Family Dollar’s Reiser sheds light on strategy

A little more than a month into his new job as chief merchandising officer at Family Dollar, Jason Reiser is refocusing the retailer on its discount store roots and what it means to serve cash-strapped shoppers.



Reiser was elevated to his current role as Family Dollar’s head merchant on Jan. 7 after joining the retailer last summer as a merchandising SVP following a 17-year career with Walmart and Sam’s Club. The move came amid ongoing weakness in Family Dollar’s same store sales which declined 2.8% during the quarter ended Nov. 30, 2013 and are expected to be negative during the holidays as well.



According to Reiser, restoring top line momentum will require adopting a customer-first mentality. In a recent interview with Retailing Today sister publication Drug Store News, Reiser implored the company’s trading partners to view the merchandising initiatives they bring to the value channel through the lens of a cash strapped shopper who is under constant duress.



“Most of them have $10 to spend on any given trip. So, even if you have the best deal available at $12, and they only have $10, you’re not going to sell them that item,” Reiser said.



Click here to see what else Reiser had to say about Family Dollar’s merchandising philosophy.