Week 4

Week four of our internship has also been very insightful.   Last week we worked in multiple Lauren Shops, as they were preparing for a visit.  This week we actually got to follow the Lauren team around and watch them during their visit.   Seeing how they interacted with each other, the store manager, and ourselves was great.  It was interesting to hear them talk about sales per square foot, location, and sales tactics amongst themselves.  Witnessing  this was an opportunity that we wouldn't have had otherwise.   They were very friendly, and were genuinely interested in learning about each of us.

Everyone was very busy planning and getting ready for their big July 4th weekend this week.   We continued to price items, such as jeans, oxfords, and polos so that they could combat the rising prices of cotton.   Mark also taught us all about the Ralph Lauren "5 Ring Customer Experience."  This procedure goes to show just how focused Ralph Lauren, as a total brand, is focused on their consumer and the customer experience.   It urges  you to be knowledgeable and passionate about the product, while also being engaging and helpful to the customer.

Week 3

This week has been very different from what we have been doing the past two weeks. Not only have we worked at a Men's Polo Shop in Belk, but also a Men's shop in Macy's and with the Lauren by Ralph Lauren brand in Bloomingdale's. Seeing the difference between Men's Polo and Ladies' Lauren brands has been very eye opening, and we wouldn't have had the wonderful opportunity to gain this insight without the help of Kymberley Blair.

Towards the beginning of the week we worked a lot with mark downs and price changes. Seeing how Ralph Lauren strategizes with these pricing tactics is very interesting. We made the same changes at both Belk and Macy's. 

We worked with Kymberley on Thursday and Friday of this past week at Belk and Bloomingdales respectively.   Unlike men's shops, Lauren accounts don't usually receive the entire package of product at the same time, which makes merchandising this product a completely different ball game from Polo. We were given directives, the look book and let loose, each doing our own tables following more of a lifestyle than direct classifications.   It was really fun and exciting because there is a bit more flexibility in the Lauren Stores. Lauren also doesn't do BSR like Polo does, concentrating more on fashion pieces and concepts. Which makes sense when thinking of marketing to women as a whole. One thing I think we both found interesting is how different Mark and Kymberley's roles are with the company. Kymberley controls Missy, Today's Woman, Petites, Handbags and Belts and Dresses for LRL. In both stores these were found on multiple floors and in different locations, which called for a lot of walking around! 

Overall, this week was helpful to us for a multitude of reasons.  We worked in two separate locations, and for three different department stores. Our merchandising skills have developed enough that we are able to recognize different possibilities for floor displays without frequently checking the look book. We've gained a greater depth of knowledge about the Ralph Lauren brand image as a whole, and can appreciate it more because of that fact.

Week 2

This week is turning out to be even more exciting than the last. We saw two more stores to experience different locations, developed our merchandising skills on our own, and were able to observe a Belk special event. Our supervisor Mark has been an amazing teacher who has been enthusiastic to share his experiences with us. Mark is showing us everything there is to know about the Polo Ralph Lauren brand and allows us the freedom to practice on our own. As we set up our own displays and build on our skills we can't help but sometimes miss NC State and Professor Gibson's lessons in visual merchandising.

Monday and Tuesday were relaxed days to work at Phipps and on our project. We were able to observe a special event presented in the women's department on current trends, dressing for your body type, and how to look fashionable while still professional when at the workplace. The demonstration included a give away from Lancome and a string of fresh water pearls from the jewelry department. On Tuesday we spent the day working on our project and organizing our presentation.

Monday's Special Event

On Wednesday we headed out to the Centerville shop to help them prepare for Father's Day. In addition to merchandising the floor, we were also able to observe an informal interview conducted by Mark. We hadn't been to a store like this one yet, which gave us a better idea of how different they can be. This store was smaller than the others, with limited hanging space and merchandise. Mark had a conference call that morning and gave us some freedom in setting up the Northport and Havana Club display tables. We followed the directives as best we could, but with limited merchandise, we were forced to improvise to an extent. Mark was impressed with our displays and we were excited to have the opportunity to work unsupervised.

Havana Club Centerville

Northport Centerville

Thursday was the longest travel day we've had so far and also the busiest. We went to Greenville, SC for Mark's meeting and to get some experience in a different store with a varied consumer base. We met Rusty just before the meeting at 10am. While he and Mark went to the meeting, Aaron and I worked on the Havana Club table. This time was different from what we did in Centerville because we now had plenty of product to work with. The task at hand was no longer to improvise and substitute BSR where necessary, but now to get as much product on the table as we could in the most appealing and appropriate way. We replaced all the Athletic Club merchandise on the table with Havana Club, and were proud to be excelling in merchandising. 

Havana Club Greenville

Today and Saturday we are back at Phipps, mostly to help out on the floor. It is expected to be a busy weekend for Father's Day, and on Monday we will be repricing everything. Next week is going to be a busy one, in which Aaron and I will be helping prepare for a corporate visit in women's and experiencing the differences between Macy's and Belk. We are hoping for a busy day tomorrow followed by an exciting third week, thanks to a great supervisor!

Orientation/Week 1

Welcome to Brittani Chirichella and Aaron Luck's weekly blog! We've been learning a lot during this first week, meeting a lot of people, and becoming consistently more familiar with the Polo Ralph Lauren brand image. Our orientation in Greensboro was a great experience and opportunity for us to meet our supervisor, tour the distribution center, and build on our still incomplete knowledge of Polo Ralph Lauren activities and history. We got a better idea of our responsibilities as Retail Development Interns at orientation allowing us to be more prepared for our first week, which was both busy and exciting.

On our first day at Phipps Plaza, we became acquainted with Belk's Polo Ralph Lauren Shop-In-Shop and toured the neighboring Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue Shop-In-Shops. Touring the different shops gave us a better understanding of the differences between competing stores. We learned that major competition for market share exists between Belk and Macy's in particular. Toward the end of the day,  we reviewed the Weekly Recap paper work, specifically for the week ending on June 4th, 2011. Based on the data for the week we were able to determine what zones need improvement and what is doing well.

On Wednesday and Thursday we visited Athens and Town Center shops. The experience showed us how stores in different locations have different demographics and varying sales. The Athens store had an exceptional week in swimwear, while the Town Center store did better in other areas. In Athens, we changed the display of the shorts hoping to improve fashion and BSR short sales. Our main goal in Town Center was to get stock on the floor, and we prioritized with outposts to prepare for the Friends and Family Sale.

Friday we went back to Phipps Plaza to prepare for the Friends and Family Sale there. We changed dress forms and moved displays, continuing to develop and build on our merchandising skills. Because it was expected to be a busy weekend with Father's day coming next weekend and the Friends and Family Sale ending at the end of the day, we helped on the sales floor at Phipps. We also went over the BSR Penetration sheet for May 2011. We were able to see what stores and divisions are doing well in their BSR sales and what needs improvement.

Overall, this week was a great opportunity for us to learn about the changing dynamic of stores in different locations, build merchandising skills, and use the weekly recaps and BSR Presentation sheets to change the floor setup to improve sales. We had a great first week of working and are looking forward to next week, when we will be visiting more stores and preparing for Father's Day.