J O U R N A LB U Y I N G P L A C E M E N T

M Y E X P E C T A T I O N S

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1 . F R I E N D LY W O R K I N G E N V I R O N M E N T

2 . M U S T B E A B L E T O W O R K W I T H I N A T E A M

3 . M U S T W O R K AT A FA S T PA C E

4 . B E C O N F I D E N T T O M A K E D E C I S I O N S

5 . D E V E L O P S K I L L S E T W I T H I N I N D U S T R Y

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I hope the staff will provide a positive and friendly

working environment, whilst also encouraging me to

learn/show me various aspects within the Buying in-

dustry which will enable me to develop my skill set.

I expect that I will have to work closely within a team,

as I will also be interacting with Merchandisers,

Designers and Garment Technologists.

As there will be several deadlines that will need to be

met, and various meetings to attend, I expect that I will

be working quickly yet efficiently.

I feel that for the role as a Buyer I will have to make

quick decisions when completing tasks, and have con-

fidence when doing so, this is an aspect I may struggle

with.

I aim to develop new skills, and have a greater under-

standing of the buying process once completing my

placement, which will benefit me in the future.

D A Y O N E09M A R C H

As I had worked in Sainsbury’s Head Office pre-

viously I was more excited than nervous for my

first day, as I enjoyed it so much last time and

had an idea of what to expect when I arrived. So

for the duration of my placement I was planned

to work with both the buying team for the Gok

range, as well as those on smart wear and

outerwear.

For my first day the staff just really wanted to

make sure I knew where everything was, and

that I was familiar with the collections which

were currently in store, as well as those which

they are working on in preparation for Winter.

MONDAY = TRADE MEETINGS

I began the day by attending the Monday

morning trade meeting that all departments on

Womenswear must attend to discuss sales. I

had help fetch the garments needed to discuss

their sales performance, and select which items

were the best/worst sellers of the previous

week. The sales figures also being compared to

those of last year.

If certain items failed to meet these targets an

action plan was put in place in order to pro-

mote them, with the aim to increase sales, or to

phase them out of store.

I realised that not a lot of work gets done on

a Monday, its all meetings, and running back

and fourth to the mock store to collect items.

Despite being a busy little bee I was happy to be

gaining greater experience of what it is like to

be working in industry.

R I S E & S H I N E

O n t h e n e x t f e w p a g e s y o u

w i l l f i n d t h e c u r r e n t s p r i n g

c o l l e c t i o n s t h a t a r e i n s t o r e .

Ta k i n g a l o o k a t t h e S a i n s b u r y ’s

Tu b l o g a s e x t r a r e s e a r c h .

The spring/summer collection Dolce Vita depicts a fresh colour palette of soft mint greens and cooling sea blues. This trend is a modern take on Italian Riviera glamour, and from all the collections it is one of my favour-ites! With full skirts, ruffle hem maxi dresses and delicate printed blouses this trend will look fab if you’re off on holiday, and will most definitely bring out the sun if your on a ‘stay-cation’ in the UK.

Key Items and price points

D O L C E V I T A

Sainsbury’s Tu have recently been working alongside Marie Claire to create an ‘advertorial’ showcasing their current collections in order to appear more fashion forward whilst still appealing to a slightly more mature customer.

St Ives features nautical stripes and structured tailoring to create a polished, flawless look. With key items such as the printed Capri trousers and daisy sleeveless shirt, I assure will brighten up those dull days in the office!

S T I V E S

Road Trip contains a selection of casual bohemian style separates to create a laidback effortless look. Long maxi skirts, relaxed shirt dresses in distressed denim and tie dye prints will be perfect for those summer outings, and will also make great festival wear!

Key Items and price points

R O A D T R I P

D A Y T W O10M A R C H

F I T S L I K E A G L O V E

So the day started off by assisting one of the

buyers for the Gok range set up for her meeting,

with the buying directors and head of Womens-

wear, in hope to sign off the latest collection.

