Week 6 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 6

Company: Sea Island

I read the article "New Label Alert: LoveShackFancy—The Perfect Summer Weekend Dress" and it screams Sea Island! Rebecca Cohen is launching a new dress line that is centered around the perfect summer versatile dress. "The looks are meant to be for the stylish woman on-the-go who needs to seamlessly take her look from an afternoon on the beach to cocktails at a chic restaurant. Plus, the lightweight dresses pack easily and look just as polished with a few crinkles thanks to the nature of the tissue-fine fabric." This line is perfect for Sea Island because the guests are stylish women who are traveling so they have limited space and need versatile outfits. There are three different versions - Love, Shack, and Fancy - all varying in formality so they can be catered to occasion. I think this line would do very well at Sea Island because it fits the target market perfectly.

My co-worker Cidney also thinks that this dress line would do really well at Sea Island. She said that because the dress is so versatile - can be tied several different ways, worn as a low scoop back or empire waist, and worn to several different occasions - it is perfect for the customers at Sea Island. Most of the guests go from the beach during the day to a dressy dinner so this line would be perfect for them.

Levinson, Lauren. (2013, June 27). New Label Alert: LoveShackFancy—The Perfect Summer Weekend Dress. Retrieved on June 30, 2013 from http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/love-shack-fancy

Week 6 at Sea Island

Quality of Performance Ratings (on a scale of 1-5):
Knowledge of work - 4/5, Now that I am familiar with the merchandise that we carry and the processes of the store, I am able to operate the store on my own. However, I think there is always more to learn in retail.

Image - I would say 5 because I always try really hard to look presentable. I have always thought that it is better to be overdressed than underdressed and I find myself dressing more professionally than the other sales associates. "Dress not for the job you have but the job you want," right? An aspect of Sea Island's Standards is to upkeep appearance and I believe that I have.

Communication skills - 4/5, I think communication is extremely important especially in the professional world. I try to stay in constant contact with my manager. Since we rarely see her at work and she communicates best through email, then I try to keep her updated through email. If I'm going to be late clocking in one day because the employee bus is running behind schedule, then I make sure to send her a quick email to give her a heads up. However, I think everyone could use an improvement in communication skills, including me.

Professional judgements - 3/4, I try to stay professional in every situation but I think professional etiquette takes time to learn. I'm still unsure of how to properly handle certain situations with employers or co-workers but I think that is something that I will learn over time.

I think my greatest abilities lie in the Sales Associate side of the internship. I have gotten familiar with and become knowledgable of the merchandise we carry so I am able to answer questions. I am comfortable with the processes of the store so I am able to operate the store alone.

I need improvement on the "office" side of the internship. I have been here for 7 weeks so far and only gotten to work in the offices twice (a total of 10 hours). When I interviewed for this internship, my bosses made it seem like the internship would be 50% working in the store and 50% shadowing/working in the offices. The other interns perceived this as well and we have all been extremely disappointed that we haven't gotten the experiences that we were promised. We have all expressed that we would like more time in the offices but our manager responds with- we were hired to work in the stores so that has to be the first priority. We were unaware that this was basically a retail job.

My best experience has probably been getting satisfaction out of selling in the store. It is so rewarding when I revamp the visual merchandising around the store and something immediately sells.

The worst experience has been the lack of opportunity we've been given to learn the buying, administrative, and distribution side of the business.

Biggest fashion lesson learned is to stay on your toes because the fashion industry has so many aspects.

Week 5 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 5

Company: Sea Island

Summary: MiH Jeans has just recently launched a service where you can get your jeans hand monogrammed. You can choose up to three letters/numbers and from a variety of colors and fonts.

I think this is such a cool way of encouraging personalization through a pair of jeans. I have heard that Louis Vuitton offers a free monogramming service when you purchase a handbag but I think jeans are just as cool. This relates to Sea Island because monogramming is huge in the South and many of the Sea Island customers love monograms. We sell a tote bag that says Sea Island on it and you can get it monogrammed with your initials in an exclusive Tibi print that was designed specifically for Sea Island. This has been hugely popular with customers. 

