Photographic
Rakesh Kumar. J
Merchandising Specialist
BENGALURU
Summary
Dynamic, results-driven professional dedicated to contributing creativity, skills, and strengths to a focused organization. Committed to achieving company goals while maximizing knowledge and abilities in a fast-paced environment. Eager to engage with cutting-edge technologies that foster professional growth and innovation. Passionate about driving success through collaboration and forward-thinking solutions.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
4
4
Languages
Work History
Merchandising Specialist
Giant Eagle – GCC
03.2022 - Current
- Managed weekly promotional and advertising activities , reviewing vendor-submitted deals in line with Category Manager specifications and creating ads for assigned ad weeks (print circulars and digital platforms).
- Authorized and processed daily deals and promotions within defined timelines, maintaining high quality standards and zero-error execution .
- Partnered with the Advertising Team to ensure accurate posting of upcoming advertisements with correct pricing, images, and product details across magazines, posters, and in-store signage.
- Supported completion of product displays and customer-facing promotional materials to enhance customer awareness and in-store execution.
- Generated and maintained vendor funding invoices , ensuring accuracy of amounts, completeness of details, and timely processing.
- Investigated and resolved overcharged and undercharged invoices , coordinating adjustments and repayments with vendors.
- Resolved store-reported issues via the Problem Pricing Tool , including pricing inaccuracies, promotion errors, online vs. in-store discrepancies, and advertising-related concerns.
- Acted as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for deal processing, supporting team members with complex deal and promotion queries.
- Collaborated with the IT team on Deal Central Automation , contributing to requirement gathering, testing, and implementation of automated deal processing across the entire team.
Analyst - L4 Expenses payables in Operational controllership (Cost management)
Lowe's Service India Pvt. Ltd
03.2021 - 03.2022
- Pricing & Vendor Support: Managed PRC invoice processing and provided direct support to vendors by investigating and resolving pricing discrepancies and complaints.
- Chargebacks: Processed vendor-initiated chargebacks for repayment using PO references , ensuring accurate validation and timely resolution.
- Sales-Based Promotional Audits: Conducted audits including missed accruals, program reconciliations, and suspended audits ; created accrual and earning adjustments, posted debit memos, and submitted final accrual numbers using VATS, DART, Teradata SQL, and EVF .
- Program Setup (VATS): Created and maintained vendor programs in VATS based on VFPF (Vendor Funds Processing Form) and VIS (Vendor Setup Sheet) to ensure accurate tracking and accounting of vendor funds.
Accounting clerk in SAO (Sales Audit Operation)
TARGET CORPORATION
08.2020 - 01.2021
- Perform the initial daily stores auditing "Error Correction" & Gift card Issuance & Redemption process includes research, corrections, reporting, missing sales/Advance requests trans rekeys & timely resolutions.
- Managed and monitored high-volume sales revenue (~$106B annually) , including $82B+ in in-store transactions .
- Ensured accurate POS-to-GL data transfer , validating complete and correct recording of all sales transactions.
- Performed end-to-end sales and payment reconciliation , maintaining one-to-one accuracy between transactions and receipts.
- Investigated and resolved sales and payment discrepancies caused by system issues, network failures, or operational gaps.
- Analyzed transaction patterns to identify missing or incorrect sales records and updated accounting entries accordingly.
- Supported automated reconciliation processes by working with sales and payment applications.
- Maintained strong accounting controls and compliance , contributing to reconciliation and operational reporting.
Education
Pre-University -
S.J.R. PU COLLEGE
KarnatakaBachelor of Commerce - undefined
S.J.R. DEGREE COLLEGE
Bangalore01-2019
Skills
Microsoft office
Merchandise planning
Merchandising operations
Category management
Problem Solving
Invoice Processing
Customized SAP
Retail Pricing
Adaptable to change
Accomplishments
- Catalyst Award recipient for outstanding performance and top contribution within the team.
- Super Powered Team Award winner twice , recognized at the organization-wide level.
- Director-level appreciation for consistently maintaining high accuracy and quality standards .
Additional Information
Oracle
Retail Pricing
SAP
Software
Travelling
Cooking
Timeline
Merchandising Specialist
Giant Eagle – GCC
03.2022 - Current
Analyst - L4 Expenses payables in Operational controllership (Cost management)
Lowe's Service India Pvt. Ltd
03.2021 - 03.2022
Accounting clerk in SAO (Sales Audit Operation)
TARGET CORPORATION
08.2020 - 01.2021
Bachelor of Commerce - undefined
S.J.R. DEGREE COLLEGE
Pre-University -
S.J.R. PU COLLEGE