I had to steam and layout the garments forming

outfit builds and matching colour palettes. This

was quite scary as I hardly ever iron my clothes

(my mum still does mine, I know I need to grow

up!) therefore had visions of me accidently

burning holes or completely ruining the items...

but luckily it all went well!

FIT MEETINGS

Later on there were various fit sessions sched-

uled with models and technologists from the

different suppliers to try on the samples.

The garment technologist and the buyers made

several amendments to the garments in order

to produce a greater fit. This involved adding

darts, as well as shortening items, and even

altering the choice of fabric. This was incredi-

bly important for the Gok range, as they want

the clothing to appear flattering and sculpt the

body.

I gained a lot of information from observing the

fit session, it highlighted how quick the process

is, and if changes do need to be made that they

are on such a short time frame in order for it to

be corrected. If items are not completed in time

for launch it delays the whole process.

It was then finally time for lunch, and I was ab-

solutely starving! Wish I had more than a salad!

2 : 0 0 P M . . .

So during the afternoon (once all the meetings had fin-

ished) I managed to have a more in depth chat with the

buyer for the Gok range. She spoke about her job role, her

recent trip to London to discuss the collection with Gok

(exciting!!) , and went through some of the processes in

more detail.

> C O L O U R S U B M I S S I O N S

I managed to look and comment on colour submissions

provided by the supplier for the garment. This involved

testing it under a lightbox stating whether it was fuller,

thinner, redder ect.

> A P P R O VA L P R O C E S S

Samples were bronze, silver or gold sealed. Each product

had to be gold sealed before bulk manufacture could be-

gin. I then had to approve some of the products checking

all the labeling and prices, which I enjoyed doing.

D A Y T H R E E11M A R C H

J u s t t o m a k e s u r e t h e s e i m a g e s a r e n o t o f m o o d b a o r d s t h a t I w a s

w o r k i n g o n f o r u p c o m i n g s e a s o n s w i t h i n S a i n s b u r y ’s .

G E T T I N G C R E A T I V E

9 : 0 0 A M . . .

Creative Meeting, this is where all teams on Wom-

enswear meet to discuss the upcoming ranges. This

involves looking at the collections, ensuring each item

relates to a particular trend and ensures that none of the

collections are clashing, to make sure it flows well within

store. This took up most of the morning as it meant

going through every item on Womenswear, and analys-

ing it.

1 1 : 0 0 A M . . .

Later on a designer had just got back from New York (I

wish I got to go there!), and wanted to go through some

ideas he had and what he had found. I got to go with

the buyer to look at some of the mood boards… howev-

er she thought that lot of it was unsuitable for the Gok

range, and wanted to discuss other ideas.

(Sorry for the lack of images, I had to sign a confidenti-

ality form which stopped me from taking photos!)

> P O S T L O G

This is done as a way to document what items of

clothing have been sent to or from suppliers, making

it easier for the buyer to track items, for instance if a

supplier does not receive a sample where listed amend-

ments have been made to the garment, this all has to be

logged. I had to send garments back to suppliers in Tur-

key in which I found out the addresses were extremely

long, and parts of Asia.

I found today really interesting as it highlighted the more

creative side of the buying process, which is something

I really enjoyed. As well as this I gained understanding of

the series of process you must go through before items

are launched into stores.

M y o u f i t f o r t h e d a y. I t ’s a c t a u l l y

q u i t e c o l d i n t h e o f f i c e &

e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e m o c k s t o r e !

D A Y F O U R12M A R C H

J U S T 5 M O R E M I N U T E S . . . P L E A S E !

As it was now getting towards the end of the week

the long days had finally started to kick in, I was

waking up at 6:00am every morning to meet the

product technologist for quarter past 7, who kindly

offered to give me a lift whilst on my placement…I

hate the cold early mornings!. Arriving for half 8 and

leaving at half 6 most days meant I was nearly fall-

ing asleep on the journey home from Coventry.

Despite being half asleep my placement was go-

ing really well, and was pleased at how much I had

learnt just over three days!