I asked my co-worker Stephanie about this article and she thought that our customers would love that idea. She also pointed out that the success of the idea would depend on logistics. Because Tibi has a huge corporate presence on St. Simons Island, Ga, we are able to send and receive the monogrammed tote bags within a week. We then either get the customer to come in and pick it up or ship it to their house. This idea works because Tibi is local and the monogram print is exclusive. Stephanie wonders if hand monogramming would take a long time and how would they get the jeans to the customers.

Lund, Alicia. (11 June, 2013). MiH Jeans Launches Monogramming Denim Service. Retrieved on June 22, 2013 from http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/mih-jeans-monogramming-service

Week 5 at Sea Island

Sea Island as a whole sells a little bit of everything. More specifically in the Sea Island Shop, we sell women's clothing, scarves, belts, handbags, hats, jewelry, men's clothing, shoes, socks, belts, ties, cuff links, and baseball hats. We also sell a variety of gift items such as serving trays and Christmas ornaments.

I would say that overall Sea Island is classic with a Southern flair. Some of the women's clothing is trendy but the men's is strictly classic. The most trendy the men's clothing gets is a golf shirt in a bright color.

The retail department uses 2.2 markup on most things but I know that beach toys are marked up even more.

I was involved in an inventory process this week and received training for that. We used handheld scanners to scan every item that was for sale in the store. The entire store was split up between 8 people. Next, we viewed the variances - we what actually have in inventory and what we are supposed to have in inventory. Then we spent the next few hours looking for the items that are missing. After, we conclude that we have looked everywhere and couldn't find the remaining missing items and we send the variance number to the Retail Director to accept. The variance was less than 1% so she accepted.

By this point, I have gotten a good idea of each employee's work ethic. I know which ones are really good at keeping the merchandise looking good and which ones don't straighten when they should. It is easier to know your coworker's habits because you can alter your actions to better work together.

I am still learning more information but I would like more time in the offices to see that side of the department. I have expressed this to my boss and she said after July 4th (our busiest time of year) she could work this out.

In the next couple weeks, July 4th is coming up and with it being so busy, I know it will definitely be a challenge. I'm hoping to learn even more through this experience.

Here are a few pictures of the merchandise that we sell in the Sea Island Shop. These are the most popular brands we sell.

 

Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Trina Turk

 

Lilly Pulitzer, Kate Spade

Mud Pie Gifts

Assorted jewelry

DVF Handbangs and clutches

Assorted Peter Millar products

Men's Peter Millar and Martin Dingman shoes

 

Peter Millar outfits

Week 4 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 4

Company: Sea Island

Summary: This is one article that I'm particularly excited about because I love Revenge! The ABC Network is in the process of a licensing deal to begin a clothing line inspired by the characters on Revenge. ABC Studios, Matchbox Co., and Firefly Brand Management are teaming up to get this idea underway. Matchbox Co. represents the show's costume designer, Jill Ohanneson. Right now they are focusing on women's apparel and accessories but they have also considered plus size, shoes, and men's wear for the future. They hope to start with a holiday collection in one major retailer. This is a brilliant idea since the show already has 10 million followers on a weekly basis.

I think this article pertains to Sea Island because our guests and members could relate to the types of characters on Revenge. They live the same lifestyle and have the same ability as the Grayson family on the show. I think that our guests have extremely similar style to those characters and now they could dress just like them. 

My co-worker Stephanie also watches Revenge so she thinks this article was very interesting. She also thinks that our customers are similar to the Grayson's on the show and they share the same taste in appearance/clothing. This could be a fun way to appeal to that target customer.

(2013, June 4). ABC Studios in Licensing Deal for 'Revenge' Apparel, Accessories. Retrieved on June 11,  2013 from http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/watch-your-back-6966444?src=rss/recentstories/20130604.

Week 4 at Sea Island

Out of the several stores at Sea Island, only one store has a window display and that is the Sea Island Shop. Here are a couple pictures of the display.

