeseen occurrences. Our reps know they can’t leave
the store with a service only partially completed.
Expertise
We service exclusively in Target stores. Our executive team has over 75 years of Target employment experience, including many years in a Store Team Lead (Store Manager), Executive Team Lead (Assistant Store Manager) and Target HQ capacity.
Our home office staff and field personnel are Target merchandising experts, many with considerable merchandising and Target employment experience.
- Our Project Managers have more than 9 years of Target store and headquarters experience in positions such as Executive Team Lead (in Hardlines, Softlines, Reverse Logistics, and Guest Experience), Inventory Management (SWAT) and Business Analyst.
- One of our recruiters worked in Target stores for 11 years.
- Our home office staff (combined) has worked 16 years in the field in a merchandising rep capacity for Retail Merchandising Services.
In the U.S., our reps are Backroom Certified and trained on Target programs. This
enables our reps to be more effective with their in-store service time.
Retail Merchandising Services reps have their own Target issued Vendor ID, which allows them to use the RF units independently. Project
execution and in-store efficiency is maximized when reps are not dependent upon Target team
members for assistance.
Training & Support
Retail Merchandising Services reps experience multiple levels of training:
- Detailed training manual
- Target approved training video
- Personalized training by a District Coordinator or very experienced senior rep
- Advanced training (after 30 days) on Target systems (MIRs, manual counts, printing signs,
printing POG labels, etc.)
- Backroom Certification Test - This is the same certification program administered to
Target team members
Field Structure
Retail Merchandising Services maintains a strong commitment to excellent in-store execution
through the following organizational structure:
- 1172 Merchandising Reps in 49 states
and 113 in Canada. All of our reps
are employees (not independent contractors) and they fully complete every service project
assigned. They are paid by the job – not by the hour. Our highly trained reps
are experts with Target systems, processes, procedures, and Target’s way of doing business. Our
reps are experts because we service exclusively at Target stores. Why? Because we believe
a merchandising firm with employees (or independent contractors) who work in five or six retailers
can’t really be an expert at any of them. You don’t have to worry about that when you
hire Retail Merchandising Services for your Target projects.
- 42 District Coordinators (Supervisors) in the U.S. and Canada – District Coordinators
(DCs) have primary responsibility for training and providing the first level of field support
for merchandising representatives. We consider the DCs to be “super reps” because they excel
at merchandising and share a passion for teaching others their trade. District Coordinators
also have responsibility for auditing reps’ service work to ensure it meets both Retail Merchandising Services and Target
standards.
- 3 Regional Managers – Are among the most experienced and
most skilled merchandisers in the industry. Their primary focus is to improve the accuracy,
efficiency, and effectiveness of District Coordinators (DCs) and Merchandising Reps. The Regional Manager
is a resource for training and education to reps and District Coordinators.
- National Field Manager (Karen Johnson) – Karen
has a high degree of direction and control over the District Coordinators and Regional
Managers, including territories assigned, interviewing, hiring, and training. Through Karen’s
efforts with the DCs and Regional Managers, Retail Merchandising Services is able to leverage her many years of Target
Executive experience and merchandising experience. Karen has worked for Retail Merchandising Services for 10 years
and before that she had 7 years of Target Executive experience including 3 years as a Store
Team Lead (Store Manager) and 4 years as an Executive Team Lead (Assistant Store Manager).