Hello readers!
It is almost the end of my undergraduate career, which also means the end of my blogging for this internship.
I have learned so much throughout the course of this job. The knowledge and experience is something I could not have received and learned anywhere else.
Our management team is gearing up for big changes over the next few months. Our store manager is transferring to a St. Louis store to head up the changes coming their way. They are receiving a re-model and will be bumping up to a higher sales volume. She is taking with her our Brand Delivery and Operations Manager. These two ladies have been a huge part in my success at the Columbia store. They have mentored and developed me into the manager I have become today. I have learned everything I know from them and I will miss them greatly.
The store manager from the Jefferson City Victoria's Secret will be our new store manager. She has very different ways of coaching and developing, but I am looking forward to the change.
With the end of my undergraduate career and a Bachelor's degree in finance and marketing under my belt, I feel as though it is time to move on to bigger dreams. I have applied for numerous jobs in the Kansas City market including financial adviser, network planner, and marketing associate positions. I have an interview next week to be a financial adviser for Prudential Financial. I am hoping to attain a different position and take the next step in my life.
The knowledge and experience I have gained from Victoria's Secret is invaluable Not only have I learned how to efficiently run a retail store and all the jobs that go with it, I have learned skills I never thought I would in a retail job. I have learned how to deal with adversity, different personalities, and numerous other things. This experience will extend beyond my retail career and help me in any other job I may end up doing.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I've spent at VS and will always cherish the people I have met along the way.
Thanks for reading, and good-bye for now!
Patience, patience, patience...
This week's post I would like to talk about dealing with unhappy customers. My patience and kindness has been tested lately with the difficult situations created.
There are several different types of unhappy customers. Some are rightfully upset about certain store policies or out-of-stock/discontinued products. For example, many customers become frustrated at our coupon policy. The only kinds of coupons that can be combined with other discounts and coupons are those that are received for earning points on the Angel credit card. Those coupons are called Angel Rewards. Other coupons such as $10 birthday, secret rewards, and $10 off a bra coupons may not be combined unless they are with Angel Rewards. The company has been sending out increasing amounts of coupons, which is sometimes resulting in frustrated customers when they can't be used on the same item. Another example: swim suit season has recently begun and we are having trouble keeping certain items in stock. With our new online ordering implementation it has been easier to find out-of-stock items online to ship to customers. For those who don't have time to wait for shipping, it is frustrating when their size or color is not available. Also, later in the season, swim suits online become back-ordered sometimes as long as 6-8 weeks out! So even though we are able to order the item, customers are upset that it will take so long to arrive.
There are also those types of customers who are not understanding of what we cannot control. For example, as a manager, I am in charge of making sure the store runs smoothly and upholding company policies. I think sometimes customers don't understand that I am not the one making the rules and policies, but only enforcing them. If I do not uphold company policies to standard, I am in danger of losing my job and my livelihood To me, that loss is not worth breaking the rules. I also have no control over the product that is shipped to my store. If I could, I would place specific orders to receive product, but that is not up to my discretion.
Finally, there are also customers that become rightly upset due to mistakes made by associates. This specifically happened in my store recently regarding a complicated return. A customer came in with several items to return (some with receipts and some without). She stated she needed the money back for other expenses. Per the return policy, returns made without a receipt will only be for lowest selling price and only for store credit. With an original receipt, a full refund will be given in the original form of payment. A newer associate processed the return all together and refunded the customer's card in the form of a credit transaction. The customer later returned to the store and stated that she used her card as debit and needed the money to be refunded in that way to be in her account faster. I told her I understood and voided the previous transaction to start over. While I was re-doing the transaction, I noticed the associate had given the customer a refund on her credit card for an un-receipted return (in violation of the return policy). I explained to the customer what happened and that I was sorry for the mistake. I also explained what I was doing to fix it. The customer became very upset and said she wouldn't have come back to fix it if she had known she would be getting less money back. I again apologized for the mistake and explained to her how the return policy works. She finally allowed me to complete her transaction and left the store, only to return again and use her merchandise credit to purchase something. She again left the store and came back one more time to return the merchandise she had just purchased on store credit. She demanded the money she just used be put back on her debit card. She admitted to making that purchase to "go around" the policy and get money on her debit card. To avoid having a scene in the store, I instructed the associate to honor the customer's wishes. To avoid any red flags to our loss prevention team, I informed them of the situation. This was not the first instance that an associate was unaware of a policy and made a mistake. I have made an effort since then to ensure all associates are aware of policies and how to properly follow them.
Fortunately, customers and situations like this are rare and don't often create a scene. I"m not sure I would last very long at this job if they did :)
Thanks for reading!
