Imagine you are were hired as buyer for a Missy Department in a national department store chain.

This department contains suits, dresses, and career separates sizes 2-16. The target market is working professional women, age 30-55, with household income of 100,000 or more. most are in full nest-family life cycle stage, meaning they have children living at home.

Today is April 3 and you are seeing the following figures for your department -

Based on the comparison of actual and planned numbers for February and March, what are your top 3 concerns as the department's new buyer?

What steps would you take to address the 3 concerns you identified?

Propose two different solutions that might enable the department to end the season on plan for sales.

SIX-MONTH MERCHANDISING PLAN Department Name: Missy Department Number: 1000 Period: Spring \begin{tabular}{|l|r|c|} \hline & Plan & Actual \\ \hline% initial markup & 47.30% & \\ % markdowns & 11.00% & \\ % alteration expense & & \\ % cash discount & & \\ % gross margin & & \\ % operating expense & & \\ % net profit & 5.50% & \\ season turnover & 2.30 & \\ average stock & & \\ GMROl & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}