P L A N F O R T H E D AY :

➢> Critical Path Meeting

➢> Sort out the samples in the mock store

➢> Supplier Meeting

C R I T I C A L PAT H M E E T I N G

The buyers, merchandiser and garment technologist

sat down to discuss each of the products within the

Gok range. They handed out A3 size sheets filled

with data, which seemed very confusing! It didn’t

help that the print was incredibly tiny, and me not

having the best eyesight made it difficult to read...

I began to understand why everyone had a ruler

handy! After listening to what they were saying I

slowly began to get the jist of things.

The fact that I had already covered the Buying and

Merchandising module at University also helped as I

had more of an in depth understanding, compared to

when I visited last time.. and had no clue what lead

times even were.

The level of communication between staff is some-

thing I have noticed which is vital to the role, and

ensuring everything runs on time.

A B U S Y B E E

Items of clothing were crammed into every possi-

ble space, stretching from the floor to the ceiling

with rails either side; it was a corridor piled up with

clothes… every girls dream, right? Well, not once you

have to start sorting it all out.

A H H H . . S O M A N Y S A M P L E S !

The space was that small when trying to wheel

the ladders down to reach the top rail, they were

scraping against either side. I was just hoping that

I wouldn’t get stuck! I had to put the items back in

the correct places according to the trend, as well as

clearing out all the unwanted samples that had not

been gold sealed. I managed to clear out tons of

items that were no longer needed, and made space

for the new collections that we were working on.

By the time I had finished my arms were aching

after trying to carry all the clothing up and down the

ladders. I have to say this was not the most fun task

I had been set

Lunch was greatly needed after the busy morning

I had, and it was as though someone had read my

mind, as someone was giving free samples of a

new energy drink which was exactly what I needed!.

The admin buyer and me went for the strawberry

and lime, in hope it would taste like Kopparberg but

unfortunately it didn’t!

F I N A L M E E T I N G O F T H E D AY

The day ended with me going to a meeting with one

of the suppliers. They wanted to get the bulk fabric

samples approved so that production could begin.

Luckily this all went well, and all samples were

approved!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I f o n l y t h e r a i l s

h a d b e e n t h a t

t i d y a n d

o r g a n i s e d . .

i t w o u l d h a v e

m a d e m y j o b

m u c h q u i c k e r !

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

D A Y F I V E13M A R C H

S T R I P E D

J A C K E T Z A R A

£ 4 9 . 9 9

D R E S S N E X T

£ 3 2 . 0 0

S T R I P E D

J A C K E T Z A R A

£ 4 9 . 9 9

I T ’ S F R I D A Y . . .

C O M P E T I T V E S H O P R E P O R T

Friday’s seemed to be calmer, there were fewer

meetings and fit sessions to attend therefore I had

time to start completing a competitive shop report.

For this I had to focus on smart wear and tailoring,

looking at both Tu’s key competitors such as George

and F&F, but also aspirational brands such as Zara,

Warehouse and Next. Whilst doing this it was im-

portant to pick up on key trends, considering style,

colour and print.

For this I began to look online, as there was greater

variety of items, however for some of the supermar-

ket chains I went into store, to take photos. I went

with the admin buyer on a little trip, trying sneakily to

take photos.

Key trends were stripes, in navy, white and red and

fluro - bold colours and prints, ready for summer.

Also for tailored jackets we found that they had con-

trasting linings and trims.

Once we got back we started to put together what

we had found. It was fun getting out of the office for

a while, and sneaking around the shops!

After this was completed I then had to archive

samples that had been approved. This is done as a

way to reference what colours, fabrics, prints and

embellishments have been chosen for each of the

garments. All of these were filed into folders based

on the trend and season.

As the drawers had to be cleared it involved me hav-

ing to push a huge trolley around the office, which

only wanted to go in a straight line, struggling to get

it around the corner! However I eventually managed

it, and organised all the folders into boxes to be sent

into storage.

