Ross Stores: Dressing FIDM Grads in Great Careers!

Mary Adorni is the Manager for Allocation Systems and Training in the Merchandising division at Ross, which deals with store planning and allocation. When Mary is looking to hire employees, she looks for motivated individuals with strong analytical skills. They should be dynamic and flexible, capable of dealing with the changing business climate, and who are goal oriented team players.

As Mary states, "The education students receive at FIDM accompanied by actual store experience tends to lend itself very well to our environment. When it comes to creating a merchandise mix and planning inventory levels, store experience is very valuable. With FIDM graduates it seems their education and work-experience are ongoing throughout their school years making them very good candidates for entry level merchandising positions. FIDM graduates are generally well prepared to work in the industry and confident in their abilities and can easily relate their education to actual application, which of course makes an easier and more successful transition from school to work. My advice to potential students is to pay close attention to your retail math classes."

Career opportunities that exist within Merchandising at Ross include Allocation Planners, Store Analysts, Store Managers, Buyers as well as other administrative positions. In the Store Planning and Allocation department about 50% of the employees are FIDM graduates. Allocation Planners at Ross use the Arthur Allocation system to distribute merchandise to all stores, with each Allocation Planner responsible for different classifications of merchandise. This position provides an overall perspective of the industry, requiring a person to interpret data, identify trends and recognize potential sales opportunities. They must also interact with the buying offices and distribution centers to facilitate merchandise processing.

Ross Stores, Inc. converted to an off price format in 1982 with six stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the end of fiscal 1999, there were 378 Ross 'Dress For Less' Stores in 17 states. The Ross mission is to provide their customers with branded bargains including clothing, shoes and home accessories for the entire family. The average store features about 24,000 selling square feet in a self-service, easy-to-shop format.