Overview In August of 2015 I started my second job at Abercrombie Kids at Tuttle Mall and decided it would be great to use as my capstone. I chose this because my idea of working in retail was drastically different than what I had expected. I pictured it just folding clothes for a few hours and making some extra spending money on top of what I make serving at Bob Evans. It turns out there is a lot more going on within the store that I hadn't even thought of. Everyday shipment is shipped to the store where you have to use a scanning gun which tells you if you need to back stock some of the items or put it out on the floor. Once you determine that, you must sensor all items and put it into its designated spots. Also every few weeks there are updates where you are at the store until late hours of the night trying to build closets, rearrange the floor, back stock all of the old clothes, change marketing, mark things down and change prices, and try to have all that done before the next morning shift. A lot more work is put into running a clothing store than I expected and I only know from experience as a Brand Rep so I can only imagine being an actual manager.
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Expectations Like I said, I imagined working in a retail store would just include me folding clothes for a few hours and getting in and out. Clearly that isn't how it actually works. Even now I don't know what exactly I want to do for a career but I think playing sports and working two jobs with extremely different tasks has helped show me what I do and don't like. With Abercrombie, I've learned that I really do not want to work in retail or at least not in the actual store. But working behind the scenes with more of the marketing and merchandising may be something I could be interested in. I've also learned I never want to work in the food industry at all unless I'm just picking up some spare change :) I think my experience working at Abercrombie Kids has been very beneficial not only with finding a career path but also gaining many more relationships, whether they be a manager/someone I can use as a reference later in the future or just a friend. I've learned so much about my co-workers and managers and being around them all the time and becoming so close makes work much more enjoyable. Which also proved to me that whatever I end up doing, it needs to be something I truly enjoy, especially if it's what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my working years. Until I leave for college I plan to continue working at Abercrombie Kids and Bob Evans and continue meeting such great people as well as returning to work when I am home for breaks. I also plan to visit the home office for Abercrombie in New Albany just to see what goes on behind the scenes and see if it interests me. From involving myself in this company I think it could eventually help me get a job in home office if that's where my path leads me as well as teach me what is and isn't for me, just based on my experience as a brand rep.
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Reflection
As a person, I think working in general has taught me a lot about myself. I've learned when I get stressed out, I become impatient and aggravated easily but with that I've learned how to control it, keep a smile on my face no matter how much I don't want to smile, and just get through it. This has also helped me when it comes to school work and dealing with everyday tasks. I've become a lot more easy going and learned that not everything is worth stressing over and that everything will indeed be okay! I've also learned how hard-working/ determined I can be when I want to accomplish something which at times can slow me down when I want something to be perfect but I also know when its time to move on after I've done the best I can. Time management has also been a huge thing that work has taught me. Trying to get from school to practice to work was tough enough but maintaining a good GPA with extremely tough classes has been a huge obstacle to overcome and I'm glad I've gotten the chance to live through these things because I know the real world is going to be even more tough. And I've seen how difficult working with other people and serving those who don't always treat you the best can be, but it has also taught me to be the bigger person even when I don't want to. These are just a few things I've learned about myself but I'm happy I learned these while I'm young rather than old. I now see certain things when I walk into a retail store and have a new appreciation of what those workers do. When I say this, I mean I don't just throw a shirt back after I look at it, I try to put it back the way I found it so that the workers don't have to do my dirty work. Or when I'm walking around and decide I don't want something, I put it back where I found it not just set it right where I am even if I don't feel like putting it all the way back. I've just gained a new found appreciation of these places and people. I'm glad as a 17 year old I began to work and begin doing things on my own. I've learned a lot about the value of a dollar, my character, things I do and don't do well and very importantly time management. Working two jobs and being involved in things whether it be school or sport or work has really prepared me for the real world, not even including how much of an impact my parents and friends and family have helped me. In terms of doing things different, all I would do is begin earlier. I would've started working right when I turned 16 or earlier if a place would hire me because I have learned so much about Me and think it would've liked to have learned those things sooner. Im grateful for the things I've experienced and I think I as prepared as I can be when it comes to moving on to the next chapter of my life.
The life of a Brand Rep
Constant FoldingI believe its pretty obvious that by working in retail you have to fold a lot of things and usually multiple times as people come in and out of the store. This t-shirt wall is a prime example of something we like to say "will be the death of us all" because it is a constant battle to keep it straighten up! And remember, no matter how many times you fix it, it will never stay perfect after a floor set is over, and I really mean that when I say NEVER.
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ShipmentIf you're a 3-7 or 4-8 shift there is a very strong chance you will be the person to do shipment that day. First they'll give you a USR gun which will tell you what is "priority" and will go to the floor or what is "back stock" which in that case you will put away in the stock room. Once you do that you sensor everything and put it in it's designated spots. Whether there's 2 boxes or 10, that'll be your job.
