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Have you always had an eye for spotting the latest trends in fashion? Do you have a sense of what draws people to shop at certain stores and not at others? Is your business savvy as sharp as your flair for style? Spend a VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Mercedes Gonzalez and her team at Global Purchasing Company, and see how these insights might launch you on a new career path to become a fashion buyer or a fashion retailer.
Mercedes’ start in the business of fashion buying and retail began at an early age. At 14 years old, she was working every summer for her uncle who owned and operated a manufacturing company in the heart of the garment district in New York City. After receiving a degree in economics from New York University, she went to work full-time with her uncle. “I didn’t really plan this, it just seemed natural to return to the family business,” explains Mercedes.
After a successful tenure working with her uncle’s manufacturing company, Mercedes turned her skills and experience to buying and was hired by one of the largest buying offices at the time, Frederick Atkins. National and international opportunities and successful experiences with the company increased Mercedes’ list of accomplishments and led her to opening her own company, Global Purchasing, in 1998.
Global Purchasing Companies is a full-service buying office that plans and implements retail strategies for merchants and new designers. “We work with retailers from concept to opening day,” says Mercedes. “If you want to open a store, my team and I have everything you need to make it happen.” The team at Global Purchasing works with established retailers to help them streamline or grow their business, and also with young designers just entering the market who need help understanding the business side of the industry.
With a staff of five, the Global Purchasing team focuses on working with independent retailers helping them to succeed in a very competitive environment. “Each of my staff has a special expertise, but all of us can do each other’s jobs so our clients’ needs are always met,” she explains. On a VocationVacation with Mercedes you will meet this talented team who will share their expertise with you.
In an industry where nine out of ten new stores do not survive, Mercedes and her team have a great track record. They have helped their clients open 700 stores since Mercedes founded the business in 1998. Only one of those stores has closed.
Regularly featured in industry publications such as Women’s Wear Daily, Mercedes has also written numerous articles for trade magazines such as MODA and Intima. She has also appeared on Fine Living and BRAVO’s Project Runway – both times playing herself as an industry maven. She also teaches retailing workshops around the world and is an adjunct professor at NYU’s School of Continuing Education.
Being a fashion buyer/retailer is not for the faint at heart. “It is a tough business and you had better be aggressive, assertive, proactive, analytical, and good with math,” Mercedes says. “Once you place an order, you have to been good at numbers to price the merchandise correctly and consider what your bottom line can be if you need to reduce the price.”
Mercedes and the Global Purchasing team hope individuals spending a VocationVacation with them come away recognizing that fashion buying and retailing are not frivolous businesses and are not all glamour. “Just because you always liked to dress your Barbie doll or everyone tells you that you are a good dresser, does not mean fashion buying/retailing is the field for you,” Mercedes cautions. “It is a lot of work, and people need to be realistic about what to expect. If you think this life is all about Paris runways, you better adjust your expectations. But if you understand that this is a business like any other and work hard and smart, it can be very profitable.”
So what does Mercedes want her legacy in this business to be? “I want my tombstone to read, ‘Advocate of the Independent Retailer and Designer’,” she shares. “Then I want a long list of names of people who have been successful in the business.”
*A VocationVacation with Mercedes Gonzalez provides a comprehensive mentoring experience which includes Global Purchasing team members assisting in various capacities during the two days.
While on your Fashion Buyer/Retailer VocationVacations® dream job holiday with the Global Purchasing team, activities will include some or all of the following:
- Shop at the wholesale showroom
- Attend fashion shows
- Attend industry parties/dinners
- Learn how to merchandise designer lines
- Plan budgets for new store openings
- Plan layout and design of new store
- Write trend report and have it published
- Review samples for trend forecasting
- Work at a Manhattan retailer
- Have lunches at real “Fashion Insider’s” restaurants
The Fashion Buyer/Designer VocationVacations® holiday includes:
- Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Fashion Buyer/Designer with the team at Global Purchasing
- The option to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), an online personality assessment designed to identify interests and skill sets
- The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
- A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
- Light lunches with your mentor and/or her team
Available: All year, Monday - Friday based on mentor's availability with exception of July & August
Price: $1199 Per Person
Check out this video from Sean Aiken of OneWeekJob.com that features Global Purchasing:
Suggested Accommodations
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Hilton Times Square
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Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel - Midtown |
(Not included in the price of your VocationVacations adventure)
Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® dream job holiday:
- NYC & Company - New York City's Official Tourism Website for Tourists, Journalists, Travel Professionals, and Meeting Planners
- I Love New York - The Official New York State Tourism Website
- NY.com - The Paperless Guide to New York City
Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:
Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd. |
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