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Associate Merchandise Planner - buybuy Baby
Company : Kirkland's, Inc.
Location : Brentwood, TN, 37027
Job Type : Full Time
Date Posted : 11 January 2026
Overview
The Associate Merchandise Planner for buy buy Baby creates and manages bottom-up item sales and inventory plans for assigned departments. The Associate Merchandise Planner will work with the Merchandise Planner to reconcile these item plans to the overall department financial goals.
Responsibilities
- Create and manage sales and inventory targets for identified core programs, ensuring consistent stock levels.
- Partner with Buyer and Merchandise Planner to identify high volume key items for potential re-orders.
- Partner with allocation team to maximize store level inventory balance on all core programs.
- Partner with Buyer and Planner to create sales targets on promotional merchandise, while identifying risk to the overall department sales plan.
- Manage and review monthly assortment plans to ensure sku rationality.
- Create and manage sales, inventory, and profit targets for assigned cross category product attributes.
- Partner with IT team to create better and more efficient reporting based on the needs of the merchandising team.
- Run and analyze ad hoc reports in order to react to current business trends as well as anticipate future business trends.
- Demonstrate a committment to The Brand House Collective values.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 2-3 years of experience in Planning, Allocations, Assistant Buying or related field. Store experience is a plus.
- Highly motivated and results oriented.
- Ability to negotiate with and influence peers and members of cross functional team.
- Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships.
- Ability to formally present business strategies and action plans.
- Demonstrates strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Must be proficient in Microsoft office.
- Ability to sit at a computer for extended periods of time.
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Frequently asked questions
Success in this role demands strong analytical skills to interpret sales data, proficiency in inventory management, and effective collaboration with buyers and allocation teams. Familiarity with Microsoft Office and the ability to create detailed sales and inventory targets also boost efficiency in merchandise planning.
This role aligns item-level sales and inventory plans with department budgets, ensuring stock levels meet demand without excess. By partnering with buyers and planners, it supports promotional targets and mitigates sales risks, directly impacting profit margins and inventory turnover.
Daily tasks include analyzing sales trends, adjusting inventory targets, coordinating with cross-functional teams to optimize reorders, and reviewing assortment plans to maintain SKU rationality. Running ad hoc reports to anticipate consumer demand also keeps strategies aligned with market shifts.
Brentwood's retail sector emphasizes candidates with hands-on experience and strong negotiation abilities, reflecting its competitive market. Local employers often seek merchandise planners who can balance inventory precision with promotional agility to address fluctuating consumer demand.
Competition is moderate but increasing as retail brands expand their data-driven strategies. Candidates with cross-functional teamwork skills and proficiency in sales and inventory analytics tend to stand out in Brentwood’s evolving merchandise planning landscape.
Kirkland's integrates a collaborative approach, encouraging planners to influence cross-departmental decisions and innovate reporting tools. This fosters professional growth while directly impacting merchandise strategies for buybuy Baby, offering a dynamic environment distinct from typical retail chains.
By managing targeted sales and inventory goals and partnering with buyers and allocation teams, planners ensure product availability aligns with consumer trends. This role directly supports brand growth by optimizing stock flow and driving profitability within Kirkland’s buybuy Baby segment.
Salaries for this role typically range from $55,000 to $70,000 annually in Brentwood, reflecting experience and expertise in merchandise planning. Competitive compensation aligns with the demand for analytical skills and cross-functional collaboration in retail inventory management.
Absolutely. Gaining experience as an assistant provides foundational knowledge in inventory tracking, sales analysis, and team coordination—skills essential for advancing to a Merchandise Planner. The buybuy Baby brand values this progression as part of career development.
While some merchandise planning roles offer flexibility, positions linked to buybuy Baby at Kirkland’s often require on-site collaboration to coordinate inventory and sales targets. Remote roles exist but are less prevalent, emphasizing the importance of local team interaction in Brentwood.