Traci Mesina
San Mateo
Summary
Accomplished Buyer and Front End Manager with a proven track record, adept in purchase order management and building strong vendor relationships. Excelled in negotiating favorable terms, ensuring competitive pricing, and enhancing customer service. Achieved significant improvements in inventory efficiency and sales growth through strategic purchasing and merchandising initiatives.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Housewares Buyer
Piazzas Fine Foods
11.2016 - Current
- Placed orders for GMD, vitamins, housewares and all non- food items. Place orders from grocery Stonewall as well as for clip strips throughout the store.
- Researched and identified new suppliers and vendors.
- Merchandise tables, build displays, and ensure the highest standard of appearance for displays.
- Ensure that there is the correct signage on all tables, displays, and shelves. Negotiates best terms and most favorable discounts from my reps.
- Built long-term relationships with vendors to establish rapport to ensure proper discounts, access to new items/ trends, and competitive pricing.
- Maintain proper data base management which includes the entering of new items into POS correctly, that purchase orders are regularly inputted accurately to indicate current inventory levels, and inventory is adjusted appropriately to reflect product loss and discrepancies.
- Review and monitor daily sales and I meet and try to exceed goals. Set retail prices, adhering to budget margins but also make changes when needed.
- Communicate on a daily basis with receiver and stockers in order to ensure proper product flow, purchase orders and invoice accuracies.
- Conduct category management; analyze and consider replacing non-or slow- sellers. Being conscious of current tends in the industry.
- Fulfill special orders for customers.
- Identify damage and unsellable products and ensure that they are put on shrink logs and recorded.
- Do not be low or out of stock; do not be over- inventoried. Ensure that inventory pars are maintained.
- Put slow selling items on TPR and plan promotions for seasonable merchandise.
- Meet with reps to evaluate product and plan for holiday merchandising placing orders six months to a year in advance which gives me plenty of time to create a merchandising plan.
- Sell products in an informative, friendly, and enthusiastic manner. Share knowledge of products and product suggestions in the course of conversation with customers and always try and upsell.
- POS for a year which included printing all sale tags, regular tags, signs, and pulling all expired tags along with making sure all of the prices in the store are correct and in the system and able to scan.
Front End Manager
Roberts Market
02.2013 - 11.2016
- Managing all cashiers making sure the front end is running efficiently with excellent customer service and keeping the lines moving.
- Train new cashiers and courtesy clerks.
- Approve returns, make daily money and tag drops, and make change for all registers.
- Ensure that all courtesy clerks are keeping busy.
- Maintained excellent store appearance by enforcing cleanliness standards and delegating tasks to team members effectively.
- Offered hands-on assistance to customers, assessing needs, and maintaining current knowledge of consumer preferences.
- Resolved customer complaints promptly, reinforcing the company''s commitment to exceptional service standards.
- Evaluated employee performance and made recommendations for improvements.
- When front end was slow, I would stock, face, keep front end full with merchandise, price items, and make sure all merchandise had tags.
- Collaborated with other department managers to develop cross-functional initiatives, fostering a cohesive store environment.
- Boosted employee morale and reduced turnover by cultivating a positive work environment and providing regular feedback and recognition.
- Coached employees and trained on methods for handling various aspects of sales, complicated issues, and difficult customers.
Store Buyer/ Assistant Manager
Curiodyssey
03.2008 - 01.2013
- Open and close the store and count drawers to make change. Put drawers back to opening or closing till.
- Arrange displays, built new displays with the merchandise that I ordered. Made sure that all qualifying orders received applicable discounts or promos. Met with reps to ensure that all seasons were ordered in advance and that merchandise would be in stock.
- Train all new employees
- Order and received all merchandise, ensure that all merchandise gets priced correctly and gets put out on display.
- Worked all events and developed new ideas and promotions to increase revenue.
- Researched other museum shops to see how I could improve.
- Answer and return all phone calls, emails and inquiries.
- Went to wholesale conventions/ shows and made sure all employees were knowledgeable of new items so they could upsell them.
- Filled in for guest services and the front desk when needed which included cashiering, answering phones, transferring hones, memberships, trained new guest service employee's as needed.
- Built long-term supplier relationships with vendors to establish quality and competitive pricing.
- Reduced procurement costs through strategic sourcing, competitive bidding, and effective negotiations.
- Developed strong relationships with suppliers to secure favorable pricing terms and conditions for the company''s benefit.
- Forecasted purchasing trends and improved merchandising strategies.
- Coordinated with logistics teams to resolve any shipping delays or discrepancies while minimizing impact on operations.
- Maintained a comprehensive database of supplier information, including contact details, capabilities, pricing structures, and lead times.
Education
Vocational - Hotel And Hospitality
College of San Mateo
San Mateo, CA01-1997
Skills
- Purchase order management
- Relationship building
- Multi-tasking strength
- Supplier relationship management
- Inventory monitoring
- Demand forecasting
- Customer service
- Pricing analysis
- Negotiation
- Purchasing strategies
- Merchandising displays, tables, and signs
Certification
- Certified in hotel and hospitality
Timeline
Housewares Buyer
Piazzas Fine Foods
11.2016 - Current
Front End Manager
Roberts Market
02.2013 - 11.2016
Store Buyer/ Assistant Manager
Curiodyssey
03.2008 - 01.2013
- Certified in hotel and hospitality
Vocational - Hotel And Hospitality
College of San Mateo
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