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Carrie Harberts’la tanışın – that’s “Meet Carrie Harberts” in Turkish.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carrie began watching Turkish TV dramas and fell in love with the art form as well as the language. So, she took courses online and learned Turkish! “I now have friends who live in Turkey,” she said. “They help me learn Turkish and I help them with English.”
That’s the type of person and leader Carrie Harberts is. She’s creative, curious, generous and detailed in everything she does.
Carrie has been with The Barcode Group for 11 years. She was originally hired as category manager for home on the Target team and was promoted into the role of Director of Category Management. And she still supports and manages categories today. Why?
“It keeps me in the game and keeps my skills sharp. The nature of the business is always changing, just like retail,” she said. “It gives me a point of relativity, credibility with my team and I just really enjoy the work. I want to be a trusted advisor and love our strong partnerships with retailers.”
Carrie also emphasizes that category management requires a unique skill set – product presentation, sales, shopper perception, strategy and more. With such a multifaceted approach at managing business, Carrie feels motivated by creating customized solutions that help drive a category forward.
Prior to her time at The Barcode Group, Carrie worked for companies such as Kraft Foods and Procter and Gamble. “I love helping buyers with their assortment, merchandising, promotions, placement, digital and more. Our team is their right hand in strategy and execution both in-store and online,” she said. “I love collaborating, solving problems and working strategically with all of our incredible partners.”
Carrie’s pride in her category management team is very apparent. “We have such an incredible, strong, tenacious, fun group of people to work with,” she said. One of her first areas of focus when she was promoted as director was to create connections – determine what the team’s needs were and advocating for the team. The result was a tight knit group of people with diverse personalities and working styles that have come together in unique ways.
“Our team shows up for their businesses, for their work, for the company and for each other every day,” she said. “No one is above or below anything, everyone is there to help each other. We’re all very open and honest and I feel so honored to work with the team I get to work with. I want one of my legacies to be that people want to be part of the magic of our team.”
Long before her time in category management, Carrie hit the road with her father – a vendor representative for musical instruments – to sell to retail businesses. “Growing up, I wanted to be a store manager because I liked pressing all the buttons on cash registers and equipment,” she laughed. In one of her first jobs at her local Target in Alexandria, Minnesota, she realized there was much more to it than just colorful buttons, and excelled at setting planograms, store operations, zoning areas and more.
In addition to her leadership and responsibilities with The Barcode Group, Carrie also serves on the University of Minnesota College of Design Retail and Merchandising Advisory Board. She helps connect students with local retail experts and provide real-life experiences to retail merchandising students so they can confidently enter the job market. She balances it all with having a family – her husband, two children and mini goldendoodle, her friends and her passion for lifelong learning.
“I’m a people person and I love creating and nourishing connections with others,” said Carrie. “I truly believe we all have something to gain and learn from everyone, so I’m always happy to share my own experiences and listen to others’ as well. Reach out to connect. I’m available and happy to chat!”
To connect with Carrie or learn more about The Barcode Group’s capabilities within Target and other nationwide retailers, contact us at info@thebarcodegroup.com.
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