5583 Visual Merchandiser/Assistant Buyer

POSITION IDENTIFICATION

TITLE Clothing/Soft Goods Specialist

CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 5583

GRADE 12

CLASSIFICATION Nonexempt

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Clothing/Soft Goods Manager

GENERAL FUNCTION

The Visual Merchandiser/Assistant Buyer is responsible for the layout of the clothing and souvenir sales floor, keeping the Clothing/Soft Goods Manager updated on inventory needs, and responsible to train student and part-time staff to support the needs of the department. The Visual Merchandiser/Assistant Buyer is responsible for merchandising and customer service in Clothing/Soft Goods department for the bookstore, all outside venues including but not limited to athletic locations and all other specified events. The Visual Merchandiser/Assistant Buyer assists the manager with buying responsibilities, including reorders of merchandise, performs inventory control, handles special/department orders, including returns and exchanges, processes clothing and soft goods invoices, resolves discrepancies, and provides great customer service.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A high school diploma or the equivalent is required.

Experience: Three years of retail experience is required including at least two years of visual merchandising experience, at least two years of buying experience, and inventory control experience. Two years working in a supervisory role is preferred.

Skills: Effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills are required. Organizational ability is required. Knowledge of working with spreadsheets and MS Office programs is required. Familiarity in Photoshop, Illustrator, or other visual design tools is preferred. Experience in supervising student workers is preferred.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Responsible for visually merchandising the clothing and soft goods areas including bookstore sales floor, team store and off-site locations by defining, designing and implementing a creative visual merchandising strategy and displays. Also responsible for monitoring the back stock inventory, receiving and processing merchandise for sale, and creating purchase orders.

2. Processes all clothing and soft goods departmental invoices, including entry in the inventory control management system, contacts vendors regarding discrepancies, and forwards invoices to the A/P Specialist or Business Manager for payment once approval and counts are confirmed.

3. Works with the campus community on all special orders, orders samples, assists in product selection for the customer, works with vendors on art and design, monitors progress with the vendor, and invoices the customer.

4. Provides customer service and oversees the maintenance of an orderly and attractive sales floor by creating appealing and eye-catching visual displays that lead the customer through the entire store and entice purchasing. Includes but not limited to stocking, folding, sizing, straightening, organizing, condensing, resetting, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, assisting customers with selections, and finding merchandise, and answering questions about clothing, gifts, or souvenirs for customers. Responsible to train and engage the student and part-time staff within the department to support these activities.

5. Produces the window displays, store signage, interior displays, special promotional displays through the identification of key messages that set a clear image of the end result. Develop a well-flowing floor plan and present design ideas to the Clothing/Soft Goods Manager. Partner with the Clothing/Soft Goods Manager to keep displays updated to promote new or promotional products to stay aligned with social media promotion for the bookstore. Must continue to monitor and ensure working within budget.    

6. Obtains return credit from vendors by processing damaged or defective merchandise for return, following up on status of the credit, packaging and shipping returns, and resolving any problems that may arise.

7. Helps to assure excellent customer service by serving as support for the Customer Service Manager daily by supervising GM sales floor staff, cashier areas, and customer service support for non-text merchandise. Additionally, remaining knowledgeable about bookstore policies, procedures, and operations, and act in alignment to the organizations culture, products, image and target market. Responding to customer complaints, store emergencies, and disruption of services regarding clothing/soft good merchandise.

8. Helps to ensure the success of the Bookstore by performing all other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION

The Visual Merchandiser/Assistant Buyer supervises student and part-time workers within the clothing/soft goods department.

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

REVISED MARCH 2025

JOB FAMILY 1

Factor 1: Educational/Experience Requirements of the Job

Level 4.0 - 500 Points: A combination of education and experience equivalent to a Level 4 as indicated by the Equivalencies Chart, when permitted by the Minimum Acceptable Qualifications.

Factor 2: Complexity and Technical Mastery

Level 3.0 - 220 Points: Considerable skill in oral and written communication, the ability to make basic mathematical calculations, the ability to understand and follow instructions, knowledge of moderately complex or other work procedures, and the ability to work independently and coordinate a variety of activities and events are required.

Factor 3: Responsibility for the Work of Others

Level 4.0 - 110 Points: Some supervision and training of small numbers of student or part-time workers is required where the nature of supervision is largely confined to scheduling work and assigning tasks. Supervision at this level may also involve directing the work assignments of one or more permanent, full-time employees. Supervisory tasks may include providing input into hiring and employee evaluation processes, but the final decisions are made by other supervisors. The incumbent typically does not perform a full range of supervisory responsibilities, and supervisory duties typically involve relatively little time during the work day.

Factor 4: Guidelines

Level 2.0 - 130 Points: The work generally involves sequential steps and methods explained by the supervisor and/or described by specific guidelines such as standard operating procedures, handbooks, and/or reference manuals exist. Tasks are relatively clear-cut and involve related steps, processes, and methods. The employee may be required to recognize differences in a variety of situations, but those differences are normally clear and require the selection of standard processes to resolve. The number and similarity of guidelines and work situations requires the employee to use judgment in locating and selecting the most appropriate guidelines, references, and procedures for application and in making minor deviations to adapt guidelines in specific cases. Situations to which the existing guidelines cannot be applied or proposed deviations from the guidelines are referred to a supervisor.

Factor 5: Contacts

Level 4.0 - 205 Points: The purpose of interactions is to solve recurring and structured problems, to provide specialized or technically precise information to others, and/or to plan or coordinate work efforts with other employees. Contacts involve cooperation and coordination and may involve the organization of activities of programs requiring working relationships among several parties. While contacts may require some level of persuasion, potential for conflicts and disputes are relatively minor. Interactions are moderately structured and routine and may involve employees in different functions, students, and/or the general public.

Factor 6: Work Impact

Level 2.0 - 175 Points: Work activities normally address conventional problems or situations with established methods to supply other employees, students, or the general public with information, services, or products. Work directly affects the quality of services provided to other employees, students, or the public but on a person-by-person basis. The services, information, or products provided have significant effects on the welfare of the individual recipients of the work outcomes.

Factor 7: Physical Effort and Work Environment

Level 2.0 - 50 Points: The work may include limited but regular exposure to uncomfortable physical conditions and/or variable weather. The work may require periodic handling, carrying, or lifting of moderately heavy objects. Alternatively, the work may require standing and/or walking for long periods of time and/or the use of hands or arms in the same position for long periods of time.