Overall I had a fab first week on my placement, but

despite it being Friday I was not looking forward to

a relaxing weekend. Instead I have to go to work at

Next, and start preparing for the mid season sale!

The joys….

D A Y S I X16M A R C H

A s n e a k p e a k a r o u n d t h e

b u i l d i n g . . .

M O N D A Y M A D N E S S

After a hectic weekend at work, I was far from pre-

pared for the early morning start back at Sainsbury’s.

I woke up in a state of shock when my alarm went

off, frantically running around deciding what to wear,

and figuring out what to do with my mop of hair!

To top it off the Monday morning traffic was just

delightful (the sarcasm). I just managed to make it

in on time, along with many other members of staff

who complained how they had started out extra early

knowing they had trade all morning….

T R A D E , T R A D E , T R A D E

So similar to last Monday I had to attend trade in the

morning, with the same process of collecting all the

garments, arranging them and identifying the worst/

best sellers of the week. Once this was over the

admin buyer and myself had the task of putting it all

back.

Later on, I had to help put together a pack for one of

the buyers who was travelling to meet with suppliers.

It is important that she had all the necessary infor-

mation which needed to be discussed whilst there.

It contained images of samples that are currently

incorrect and need altering, past and current perfor-

mance sheets so she had all the necessary figures,

and inspiration imagery of designs for the new

collection.

O T H E R L I T T L E TA S K S

➢> Photograph garments for the Gok range.

➢> Help to assist and approve colour samples,

providing comments.

➢> Open all the post, updating the information

on the post log.

M o n d a y m o r n i n g s t y l e . . .

( s t i l l h a v e n ’ t m a n a g e d t o

m a s t e r t h e a r t o f ‘ s e l f i e ’s ’ )

W H Y C A N ’ T I G O T O N E W Y O R K

D A Y S E V E N17M A R C H

So today one of the buyers had returned from New

York, everyone here seems to be going to these

amazing places - it seems so unfair being stuck in

Birmingham, I want to go!!! She spoke about what

she had been up to and found out, but really seemed

to focus more on the fact she never had enough

time to shop, and how annoying the American ac-

cent had become after she had been there over five

times! She was really fun and chatty… it was a good

start to the morning hearing about her little adven-

ture.

Anyway, back to talking about actual work….

After completing my first week I felt like there was

slightly more of a routine, with scheduled fit sessions

and meetings taking place throughout the day. I liked

to be kept busy; there was always something to be

doing which made the days go extremely fast.

1 0 : 0 0 A M - F I T S E S S I O N

> The fit sessions involved looking at the smart wear

jackets, these were tried on by two different models,

to check the that shape, sleeve length and shoulder

position were all correct. As well as this they also

took note of any changes in embellishment such as

buttons.

> Trousers then had to be tested, again checking

details such as the length, zips and fastenings. The

models were also asked to questions to ensure that

the garment was comfortable to wear.

Before lunch I then had to sort out all the folders.

They were crammed full of style sheets and fabric

samples, they looked like they were going to burst

open, therefore I had to split them all up into bot-

toms, tops ect just so there was more room to add

the new ones. It was getting irritating as all the plas-

tic wallets kept splitting, due to the amount that was

encased in them!

1 : 3 0 P M - L A B D I P A P P R O VA L

We had received more samples through the post

these had to be checked and colour approved.

The admin buyer asked me to do this giving feed-

back. I was nervous having to do it myself incase

I got it completely wrong.... Some of the colours I

rejected as they differed greatly from the original

design.

The admin buyer then checked it to make sure I

had provided the correct comments, which she

thought I had, woohooo!

The day ended by helping to finish off the over-

sized bag of sweets along with the rest of the

team. What can I say.... its difficult to resist

starburst jelly beans and after another busy day I

was definitely in need of all the sugar!

D a y d r e a m i n g . . . w i s h I c o u l d b e i n N Y a g a i n !

# TA K E M E B A C K

T h e p a c k e t w a s g o n e b e f o r e I

h a d c h a n c e t o t a k e a p i c t u r e .