There are several different types of unhappy customers. Some are rightfully upset about certain store policies or out-of-stock/discontinued products. For example, many customers become frustrated at our coupon policy. The only kinds of coupons that can be combined with other discounts and coupons are those that are received for earning points on the Angel credit card. Those coupons are called Angel Rewards. Other coupons such as $10 birthday, secret rewards, and $10 off a bra coupons may not be combined unless they are with Angel Rewards. The company has been sending out increasing amounts of coupons, which is sometimes resulting in frustrated customers when they can't be used on the same item. Another example: swim suit season has recently begun and we are having trouble keeping certain items in stock. With our new online ordering implementation it has been easier to find out-of-stock items online to ship to customers. For those who don't have time to wait for shipping, it is frustrating when their size or color is not available. Also, later in the season, swim suits online become back-ordered sometimes as long as 6-8 weeks out! So even though we are able to order the item, customers are upset that it will take so long to arrive.
There are also those types of customers who are not understanding of what we cannot control. For example, as a manager, I am in charge of making sure the store runs smoothly and upholding company policies. I think sometimes customers don't understand that I am not the one making the rules and policies, but only enforcing them. If I do not uphold company policies to standard, I am in danger of losing my job and my livelihood To me, that loss is not worth breaking the rules. I also have no control over the product that is shipped to my store. If I could, I would place specific orders to receive product, but that is not up to my discretion.
Finally, there are also customers that become rightly upset due to mistakes made by associates. This specifically happened in my store recently regarding a complicated return. A customer came in with several items to return (some with receipts and some without). She stated she needed the money back for other expenses. Per the return policy, returns made without a receipt will only be for lowest selling price and only for store credit. With an original receipt, a full refund will be given in the original form of payment. A newer associate processed the return all together and refunded the customer's card in the form of a credit transaction. The customer later returned to the store and stated that she used her card as debit and needed the money to be refunded in that way to be in her account faster. I told her I understood and voided the previous transaction to start over. While I was re-doing the transaction, I noticed the associate had given the customer a refund on her credit card for an un-receipted return (in violation of the return policy). I explained to the customer what happened and that I was sorry for the mistake. I also explained what I was doing to fix it. The customer became very upset and said she wouldn't have come back to fix it if she had known she would be getting less money back. I again apologized for the mistake and explained to her how the return policy works. She finally allowed me to complete her transaction and left the store, only to return again and use her merchandise credit to purchase something. She again left the store and came back one more time to return the merchandise she had just purchased on store credit. She demanded the money she just used be put back on her debit card. She admitted to making that purchase to "go around" the policy and get money on her debit card. To avoid having a scene in the store, I instructed the associate to honor the customer's wishes. To avoid any red flags to our loss prevention team, I informed them of the situation. This was not the first instance that an associate was unaware of a policy and made a mistake. I have made an effort since then to ensure all associates are aware of policies and how to properly follow them.
Fortunately, customers and situations like this are rare and don't often create a scene. I"m not sure I would last very long at this job if they did :)
Thanks for reading!
Secret Reward Time!!!
It's that time of year again, Secret Reward time!
If you are unfamiliar with the program, here's how it works:
During the month of March, make any purchase of at least $10, and receive a secret reward card.
SR cards are valid the following month, in April.
Each card has a surprise amount in the values of $10, 25, 50, 75, 100, or 500.
Each card guarantees $10, but can be up to $500!
On April 1st, you can redeem your card on any product in the store!
Card values can be checked before you even start shopping!
In the past, values have only totaled $10, 50, 100, or $500. The company adding $25 and $75 amounts increases the chances of winning! Although a majority of the cards only have a value of $10, we have always had several larger amounts everyday during redemption.
This year, I had the privilege of scanning a $500 reward card! This particular customer chose not to check the amount of her SR before she purchased. I had helped the customer in our store previously and really enjoyed working with her. Before ringing out her merchandise, I asked the customer if she had checked her amount yet and she responded that she hadn't and just assumed it was $10. I said let's go ahead and check before we use it. I scanned it and was completely surprised. I had to count the number of zeros to be sure I was reading it right. My reaction was the following:
I said, "THIS HAS $500 ON IT!!!" The woman did not believe me at first, but she was so excited! I felt so good to be able to surprise her like that! She spent another 2 hours in our store and ended up spending all but $8 of her card.
I walked her to the front of the store with her bags and congratulated her on her prize. She was one of the sweetest ladies I've ever helped. She informed me that her husband and her had recently been losing weight and were trying to build up new wardrobes. They had been on a limited budget and she said the $500 helped her out more than we could imagine. It brought tears to my eyes to know that someone so deserving was the $500 winner.
Photo of myself and the $500 Secret Reward card winner!
Thanks for reading!
If you are unfamiliar with the program, here's how it works:
During the month of March, make any purchase of at least $10, and receive a secret reward card.
SR cards are valid the following month, in April.