The layout had been done previously by one of the sales associates but she let me change the women's clothing on this day.  One mannequin is wearing a striped Kate Spade shift dress and the other is wearing an orange DVF wrap dress. We carry several DVF wrap dresses in the store and they are very popular. We had also just gotten more Kate Spade in stock so that is why I chose one of her dresses. We kept the jewelry to a minimum with a cuff and/or a long necklace. The bag and clutch are also DVF as that is really the only brand of handbags we carry besides a couple Hobo bags. The question we get the most about the window are about the shoes. We don't carry women's shoes in the store anymore and the shoes on the mannequins are from TJ Maxx and only for display.  I'm not sure if this is common to put display-only shoes on the mannequins but customers get really disappointed when they ask about the shoes and we don't have them.

There is a ladder between the two women mannequins that holds several gift items that we have in the store, such as wine, wine glasses, picture frames, etc. On the other side, there are two men mannequins in Peter Millar clothing, since that is the most popular vendor for the men's department at Sea Island. We actually carry men's shoes in the store, including the ones on the mannequins. Between the two men are examples of Sea Island gift wrapping. 

I think the store windows have all of the elements that represent the store but I think it could be more creative. They are definitely lacking the fun and exciting aspect. I would love to see the window tell a story, as opposed to stiff mannequins standing alone. I think there would more interaction with customers this way. I do think the windows slightly increase sales because women will come in and ask for the dresses in the window. The windows do match some of the target customer. As I mentioned before, guests are usually young families and members are usually older couples. The windows appeal to the younger men and women but not so much to the 50+ customer.

The only difficulties I've encountered have been checking people out on the micros. I just learned how to do a gift card yesterday. There are so many different buttons and ways of checking people out that I'm still learning.

I have learned that I definitely like administrative type work more than being on the sales floor. We had to do spot checks yesterday and for some reason I really enjoyed it. I liked being given a task with a challenge and having to complete it on my own. This is more rewarding to me than assisting customers.

I have spent more time with my manager lately and it is clear how much time and effort she dedicates to her job. She is extremely busy and has a lot on her plate but executes it well by keeping everyone happy.

I can't pinpoint most humorous thing that has happened this week because my coworkers keep the atmosphere really fun so we are always laughing. 

Next week I am looking forward to being involved in the inventory process.

Week 3 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 3

Company: Sea Island

Summary: Vogue just released their Summer 2013 Swimsuit Guide just in time for Memorial Day! It consists of a slideshow of more than 45 swimsuits for every body type. They include all of the hot new trends for summer in swimwear. They showed string bikini, high waist, the maillot, bra top, and even rash guard. This is the #1 go-to article for this summer's swimwear guide.

One of Sea Island's major weekends is Memorial Day. They also sell a huge selection of swimsuits. This article is perfect for the buyers to review for inspiration . The slideshow has so much variety that the buyers could expand their merchandise by taking ideas from Vogue. Sea Island customers are in one of two categories - there are guests of the resort and full-time members. The guests tend to be younger families that are fit and in good shape while the members tend to be more robust. These two markets require very different merchandise especially in swim. I think this article affects Sea Island because it gives swimsuit ideas for every body type.

My roommate and co-worker Whitney really liked this article. She thinks that the buyers need to incorporate the variety of these swimsuits into our stores. We carry mostly bikinis, tankinis, and one-piece swimsuits but Whitney thinks that bringing some variety into the store, like high waisted swimsuits, could be very successful.

Sailer, Jessica. (2013, 24 May). Dive In: Vogue's Guide of 45+ Swimsuits for Summer. Retrieved on June 4, 2013 from: http://www.vogue.com/guides/dive-in-vogues-guide-of-45-plus-swimsuits-for-summer/

