StretchLearn Course

Buy the right product, in the right quantity, at the right time.

Replace gut-feel ordering with the open-to-buy system that keeps cash off the shelf and margin in the bank.

Beginner9 hr 30 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Most independent retailers buy on instinct, over-order the safe items, and end the season drowning in markdowns on the rest. This course replaces gut feel with the disciplined buying system that chains and department stores have used for decades: open-to-buy budgeting, planned turnover, weeks of supply, vendor negotiation on cost and terms, and a markdown cadence that clears slow stock before it dies. Every concept is worked with real retail numbers and a reusable spreadsheet.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Build a six-month open-to-buy plan from sales, markdown, and inventory targets

Calculate inventory turnover, GMROI, and weeks of supply for any product class

Read sell-through rates to decide what to reorder, hold, or mark down

Negotiate cost, payment terms, freight, and markdown money with vendors

Set initial markup and time a markdown cadence that protects season margin

Run an open-to-buy spreadsheet that keeps spending inside the monthly budget

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The Retail Math That Drives Every Buy

Before you can plan a budget or negotiate a price, you need the four numbers that govern profitable retail: markup, sell-through, turnover, and GMROI. This module builds that foundation.

3 lessons

Initial Markup, Maintained Markup, and KeystoneContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Sell-Through Rate: The Signal Behind Every ReorderContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Inventory Turnover, Weeks of Supply, and GMROIContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Open-to-Buy: Planning the Budget Before You Spend

Open-to-buy is the discipline that keeps buying inside a budget. This module builds a six-month merchandise plan and the monthly OTB that controls every purchase order.

3 lessons

Building the Six-Month Merchandise PlanContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Calculating and Using Open-to-BuyContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Keeping Open-to-Buy Alive Through the SeasonContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Vendor Negotiation and Smart Purchasing

The price you pay and the terms you get are decided at the negotiating table. This module covers cost, terms, freight, and the concessions that quietly improve margin.

3 lessons

Negotiating Cost, Terms, and DiscountsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Markdown Money, Returns, and Vendor PartnershipsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Order Quantities, Lead Times, and ReordersContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Managing Inventory and Clearing It Profitably

Buying well is half the job; managing what you bought is the other half. This module covers markdown timing, shrinkage control, and the systems that hold it all together.

3 lessons

Markdown Strategy and TimingContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Shrinkage, Counts, and Inventory AccuracyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Inventory Systems and a Buying RhythmContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

open-to-buyinventory turnoversell-through rateretail buyingvendor negotiationmarkdown strategyGMROImerchandise planning