CONTROLLING YOUR BUYING EBOOK and templates

This is an e-Book.  Follow the prompts and download once you have been through the checkout.

Each and every piece of merchandise is important to the success of a retail store.  If you have too much merchandise, it'll stay in your store longer than it should, and you store will be crowded.  You'll eventually have to mark it down, reducing your profits.  You also risk boring your customers if they come into your store and see the same merchandise over and over again.
On the other hand, if you have too little merchandise, your store will look empty and no one wants to come to a store with empty shelves.
The goal of this e-Book is to show you how to buy merchandise, negotiate the best price, price your merchandise for maximum profits, and finally recognise when enough is enough. 

Here is an outline of the contents of the e-Book:

THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE BUYING FUNCTION

• The Challenge of Buying in the 21st Century
• What is a Retail Buyer?
• Retail Buyer Accountabilities
• Retail Buying Skills
• The Priorities + Constraints of a Buyer
• Supplier Selection Criteria

THE MERCHANDISE SELECTION PROCESS

• The Buying Cycle
• Reading + Interpreting Forward Trends
• Establishing a Range Assortment Plan
• Creating a Suitable Family Tree
• Quantity Allocations
• Ordering Techniques
• Checklist:  Assessing the Product
• Guidelines for Product Deletion

INVENTORY CONTROL

• Tracking Sales for Reorders
• Seasonal Planning
• Perpetual Inventory Sheet
  

VISITING A TRADE SHOW TO BUY

• Dealing with Sales Representatives
• Gathering Information

ASKING FOR DEALS

LEAVING PAPER

PLACING AN ORDER

PRICING YOUR MERCHANDISE

• Pricing Strategies + Setting Retail Prices
• Retail Price Mix
• Financial Planning

MANAGING YOUR BUYING

• Reviewing the Open to Buy System
• Best Practices You Can Use

USING AN OPEN TO BUY SYSTEM IN A RETAIL SMALL BUSINESS TO CONTROL THE BUYING

• Managing Your Stock Levels
• Note on Forward Orders

In addition, the downloadable file (WINZIP format) also includes the following forms for your use:

• Merchandise Cancellation Notice
• Open to Thrive Planned Monthly Sheet
• Open to Thrive Actual Monthly Sheet
• Blank 6 Month Merchandise Plan
• Buying Budget
• Buying Schedule
• Open to Thrive Worksheet
• Markdown Report
• Merchandise on Order
• Open to Buy Spreadsheet (just fill in your figures...formulae in place, locked cells...unwreckable!)
• 6 Month Merchandise Plan

People who have bought this book have also shown interest in Stock Management and Retail Survival Kit.