Each card has a surprise amount in the values of $10, 25, 50, 75, 100, or 500.
Each card guarantees $10, but can be up to $500!
On April 1st, you can redeem your card on any product in the store!
Card values can be checked before you even start shopping!
In the past, values have only totaled $10, 50, 100, or $500. The company adding $25 and $75 amounts increases the chances of winning! Although a majority of the cards only have a value of $10, we have always had several larger amounts everyday during redemption.
This year, I had the privilege of scanning a $500 reward card! This particular customer chose not to check the amount of her SR before she purchased. I had helped the customer in our store previously and really enjoyed working with her. Before ringing out her merchandise, I asked the customer if she had checked her amount yet and she responded that she hadn't and just assumed it was $10. I said let's go ahead and check before we use it. I scanned it and was completely surprised. I had to count the number of zeros to be sure I was reading it right. My reaction was the following:
I said, "THIS HAS $500 ON IT!!!" The woman did not believe me at first, but she was so excited! I felt so good to be able to surprise her like that! She spent another 2 hours in our store and ended up spending all but $8 of her card.
I walked her to the front of the store with her bags and congratulated her on her prize. She was one of the sweetest ladies I've ever helped. She informed me that her husband and her had recently been losing weight and were trying to build up new wardrobes. They had been on a limited budget and she said the $500 helped her out more than we could imagine. It brought tears to my eyes to know that someone so deserving was the $500 winner.
Photo of myself and the $500 Secret Reward card winner!
Thanks for reading!
Beauty Meeting
Greetings readers!
This weekend I had the privilege of conducting a beauty meeting for select associates who perform well in our beauty zone as well as a few newly hired girls. We looked at selling and servicing styles in the beauty zone and how to adjust your style and behaviors/techniques to cater to specific shoppers.
We used information I have studied before in a few classes about different buying styles. Informal vs. Formal and Laid-back vs. Intense. We looked at the descriptions of each and chose which type of buyer we were ourselves and how we prefer to be sold to. I invited the girls to use this personal experience when shopping with their customers to allow for a more positive experience.
We also looked at all the newness we have in our store! We have been consistently launching new prestige fragrances about every month as well as new scents in our body care collections. We talked about selling vs. servicing styles and when to use each one.
Demonstrations and personal testimony are also big players in successful beauty selling. We did a role-play activity with a few girls to learn the best way to demonstrate the differences in our products. For example, layering lotion and perfume together will help the scent to last longer. I had a partner set of girls role-play how to properly do a layering demonstration without making their customer feel uncomfortable.
I really enjoyed sharing my passion for the beauty zone with the girls. They also had a lot of input and feedback that enlightened me about different ways to approach things. I enjoyed hearing their tips and tricks that they use to be successful. I hope they got as much from the meeting as I did.
Thanks for reading!
This weekend I had the privilege of conducting a beauty meeting for select associates who perform well in our beauty zone as well as a few newly hired girls. We looked at selling and servicing styles in the beauty zone and how to adjust your style and behaviors/techniques to cater to specific shoppers.
We used information I have studied before in a few classes about different buying styles. Informal vs. Formal and Laid-back vs. Intense. We looked at the descriptions of each and chose which type of buyer we were ourselves and how we prefer to be sold to. I invited the girls to use this personal experience when shopping with their customers to allow for a more positive experience.
We also looked at all the newness we have in our store! We have been consistently launching new prestige fragrances about every month as well as new scents in our body care collections. We talked about selling vs. servicing styles and when to use each one.
Demonstrations and personal testimony are also big players in successful beauty selling. We did a role-play activity with a few girls to learn the best way to demonstrate the differences in our products. For example, layering lotion and perfume together will help the scent to last longer. I had a partner set of girls role-play how to properly do a layering demonstration without making their customer feel uncomfortable.
I really enjoyed sharing my passion for the beauty zone with the girls. They also had a lot of input and feedback that enlightened me about different ways to approach things. I enjoyed hearing their tips and tricks that they use to be successful. I hope they got as much from the meeting as I did.
Thanks for reading!
Give Her What She Loves!
Hello readers!
Today launched our new "Give Her What She Loves" campaign!
It all began a few months ago with the implementation of online returns accepted in stores. These returns were processed through our registers and we were able to ship the merchandise back to the distribution center free of charge! Associates and customers alike were excited about this new offer and it really created a more positive atmosphere. The only downside to the procedure was that it took 7-10 business days for the distribution center to receive and process the merchandise and credit the customer's card. There was no way to quickly exchange the product or receive in store merchandise from that credit.
About a month later, iPads were introduced in our stores to support online ordering for customers with free shipping! iPads were pre-loaded with the Victoria's Secret website and allowed associates to search the website just as a consumer would at home. The incentive for allowing us to order for customers in store, was the free shipping code we were exclusively given. And the merchandise ships right to the customer's home! This allowed us to become one step closer to giving our customers exactly what they wanted.
