Neiman Marcus's Meghan Jahr Gives You the Inside Scoop on Being a Buyer
There's a common misconception that jobs in fashion a) revolve around design, PR, and media, and b) only exist in New York City. Meghan Jahr is here to tell you that's not the case.
The business-minded 25-year-old is an assistant buyer for Neiman Marcus in Dallas, and her job involves a true mix of the creative and the practical. She deals with product each and every day, finding the sweet spot where the season's trends match up with what her customers want. And she's got an especially big task at hand: buying sunglasses for each of Neiman's 42 stores.
What exactly does a buyer's life look like? And how does the retail world work in Texas? Meghan tells us about all that and how she got where she is—plus shows us around Neiman's downtown Dallas flagship!
1/6Find out how the Dallas native landed her big-deal gig.
2/6"I went to Santa Clara University in California, where I was a business marketing major with a communications and retail studies minor. Having a business background has been really helpful for me as a buyer since I deal a lot with financials. Before I started my job, I knew all about accounting, financing, and marketing—remember: the fashion business is indeed a business! My communications studies helped, too. I work constantly with vendors, as well our PR, marketing, and advertising teams. My education provided a really well-rounded foundation.
As part of my retail studies program, I was required to do an internship between my junior and senior years. I ended up doing mine at Nordstrom. I spent the summer in the jewelry department, and it was really interesting because it was sales-based. I was actually on the selling floor, so I got a lot of experience interacting with people. That helped me see the customer's side of things, since as a buyer, I'm in corporate and not dealing with consumers."
3/6"I'm from Dallas and always knew I wanted to end up in Texas after college. I lived in Paris for a couple of years growing up, and I really started to notice the way people dress when I was over there. Dallas may not be Paris or New York, but it has its own look. It's very fashion-forward! There are lots of great jobs—in fashion and other fields—and you get a city vibe without being overwhelmed.
Since Neiman is headquartered in Dallas and I wanted to be in retail, it was a perfect fit. I applied to their ecutive development program and was accepted after graduation. There's a classroom component, and it was sort of like being back in school at first! Speakers from all different departments come and talk, and you take retail math classes and learn about all the systems the company uses. There are tests and projects, too. Once you're finished with the class portion of the program, you start a buying rotation and interview for open positions. I was hired as an assistant buyer for fashion accessories and have been in the department for almost three years. I buy sunglasses for all 42 of Neiman Marcus's stores."
4/6"I start off each week running reports for my boss that capture what happened the week before. I look at which sunglasses sold in which stores and figure out what did well and what needs to be reordered. A lot of our vendors come to our office, and we get to try out all the products. It's really fun, especially since not every assistant gets to be involved in market. We choose the sunglasses we like in the colors we want and figure out what stores will get them. Then I process those orders and make sure we have the right assortment and analyze how certain locations do with particular vendors. I work with department managers and sales associates to get feedback from the floor, and I also attend trend presentations from our fashion director Ken Downing. It's all about figuring out what's right for our customer.
The coolest thing about my job is definitely working with my vendors. Sunglasses are licensed, so we work with Luxottica (which has Prada, Chanel, and Tory Burch), Safilo (which has Gucci and Marc by Marc Jacobs) and Marcolin (which has Tom Ford). We have a great relationship with all of them, and I love knowing my opinion counts. It can be hard to find a balance between working with people you like and product you like, but I'd consider my situation pretty perfect."
5/6"The style at work is business professional since we're in a corporate setting. I like to be a little more dressed up at the office because it makes me feel good! I'll often wear a pencil skirt and a fun top with statement jewelry and heels. Not everything I own comes from Neiman Marcus, but I like to be able to put myself together in a way where I look like it could.
Theory is definitely my go-to brand, and I also wear a lot of Vince. I like Alexander Wang. DVF, and Alice + Olivia, too. As far as sunglasses go, I'm a Ray-Ban girl. Of course, being in sunglasses, I have so many pairs! I love my Tom Fords, my Celines, my Pradas, my Guccis. And I do make sure there's a pair of flats in my bag in case my feet start to hurt during the day!"
6/6"If you're interested in going into fashion, it's good to have a bit of business knowledge. Get as much experience as you can, whether that means taking retail classes, working as a sales associate at a boutique, or interning in the industry. These are all things you'll be able to bring up in an interview! Make sure your resume is up to date and accurate, and that you can talk through each point on it. Also, don't discount opportunities if they don't seem totally perfect for you. If an opportunity in fashion comes your way, take it and learn from it. Be open-minded and know that you'll be in a fast-paced environment, so experiences of all kinds are key."