Y U M Y U M !

D A Y E I G H T18M A R C H

M a y b e o n e d a y I w i l l b e c o m e a n a s s i s t a n t

b u y e r . . . . w h o k n o w s !

S O M E T H I N G N E WToday I had the opportunity to work with the design-

ers, this was very exciting as it enabled me to develop

my creativity, and look more closely into trends. One

of the designers began to show me some mood-

boards that he created, displaying prints, catwalk

imagery, street style and other inspirational visuals.

I was then asked to help look into these trends further,

I got to on WSGN noting down information and imag-

es that I thought would be necessary. Throughout my

research I always took into consideration the Sains-

bury’s customer – this knowledge was gained from a

folder the buyer gave me to have a look at.

B R I E F C U S T O M E R P R O F I L E

➢> She is busy juggling work and family.

➢> Wants inspiration and easy outfitting with lots of

mix & match potential.

➢> Quality, fit and comfort are key.

➢> Also shops at Next, Wallis and designers at Deben-

hams.

Through being able to view and help create some of

the visual boards, it enabled me to be more selective

and refine images. I was also able to look more close-

ly at layout, which is something I have struggled with

in my work, therefore I found this very helpful.

P R O G R E S S M E E T I N G

A few hours later I was able to attend a progress

meeting with the buyers where they discussed up-

coming launch dates, ensuring that suppliers were on

track to meet these. During the meeting promotional

activities were also spoken about, with members

suggesting products and selected lines that they think

should be included.

E x a m p l e s o f t h e c r i t i c a l p a t h ,

a n d p e r f o r m a n c e s h e e t s .

D A Y N I N E19M A R C H

J U S T U N L U C K YMy morning was disastrous I originally thought I had

left my phone in the car… which was bad enough as

I feel completely lost without it. However, it became

10x worse when I noticed a taxi driver get out the

car waving a phone around complete with a unicorn

case… obviously that phone could only be mine!

The screen was shattered to pieces with the glass

shards falling off and the button already missing,

clearly I was not a happy bunny!

A N O T H E R C O M P E T I T O R S H O P

After a rubbish start to the day I was happy to be

completing another competitor shop, this time

though it was for the Gok range. The buyer specif-

ically wanted to look into the trends other stores

were focusing on for spring, and what the price

points were for the various garments.

This was completed in an excel spreadsheet, listing

images, prices, fabric compositions and details.

W E H A V E V I S I T O R S

I had to assist the buying team with the visual

merchandising in order to showcase their product

ranges, as they had to prepare for a visit from the

field team, who had come from store.

The aim of the visit was to educate them on the

product range and show them how it should appear

in store, so they know make it look appealing to the

consumer. They also provided them with additional

information that could be used when trying to per-

suade customers to make a purchase.

O T H E R TA S K S C O M P L E T E D

> Daily post log.

> Documenting samples and feedback.

> Checking gold seals and ensuring all the

information, labeling and sku’s are correct.

S o m e o f S a i n s b u r y ’s c u r r e n t i n s t o r e v i s u a l m e r c h a n d i s i n g .

“ # L I V E Y O U R S T Y L E ”

C A N I S T A Y P L E A S E ?

D A Y T E N20M A R C H

Unfortunately I was unable to do three weeks at

Sainsbury’s, as I had to work several days next week

due to the mid season sale at Next. The sales are

mad therefore I had no chance of getting the time

required off. Such a nightmare! I really wish I could

have stayed, however when speaking to the buyers

they said they would have me back anytime, and

mentioned about returning in the summer. I gained

several contacts, which will beneficial when looking

for placements in the future.

It was so sad to leave, as everyone had been so

kind and helpful. I felt that the experience gave me a

greater understanding of what it is actually like to be

working in industry, and put the skills learnt so far at

University into practice. Hopefully I will return there

again very soon!

My morning consisted of :

> Fit sessions

> A supplier meeting

> Clearing rails from the mock store

> Raise style sheets

During the afternoon I was able to speak with a

senior buyer and a designer who had just got back

from a trip to abroad.

