Merchandise Buyer Assistant jobs in Toms River, NJ

Job Description

Overview

We are authentic, professional providers of fun, focused on building a Great Place To Work For All by staying true to our mission: "Life's a Party, We're Makin' It Fun!" and "So Much Fun It's Scary!"

At Spencer's and Spirit Halloween, we do the right thing always-integrity, fairness, respect, and transparency are our foundation. You will find our culture to be inclusive, passionate, resilient, and one that values differences and embraces all.

One Team / One Goal

We are leaders and owners of our business success. Whether it's developing new and exclusive costumes, quality testing products, or implementing technology solutions, our teams understand the value of working collaboratively to embrace change through innovation, curiosity, and thoughtfulness.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Flexible work environment
• Career advancement
• Competitive base salary
• Bonus opportunity
• Vacation, Personal, Sick and Holiday pay
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life and AD&D insurance
• 401k with a company match
• 30% merchandise discount

Responsibilities

The Assistant Buyer supports the Buyer, Associate Buyer, and Senior Assistant Buyer in achieving overall department strategies. They are responsible for helping to exceed department sales goals and profitability by working with internal and external partners to help create impactful assortments, coordinate deliveries, and analyze weekly selling. They will partner with other internal departments such as planning, social media, marketing, store operations, product development and visual merchandising to execute overall strategies. 

• Responsible for developing a working knowledge of the merchandising function including merchandise selection, negotiating, pricing, planning, and marketing merchandise
• Analyzes weekly sales and item performance with the buyer/planner
• Assists in preparing merchandise and reports for weekly team meetings
• Creates, submits, and tracks purchase order worksheets
• Assists Buyer in sample approval processes, organization, and maintenance
• Works alongside Buyer to develop professional relationships with external suppliers and internal partners via telephone, email, and face-to-face meetings
• Works alongside Buyer to assist with visual merchandising in setting monthly floor sets and planograms
• Assist with store operations with communication on product issues, concerns, and questions from the stores
• Travel to store locations to review product mix, gather feedback, and share information with the merchant team
• Occasional market travel with Buyer: visiting vendors, attending trade shows, etc.
• Extensive trend research and competitive shopping to help identify new product and opportunities

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; and/up to 6 months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite to include Excel, Outlook, Word, and Powerpoint
• Exceptional organizational skills to manage and prioritize multiple tasks
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong analytical ability
• Creative aptitude
• Strong collaboration skills to partner with cross-functional teams