Peyton Garrett

Directed activities for 30 stores with a staff of 3 regional managers, 15 store managers, and 500 sales associates. Planned and executed company standards including communications, operations, and human resource policies.

• Created partnerships to enhance communication and maximize business opportunities.
  
• Achieved annual sales goals and quotas based on volume, gross margin, payroll, shortage, and expenses, ranking in the top 10% percentile of historical sales volume.
  
• Successfully utilized turnaround management abilities to transform least profitable store to most profitable store over a two-year time period.
  
• Significantly reduced store management turnover from 13% to 2% through accurately and effectively hiring, training, and motivating competent employees.

Managed 155 sales and support staff to perform all aspects of retail store operation. Determined product lines, maintained inventory levels, managed vendors, designed marketing and sales campaigns, oversaw merchandising, and supervised assistant managers and business services team. Personally addressed customer complaints upon escalation by assistant managers.

• Served as liaison with regional manager, vendor account executives, and community leaders to coordinate store management, sales focus, and community involvement.
• Devised eye-catching, targeted marketing campaign, resulting in recognition by regional manager and 46% increase in sales.
• Analyzed history of merchandise returns due to defects and worked with vendors to improve product quality.
• Spearheaded installation of computerized sales terminals and directed training program to ensure competence with new equipment. Realized a major increase in availability and accuracy of inventory data as well as sales trend data.
• Instituted Discount Days program, working with local charities, to provide clothing at a significant discount to thrift store operators.

Managed daily operation of retail women’s fashion store, including scheduling personnel, reconciling credit, check, and cash receipts, verifying deliveries, stocking new merchandise, and replenishing shelf stock. Designed and delivered employee training classes on store procedures.

• Instituted new employee orientation program to improve employee performance and to decrease the attrition rate for new sales associates.
• Initiated a No Slippage program to reduce thefts and losses of merchandise, resulting in 21% decrease in losses.
• Demonstrated techniques to serve difficult customers, reducing customer complaints by 36%.
• Monitored employee performance, making recommendations for skill development, additional responsibility, promotion, or dismissal.