She provided me with an insight to her role, what she

does on a daily basis, and what she did previously

before working for Sainsbury’s. For me this was very

helpful as it broadened my outlook into other roles,

as well as this answered any questions raised whilst

on my placement.

S K I L L S G A I N E D

> C O M M U N I C AT I O N

This was vital for the role as there is constant inter-

action amongst staff members whether discussing

sales performance, commenting within fit sessions,

or speaking about the stages met of the critical path.

> T E A M W O R K

Every member of staff played an important role

when ensuring deadlines are reached, targets are

met and the end product meets Sainsbury’s quality

standards. By attending meetings, fit sessions, and

working within various areas such as design I felt

this was a skill I developed further.

> W O R K U N D E R P R E S S U R E

I sometimes don’t do well in pressurised situations,

and can be a little stress pot, but this skill was devel-

oped through constantly working against deadlines.

Everything is so fast pace meaning that decisions

have to be made quickly and instantly, therefore

there was no time to worry and stress about them.

> O R G A N I S AT I O N

I realised how important it was to prioritise tasks as

well as documenting everything that is happening,

such as all the samples coming into the office, mak-

ing notes during fit sessions, preparing spreadsheets

for meetings, archiving samples and organising

them. I had to make sure I managed my time effec-

tively to get all the jobs required done.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F E E L I N G P O S I T I V E

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sainsbury’s

Head Office, and felt that I gained so much more

knowledge of what working within the fashion indus-

try actually entails. Although I was mainly working

with Buyer’s and understanding their role, I also got

to interact with designers, garment technologists and

merchandisers, all of which enhanced my experience,

and showcased how important team work is within a

working environment.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FA S T PA C E E N V I R O N M E N T

I also loved how everything was so fast pace, and

that there was always something to be doing, it made

the days go so quickly. The fact that a collection is

launched every two months for the Gok range means

there is no time just to be sitting down!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

P O S S I B L E C A R E E R PAT H

In the future I will consider this as a possible career

path, as there are many elements that I enjoyed. As well

as this I feel there is room to progress within the role as

a Buyer, and opportunities to work your way up.

However I sometimes question if I would prefer some-

thing slightly more creative.

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

O V E R A L L T H O U G H T S

B A C K A T N E X T

L E T T H E M A D N E S S B E G I N . . . . .

As I was recently given a permanent contract at Next

it meant I was unable to get the time off as it has be

booked months in advance, and the mid season sale

meant that nobody was available to cover my shifts,

so instead I did a weeks experience here. I felt it

would actually be beneficial as I am fairly new to the

job therefore I still have a lot to learn.

S AT U R D AY 2 1 s t = S A L E D AY

So over the weekend the mid season sale began,

although it is not as large as the summer or boxing

day sales people still go crazy for it!

I was happy not to be on the early shift which would

have meant being in at 6:00am, instead I got the

more reasonable 9:00am start, which felt like a lie in

after getting up early everyday for the last week!

So the morning consisted of constant recovery on

the shopfloor, particularly womenswear, making sure

that items were picked up and arranged as neatly as

possible. This was a difficult task as you can imag-

ine clothes were flying here, there and everywhere!

Once the madness had started to slow down later

on during the day, I had to go over to childrenswear,

as sale stock was running low it meant that all the

new stock had to be put on the shopfloor, therefore I

got to do some visual merchandising, which I never

really had the the chance to do properly before!

V I S U A L M E R C H A N D I S I N G

The whole wall of ‘big boys’ had to be redone; it was

tricky as next follow a plan provided so that each

store has similar visuals, with flowing stories. How-

ever stock was low, therefore had to improvise, as

not all items needed were available in store.

After fetching bars and deciding where everything

should go my arms were killing. Everyone at work

knows I have no strength therefore have developed

the nickname “muscles” and most the time some-

one ends up having to help me carry or hold the

items. I Should probably go to the gym more often....