The day has finally come that we are able to Give Her What She Loves! New implementations in our point-of-sale systems allow us to process online and catalog returns for direct merchandise or refunds right in the store. This is exactly what our customers have been asking for, for years! There are still many bugs to be worked out, but the end result will be positive for our stores. In addition to processing returns and exchanges, we no longer have to use the iPad to order merchandise that is out of stock in the store. We are able to process it on our POS screens and add items to an in-store purchase. This has really made things easier for us and allowed for an overall better experience for our customers.
Come by and see us to experience the new system!!!
Today launched our new "Give Her What She Loves" campaign!
It all began a few months ago with the implementation of online returns accepted in stores. These returns were processed through our registers and we were able to ship the merchandise back to the distribution center free of charge! Associates and customers alike were excited about this new offer and it really created a more positive atmosphere. The only downside to the procedure was that it took 7-10 business days for the distribution center to receive and process the merchandise and credit the customer's card. There was no way to quickly exchange the product or receive in store merchandise from that credit.
About a month later, iPads were introduced in our stores to support online ordering for customers with free shipping! iPads were pre-loaded with the Victoria's Secret website and allowed associates to search the website just as a consumer would at home. The incentive for allowing us to order for customers in store, was the free shipping code we were exclusively given. And the merchandise ships right to the customer's home! This allowed us to become one step closer to giving our customers exactly what they wanted.
The day has finally come that we are able to Give Her What She Loves! New implementations in our point-of-sale systems allow us to process online and catalog returns for direct merchandise or refunds right in the store. This is exactly what our customers have been asking for, for years! There are still many bugs to be worked out, but the end result will be positive for our stores. In addition to processing returns and exchanges, we no longer have to use the iPad to order merchandise that is out of stock in the store. We are able to process it on our POS screens and add items to an in-store purchase. This has really made things easier for us and allowed for an overall better experience for our customers.
Come by and see us to experience the new system!!!
It's Baseball Time!
Hello!
It's getting close to baseball season and customers have started to ask where our Cardinals gear is! Over last weekend, I was out of the business and unable to create a spot for the new Cardinals gear until today. The focus of this first collection is tanks. They are meant to be layered with bandeaux and sports bras underneath. Although we don't have quite enough product to display a full size-run, I did the best I could with the product that was in stock. Below is a picture of the display created.
I wanted to focus on layering, as I have layered each tank and tee with a bra underneath. This helps the consumer to see the outfit and be inspired with both items.
I coached my team to build wardrobes from the inside out. Begin with bras and add on matching panties as well as a top and bottom to go with! This coaching message focused on cross-category connections from the pink brand across to the beauty and bra zones as well.
Thanks for reading!!!
It's getting close to baseball season and customers have started to ask where our Cardinals gear is! Over last weekend, I was out of the business and unable to create a spot for the new Cardinals gear until today. The focus of this first collection is tanks. They are meant to be layered with bandeaux and sports bras underneath. Although we don't have quite enough product to display a full size-run, I did the best I could with the product that was in stock. Below is a picture of the display created.
I wanted to focus on layering, as I have layered each tank and tee with a bra underneath. This helps the consumer to see the outfit and be inspired with both items.
I coached my team to build wardrobes from the inside out. Begin with bras and add on matching panties as well as a top and bottom to go with! This coaching message focused on cross-category connections from the pink brand across to the beauty and bra zones as well.
Thanks for reading!!!
Photos of the most recent floorset
I decided to merchandise the yoga wall with mix and match tanks and tees on our 2/$30 promotion. Flanking the shorties on either side are crops and crop leggings to get customers thinking about summer wardrobes.
Close up
I changed to launch table from brand guide description to support the merchandise we had the most of. This is a light-weight boyfriend pant set with matching jacket.
This is the corner cabinet adjacent to the yoga wall. It also features mix and match 2/$30 tanks with yoga 1/2 zips to match.
My focus of this floorset was to display the product we had the most of and highlight the bright and neon colors we own for summer. I also focused on layering multiple items to inspire building a summer wardrobe.
Enjoy!
I decided to merchandise the yoga wall with mix and match tanks and tees on our 2/$30 promotion. Flanking the shorties on either side are crops and crop leggings to get customers thinking about summer wardrobes.
Close up
I changed to launch table from brand guide description to support the merchandise we had the most of. This is a light-weight boyfriend pant set with matching jacket.
This is the corner cabinet adjacent to the yoga wall. It also features mix and match 2/$30 tanks with yoga 1/2 zips to match.
My focus of this floorset was to display the product we had the most of and highlight the bright and neon colors we own for summer. I also focused on layering multiple items to inspire building a summer wardrobe.
Enjoy!
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