Planner

Spencer's; Egg Harbor Township (NJ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work environment

Career advancement

Bonus opportunity

Vacation, Personal, Sick and Holiday

Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, 1

401k with company match

Merchandise discount

Job summary

Spirit Halloween is hiring a Merchandise Planner in a highly seasonal retail setting. You will develop financial plans and manage inventory across departments, stores, and seasons to optimize sales and margins.

Collaborate with Merchandising, IT, Distribution, and Finance to align planning and analytics, while forecasting needs and driving post-season analysis for continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Mathematics, Analytics, or related field.
• 5+ years in merchandise planning, allocation, inventory management, or related retail discipline.
• Advanced Excel and Office proficiency; BI or database tools experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, communication, and time-management skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and present insights to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage financial merchandise plans at department, class, store cluster, seasonal, and weekly levels.
• Forecast sales, margins, receipts, inventory, markdowns, and buy open-to-buy.
• Partner with Merchandising, IT, Distribution, Logistics, Store Ops, Finance, and Real Estate.
• Analyze performance to identify opportunities and risks in inventory productivity and sell-through.
• Prepare weekly reports and post-season analyses with actionable recommendations.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Microsoft Office

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Merchandising

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Data modeling

Job description

Overview

We are authentic, professional providers of fun, focused on building a Great Place To Work For All by staying true to our mission: “Life’s a Party, We’re Makin’ It Fun!” and “So Much Fun It’s Scary!”

At Spencer’s and Spirit, we do the right thing always-integrity, fairness, respect, and transparency are our foundation. You will find our culture to be inclusive, passionate, resilient, and one that values differences and embraces all.

One Team / One Goal

We are leaders and owners of our business success. Whether it’s developing new and exclusive costumes, quality testing products, or implementing technology solutions, our teams understand the value of working collaboratively to embrace change through innovation, curiosity, and thoughtfulness.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Flexible work environment
• Career advancement
• Competitive base salary
• Bonus opportunity
• Vacation, Personal, Sick and Holiday pay
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life and AD&D insurance
• 401k with a company match
• 30% merchandise discount

Responsibilities

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for developing, managing, and reforecasting financial and inventory plans for a highly seasonal, allocation-driven retail business. This role supports Spirit Halloween's unique operating model, where stores open for a concentrated selling season and require precise pre-season planning, agile in-season decision-making, and disciplined post-season analysis. Partnering closely with Merchandising, Allocation, Store Operations, Supply Chain, Logistics, IT, and Finance, the Merchandise Planner ensures inventory is positioned in the right stores, at the right time, and at the appropriate depth to maximize sales, margin, sell-through, and inventory productivity.

• Develop and manage financial merchandise plans at the department, class, store cluster, seasonal, and weekly levels, including sales, gross margin, receipts, inventory, markdowns, sell-through, and open-to-buy
• Build pre-season plans that account for Spirit Halloween's compressed selling window, store opening schedules, market-specific dynamics, calendar shifts, and historical performance trends
• Reforecast sales, inventory, margin, and receipt requirements throughout the season based on business trends, daily and weekly performance, product results, store productivity, and remaining selling opportunities
• Partner cross-functionally with Merchandising, IT, Distribution Centers, Logistics, Store Operations, Finance, and Real Estate to support planning, forecasting, distribution, reporting, and seasonal readiness initiatives
• Analyze SKU, class, department, and store-level performance to identify opportunities and risks related to inventory productivity, sell-through, markdowns, chase opportunities, and excess inventory exposure
• Prepare weekly and ad hoc reporting, business recaps, and post-season analyses, translating insights into actionable recommendations that drive future planning decisions
• Support the annual postmortem process by evaluating key drivers of sales, margin, inventory productivity, store performance, assortment effectiveness, allocation results, and forecast accuracy
• Identify and implement enhancements to planning, forecasting, allocation, reporting, and inventory management processes to improve efficiency and support timely decision-making during peak seasonal periods

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Mathematics, Analytics, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 5+ years of experience in merchandise planning, allocation, inventory management, retail analytics, buying, finance, or a related retail discipline
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the Microsoft Office Suite. Experience with planning, allocation, forecasting, business intelligence, reporting, or database tools preferred. Experience with Power BI, SQL, and data modeling is a plus
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and time management skills with the ability to interpret data and make sound business recommendations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present insights, recommendations, and business analyses to cross-functional partners and leadership
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing business needs, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, highly seasonal environment
• Demonstrated leadership potential, intellectual curiosity, and a continuous improvement mindset

The pay range reflects the potential base salary range for this role. Individual base pay is determined by various factors such as relevant experience and skills, and the scope and responsibilities of the position.

Pay Range

$70,000 - $80,000