Anyway in between jumping on and off the tills serv-

ing customers, I finally managed to complete the

VM work, along with the help of another member of

staff. The stories were labeled ‘Faded Neon’ and

‘Festival Spice’ ready for the summer! Our supervi-

sor was very pleased with what we managed to do

with the stock available.

After scanning all the stock onto the shop floor, and

making sure everything was tidy my shift was nearly

over! Time flies on sale day! Overall the day went

well... apart from realising at the end of the day I had

my sale t-shirt on back to front with ‘welcome super

shoppers’ written across the front!

I was really happy that I was able to do something

more creative and put my visual merchandising

skills into practice!

D A Y F O U R T E E N24M A R C H

A F E W D A Y S L A T E R . .

The last few days were manic as customers were

coming to collect their sale orders which had started

to arrive in store. This meant two people had to sort

out the parcels everyday as we were receiving over

30 sacks, meaning this took up the whole morning

to sort them all out.

1 0 S A C K S D O W N 2 0 T O G O . . .

We had to scan every parcel, then place them in

order relating to the code provided. As well as this a

whole move had to be done in the stockroom, which

was so confusing as it’s basically to do with the

alphabet but backwards..... I have no idea!

Although this wasn’t something I was thrilled about

doing it had to be done, and as well as this I was still

completing jobs that I never usually get to do, so I

got to learn something new!

M O R E R E T U R N S !

Later on throughout the week all the returns started

to build up, as people had collected online orders

and had many items they wanted to return.

Therefore as the till bell kept going off so half of my

shift was spent on the tills processing them. As cus-

tomer service always comes first I had to leave any

other jobs that I was required to do.

R E P L E N I S H M E N T

Due to the reduced amount of sale stock on the

shop floor it meant that new stock had to constant-

ly be brought down, in order to fill the areas where

the sale had been scaled down. This involved some

more visual merchandising, as well as picking

replenishment assuring we have all the sizes

available.

D A Y F I F T E E N25M A R C H

L O O K I N G P R E T T Y

Today I got to do some more visual merchandising

on womenswear. I had to do the table layouts,

selecting jeans and tops that will be placed on the

display, as well as a few accessories such as a bags

and shoes in order to inform customers of ways to

wear and create outfit builds.

I also had to change the mannequin displays to

match the new season stock we had in store. This

is something I had never actually done before, and

thought it would be a simple task... well clearly I was

wrong! Attempting to get a dress on whilst aimlessly

trying to screw it together, and get the arms in was

harder work than I initally thought. The fact it was

bigger than me probably didn’t help the situation.

J O I N I N G T H E D E L I V E R Y T E A M

Later on I then had to go to the stockroom and

assist the delivery team, as they had a lot of stock

come in and needed assistance, and I was happy

to help! I had to help process the stock - tagging

it, providing the correct hanger and size cube. This

then had to either put away in the stock room or go

straight onto the shopfloor.!

T h e a m o u n t p e o p l e o r d e r o u t o f

t h e s e b o o k s i s c r a z y !

One thing I have learnt this week is that mess

stresses me out! I I can’t deal with clothes being

everywhere, it’s so bad I even attempted to colour

coordinate the sale stock a put it into similar

categories... however this was practically impossible!

The sale meant I had to work quickly under pressure,

whilst still providing exceptional customer service.

Aside from this I got the chance to do some in-store

visual merchandising which I hope I will get to do

again since being provided with the opportunity,

hopefully I showcased that I was capable!

I am pleased that throughout my three weeks of

placement I got to look into several different as-

pects, and understand what is required of the differ-

ent job roles. My experience on these placements

has helped to develop my skills which I feel can be

adapted to both my current employment, university

work and any future career goals within industry.

O R G A N I S E D G E E K

M y c u t e l i t t l e d i a r y I b o u g h t t o

m a k e n o t e o f e v e r y t h i n g d o n e

w h i l s t o n p l a c e m e n t

D A N I E L L E M A Z U R