[Honey]

Hi. Hola. Kumusta.
I've done merchandising on an off for years. I started with Driveline and since have worked for SaSRS, BDS Marketing and Field Agent and a few others I can't remember. I liked the work but was never able to figure out how to turn it into full-time money. I've worked with merchandisers who did. My current job will become nonexistent in the future and I am thinking about giving merch work another try. I'd like to be better informed this time so I'm hoping to get plenty of pointers from this forum to help me make up my mind. I've posted questions in the Advice thread. If you have the time your thoughts are welcome.

I'm in Northwest Arkansas, Walmart headquarters country. Being organized, following instructions and data entry are my superpowers. I love the smell of office supplies, creating Excel spreadsheets and dark chocolate with nuts in it. I strongly dislike it when people shorten my name even though we've Just met and I Clearly said Pamela NOT Pam and when people slow down when they merge onto the highway.


"I'm not random. It's just, you weren't at all the stops for my train of thought."
-Pamela "all honey"

[CLASS CLOWN]

It is possible to make merchandising a full time job, but it is not easy. I got back into merchandising about 6 years ago, but just as a 2nd job that was only busy during my slow times in sales. I took a 2nd merchandising gig a little over a year ago because the position involved my personal passion (golf.)

I now work for 6 companies to keep my hours up all year, but this is the first year I have done only merchandising during the holiday season and it is nuts. I am averaging close to 80 hours a week right now and more work is being thrown my way that I have to turn down. You are everyone's best friend when they need you to cover for someone else, but you are a dirtbag when you have to say no.

I do not regret my decision to do this full time as I only want to work 4 days a week, even if they are 12 to 14 hour days, but i have worked more Fridays the last 2 months than I had worked the previous 10 years.

I got overloaded this year because a couple of companies I do work for have grown, I will see how it plays out the first couple of months in 2019, but I am probably going to have to drop a company or 2.

[sack99]

when I started out as a merchandiser 27 years ago. I only worked for one company. Back then companies wouldn't allow you to work for more then one merchandising company. I got 50+ hours a week from them, during the holidays it was 90+ a week. then about 10 years later I was working for three companies and getting 40+ hours a week. Then in 2014 I was up to seven companies just to get 40 hours a week.
Now I only work for a couple of companies on a weekly basis and pickup one time work here and there.
But I want it this way, as all those years of doing heavy duty resets took a toll on my body. Along with a couple of major health problems that prevent me from working long hours and having to stand long hours.
Now days with companies having so many people working for them, it is impossible to get very many hours from just one company.
Where I live, back when I started there was about 10 merchandisers that covered half of the state.
Now just in my area alone there are a couple of hundred people, all fighting for work.