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In the Field With…
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Marni Kleper Merchandise Planner, Hardware Restoration Hardware By Tom Frisk, ATM-S, CL Editor Marni Kleper’s official job title
barely fits on her 2” square business card: “Merchandise Planner,
Hardware.” What she actually does doesn’t fit well in a small
space, either. She makes sales
projections utilizing historical data. She negotiates with vendors. She makes
sure products are priced right before being sold in over 100 Restoration
Hardware locations. And that’s just a start for
this San Francisco-based passionate professional. "It's extremely rewarding
watching customers view your product," Kleper
said. "Driving strategy and sales is pretty rewarding." "The best part of working
in retail," Kleper said, "is that you get
to see the results of your actions very quickly. The product you develop and the strategies
you create end up in stores or online (usually) within a year's time." Kleper, a veteran of both Macy's West and Bloomingdale's, clearly loves her
chosen field. Not that it's always
easy. THE
CHALLENGES “The most challenging part (of
my job),” Kleper said, “is...we spend a lot of time
putting out fires and being reactive instead of proactive.” She added that there are often
strategy changes. “It is challenging
to be on one of course and have to change and re-do your work and thought
process frequently when the changes happen.” |
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Despite
the frequent shifts, Kleper said, her year-old
Merchandise Planning position is incredibly rewarding. “I am really excited by
the product we sell, the people are passionate about what they do, and the
environment is…pretty entrepreneurial.”
GETTING
THE GIG
How she
scored her gig wouldn’t fit on her business card, either.
Or even
ten of them strung together.
“Interviewing
for a merchandising position can sometimes be tricky,” Kleper
said. “I had a preliminary phone
interview with HR. They set up my
interview with the hiring manager, a DMM (Divisional
Merchandise Manager). I had an extensive
interview with him- probably one hour to an hour and a half. At the end of the interview, he was
interested in having me come back for another round, so he gave me a project of
creating concept boards for the department I was interviewing to join. I had about a week to do that, and I came
back and presented (the concept boards) to him.
A few weeks later, I was offered the job.”
What
could someone expect if they wanted to work at Restoration
Hardware?
“Most
people who interview at my company interview with at least two to four people,”
she said, “depending on the position and the number of positions
available. If there are more open
positions, they may have to interview with several hiring managers.”
THE
COLLEGE YEARS
Kleper didn’t
just fall into her career. She started
with a quality education from Tufts
University, where she double majored in International Relations and French.
“I was
always really interested in foreign affairs, government and travel,” she
said. “Plus, my school had an excellent
undergrad International Relations program.
I chose French because I already had to take several of the classes for
my first major. I was planning on
studying abroad anyway, and I only had a few extra classes to take to get a
second major.”
While
many undergrads switch majors, Kleper bucked that
trend, though she admitted, “I dropped my entry level International Relations
class (freshman year). I ended up taking
it again Sophomore year and received an A-.”
IF YOU WANT TO BREAK INTO MERCHANDISING...
So what advice does Kleper have for those looking to
start a career in merchandising?
“The
most important pieces of working in retail are: ability to prioritize well, juggle multiple
projects and keep them all rolling, possessing a strong sense of urgency, being
flexible – retail is often extremely
reactive – and you have to be able to go
with the flow.”
She
added that it also helps to have “business acumen and financial savvy, and an
ability to learn quickly – retail is mostly sink or
swim.”
Kleper admits
hers can be a difficult field to break into.
“Most large retailers and department stores offer extensive recruiting
and training programs - usually for recent college graduates. If you are not a recent college grad, it will
be more difficult to get on the same career path. Usually, at this level, you will need to take
an entry level job to get your foot into the door, then once you've proven
yourself, you can move up from there - usually 6-12 months.“
Looking
to be a Merchandise Planner for a major specialty retailer? It won’t be easy, but it can be done.
Even if
your path won’t fit on a 2” square business card.
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2006 WildJobSafari.com