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Floor SetsFloor set time! If you're lucky enough to be scheduled to be scheduled for a floor set prepare to be there until the wee hours of the night, marking things down, putting out the new items, building/breaking down closets, and folding until your hands hurt :)
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Interview with Abercrombie Kids
Assistant manager: Inuri Munasinghe
Why did you want to work at this store?
"I am a marketing major and I wanted to work for Abercrombie because my main goal is to be at home office in New Albany. In order to get there I needed to work my way up the chain to soon get there in the next 5 years. I didn't have a preference when whether it was the adult or kid store but looking back now, I think the kids store was a better option for me because it was a little less pressure than the adult store and because I was a M.I.T. (manager in training) for the adult store I've gotten to see how both places run!"
Do you enjoy being an assistant manager?
"I do enjoy being an assistant manager and the brand reps and stock associates make it extremely easy on me. Personally, I feel like everyone takes pride in the store and wants it to look well so I don't constantly have to nag everyone to do their work and fix the store. Everyone seems to want the store to look good and is eager to help do so. We have a great group of people working with us here and the way we all work together is phenomenal. We know when its time to be serious and work but we also can have fun and enjoy being together even though it is indeed work. Because I take such pride in this store, it's great working with people who feel the same."
What has retail taught you?
"Retail can be a very tough business to be in but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad. A lot more goes into retail than people think and especially with manager responsibilities it was a lot more than even I expected. It does become stressful at times but I think I've learned how to deal with stress pretty well. As a manager when you stress out, your employees will reflect off of you so it is important to not show your stress and do your best to accomplish what is needed so I think I've learned from the best how to do so. I have also learned how to deal with let's say 'tough' customers no matter how hard the circumstance. I believe that is very important in retail because we want our customers to be happy with us and our products so that they keep coming back. That is why we really have been pushing customer service because we want to make sure the customers are as happy as they can be while shopping!"
How does working at a retail store in the U.S. compare to working for MTV in Sri Lanka? (SO COOL RIGHT!!)
"Working in Sri Lanka alone is extremely different than in the U.S. but I don't think the two are very comparable. They are on such different spectrums comparing would be impossible. In Sri Lanka I would meet with people who were 'high up there' in media marketing so I played a very large roll in getting programs aired from all over. Although my position of assistant manager isn't quite as glamorous as my old job, it is very different and enjoyable in a completely different way. But my drive to one day work in home office does come from my marketing background and I enjoy that very much so I can't wait to one day make it there!"
"I am a marketing major and I wanted to work for Abercrombie because my main goal is to be at home office in New Albany. In order to get there I needed to work my way up the chain to soon get there in the next 5 years. I didn't have a preference when whether it was the adult or kid store but looking back now, I think the kids store was a better option for me because it was a little less pressure than the adult store and because I was a M.I.T. (manager in training) for the adult store I've gotten to see how both places run!"
Do you enjoy being an assistant manager?
"I do enjoy being an assistant manager and the brand reps and stock associates make it extremely easy on me. Personally, I feel like everyone takes pride in the store and wants it to look well so I don't constantly have to nag everyone to do their work and fix the store. Everyone seems to want the store to look good and is eager to help do so. We have a great group of people working with us here and the way we all work together is phenomenal. We know when its time to be serious and work but we also can have fun and enjoy being together even though it is indeed work. Because I take such pride in this store, it's great working with people who feel the same."
What has retail taught you?
"Retail can be a very tough business to be in but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad. A lot more goes into retail than people think and especially with manager responsibilities it was a lot more than even I expected. It does become stressful at times but I think I've learned how to deal with stress pretty well. As a manager when you stress out, your employees will reflect off of you so it is important to not show your stress and do your best to accomplish what is needed so I think I've learned from the best how to do so. I have also learned how to deal with let's say 'tough' customers no matter how hard the circumstance. I believe that is very important in retail because we want our customers to be happy with us and our products so that they keep coming back. That is why we really have been pushing customer service because we want to make sure the customers are as happy as they can be while shopping!"
How does working at a retail store in the U.S. compare to working for MTV in Sri Lanka? (SO COOL RIGHT!!)
"Working in Sri Lanka alone is extremely different than in the U.S. but I don't think the two are very comparable. They are on such different spectrums comparing would be impossible. In Sri Lanka I would meet with people who were 'high up there' in media marketing so I played a very large roll in getting programs aired from all over. Although my position of assistant manager isn't quite as glamorous as my old job, it is very different and enjoyable in a completely different way. But my drive to one day work in home office does come from my marketing background and I enjoy that very much so I can't wait to one day make it there!"