Have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes when you enter the warehouse shopping environment of a Home Depot store? Next time you visit one of their 182 locations across Canada, take a closer look at their store setup. Organized in a way that you can conveniently peruse aisles in lighting, flooring, hardware—or wherever your home improvements take you'The Home Depot has a team of merchandising experts on hand to ensure each store is set to its customers' expectations.

Defining MET

Short for Merchandising Execution Team, MET is approaching its fifth year of operations at all The Home Depot Canada stores across the country. Operating as a team of merchandising associates in each store, MET does a variety of interesting jobs, including introducing new and exciting products, building displays, filling our shelves, and maintaining the overall appearance of the stores.

"We do everything from remerchandising, shelf maintenance, and building product displays," says Michelle Trudeau, part-time merchandising execution associate (MEA), adding that MET makes their way around the entire store working in one or two departments each day.

"MET associates are also responsible for remerchandising the entire seasonal section of the store each spring, fall and winter. This includes a complete changeover of seasonal product, both inside the store, and in our outdoor garden centres."

The team is constantly growing and taking on new and exciting responsibilities. As this business evolves so do the teams.

The Perks

Unlike some other retail jobs, working with MET means weekday schedules, and days off on weekends and holidays. "We work Monday to Friday," says Trudeau. "We have set breaks and lunches, so it's a pretty structured schedule, which is really nice compared to some other retail jobs I've done."

The set schedule also allows for more personal time, so team members can attend night classes, or spend time with their families.

Trudeau says her transition to merchandising at The Home Depot from her previous job in the fashion industry was seamless. "It's empowering because we're given all the tools to do our job. If we can't find the answer, there's always someone or something to help us."

Room to grow

You don't have to have the once an associate, always an associate mentality. With MET, there's plenty of growth options to explore. MET offers various training programs for associates who are motivated and interested in moving up into more senior roles in the organization. Growth opportunities are available to the right candidates both at the store level, as well as the head office.

Photo: The Home Depot