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Unit 1 Apparel and Fashion
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
for making sales and building a satisfi ed
customer base. Pleasant and helpful associ-
ates leave customers with a lasting positive
impression, 4-9.
Good sales associates keep the mer-
chandise displays attractive. They receive
payments and package the items they sell.
Sales associates may also be responsible for
handling exchanges and returns.
A high school diploma is a require-
ment for full-time sales associates. Many
stores offer a short training period before a
person starts to work as well as on-the-job
training. Wages for sales associates may
be at an hourly rate; salary; or salary plus
a percentage of their total sales, known as
commission.
A degree in merchandising, marketing, retailing, or a related area helps
sales associates advance quickly in their positions. Colleges and fashion insti-
tutes offer courses in fashion merchandising, sales promotion, consumer moti-
vation, retail store management, accounting, and business law.
Stock Clerk
A stock clerk is an entry-level position in retail. Although it is entry-level,
it is an important job. Stock clerks keep any business running smoothly. Sales
associates depend on stock clerks for such duties as receiving merchandise
from the delivery trucks, comparing the delivery tickets with the merchandise
received, and preparing price tags.
Market Researchers
Market researchers study what customers want and need. They survey stores
and other retail outlets to fi nd out what is selling and what customers would
buy if available. Some companies also hire forecasting companies that specialize
in predicting fashion trends. Manufacturers, designers, and buyers receive this
information. It infl uences the textile industry and apparel production as well
as fashion merchandising and promotion. Market research generally requires a
college degree in marketing.
Fashion Coordinators
Fashion coordinators promote their stores and merchandise. They visit
wholesale and retail markets to gather information about what is happening
in the fashion world. They relay this information to merchandise managers
and buyers. Fashion coordinators also work with the advertising and publicity
departments for their stores. This allows the stores to correlate advertising,
promotional, and merchandising efforts.
4-9 A sales associate
often determines
whether or not a
customer returns
to shop again in the
store.