Gift Book Spinner Merchandisers

Who are our Merchandisers?

Merchandisers are people who are employed to visit stores on a regular basis to tidy spinners, check stock and planograms.

How often should a Merchandiser visit?

We recommend that merchandisers visit stores every 4-6 weeks, depending on how busy the store is, possibly increasing the frequency during seasonably busy periods, like Christmas.

The Merchandiser should:

  • Agree with the store the date/ time of the next visit prior to leaving.  Visits during lunchtimes should be avoided where possible.
  • Merchandise the gift book spinner as per the centrally issued planogram.
  • Merchandising consists of tidying; replenishing, and checking books are to planogram.
  • Stock check shop floor stock against a store produced stock catalogue and liaise with store team to identify any replenishment needs.
  • Feedback to the store contact what action has been taken during the visit and document this action on their Merchandisers Activity Record.

The store should:

  • Ensure a member of staff is available for the Merchandiser to feedback to at the end of the visit and sign their documentation to confirm the number of hours they have been in store
  • Contact the Merchandiser in advance of the next visit if the agreed time/day is no longer convenient.  You should record the Merchandiser’s name and contact for easy reference.
  • Be prepared for the Merchandiser’s visit. For example, if you want them to replenish stock you should have stock ready on or readily accessible to the shop floor.
  • Action any stock adjustments, ideally on the same day of visit, if in agreement with the merchandiser’s findings.

How to make the most from Merchandiser visits?

Merchandisers are experts in their field and are a fantastic source of support.  To make the most of your Merchandiser, be clear about what you would like them to achieve during their visit so you can give clear instructions from the start.

It is important to emphasise that merchandisers are there as a help and additional support. Accountability for spinner displays, ordering etc lies with the Store Management Team.  It is important that gift book spinners are tidied regularly and are not neglected because the merchandiser will be visiting shortly.

Merchandisers do NOT have any authority to increase the gift book space in store, move, and change or replenish any other book categories or put extra spinners into your store.