Week 3 at Sea Island

The main shop that I work in is the Sea Island Shop and I think the advertising for that shop is done very poorly. Most of the guests of the resort don't know anything about the shop unless they just happen to stumble upon it. It is down a long hallway and is slightly hidden so that doesn't help bring in traffic. As far as I know, there isn't any advertising for any of the shops on the island. The Director of Retail has discussed the idea of building a small window case in the lobby of the main building to house a mannequin and some information about the shop to point customers in our direction. I thought this was a great idea and she has presented the idea to upper level management but nothing has been executed yet.
The Sea Island Shop has many target customers. Most of the merchandise is high-end so I would definitely say all customers should accept high price points. The shop is 40% men's clothing, 40% women's clothing, and 20% gift items. The men's clothing is very colorful, preppy, and golf oriented so I would say the target men's customer is a younger, fashion-savvy, athletic man. The women's clothing is targeted toward middle-aged women but the buyers have recently tried bringing in brands, such as Kate Spade, to target younger women (20s). I think the buyers could more effectively reach this younger target market through accessories. We carry many handbags in the shop but most of them are DVF and they are upwards of $500. I think if they brought in trendy, more cost effective accessories, they would see more purchases from younger women.
I made a mistake the other day on the micros when checking someone out. I asked one of the other sales associates to help me and together we fixed the issue. I had entered a number in wrong and now I will make sure to be extra careful when entering information.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with the buyers and a rep from Robert Talbott. I have never gotten to see that process before so I was extremely excited for that. I was a little out of my element because it was strictly menswear that they were buying and I don't know much about menswear. However, I'm learning more and more everyday! It was so interesting to see the process of buying and their decision making.
I love that they are giving me more time in the retail offices because I was interested in learning more about the back-of-house operations while I'm here. Each time I'm in the offices, I am learning so much even though I'm only down there for a couple hours at a time.
The most humorous thing that has happened this week is the guests that come in to shop after dinner and after they have had one too many glasses of wine. They say the most hilarious things so it's always entertaining to work the closing shift in the shop.

Week 2 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 2

Company: Sea Island

Summary: I read a post called "Zoom on This: The Best Clothes of Resort 2014," from Nymag.com. It explains how designers are already focused on Resort 2014 and it touches on a few trends to look out for. According to the article, tropical inspired bight colors and embellishments will be huge for Resort 2014. This is positive for Sea Island because customers come here to shop for beachy clothing. They want the bright colors and the tropical inspiration. The post focused on Tory Burch's line, which is very floral. I think these pieces would sell great at Sea Island.

This affects Sea Island through the buying aspect. Yesterday when I shadowed the buyer, she explained that the only place you can preview a Tory Burch line is in their showroom in New York. She also said that they don't have the budget in the Sea Island Retail Department to take several trips to New York so they buy from line sheets pretty often. She showed me one from Tory Burch Fall 2013. It did include actual pictures but they were of very poor quality. I couldn't believe that is what they rely on for buying! She said sometimes a product will come in and it isn't at all what they were expecting because it didn't look like the picture they were sent. That has to be frustrating and a downside to being so far away from NYC.

My co-worker, Cidney, think that this floral Tory Burch line will do great in the Sea Island Shop. Since Tory Burch is already a must-have for the store, she thinks the tropical inspiration of this new line will make the buyers order a lot of Tory Burch product for Resort 2014.

Tsui, Diana. (2013, May 28). Zoom on This: The Best Clothes of Resort 2014. Retrieved on May 31, 2013 from http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/05/zoom-on-this-the-best-clothes-of-resort-2014.html

Week 2 at Sea Island

This week at Sea Island has been really exciting. I have moved around to several stores to get a feel for all of them. They are all so different and I have had so much fun learning how each of them are run differently. I have mostly been working in the Sea Island Shop, which has high-end designer merchandise and is the nicest shop on the island. They carry men's and women's clothing and accessories, as well as gifts. Peter Millar is the number one vendor for Sea Island and it is carried in all of the shops on the island. I wasn't familiar with the brand before I started working here but I have quickly learned that it is very loved by many of the customers. The Sea Island Shop requires extra care of the guests. But I have also worked in the Surf Shop, which is in the Beach Club. It’s extremely busy all day, every day and it carries beach toys and swimsuits. It’s near the beach so its much more casual in the way that shoppers can have only a bathing suit on, whereas the Sea Island Shop is much nicer. I didn’t think I would like working at the Surf Shop because I had been warned how crazy it can be but I’m actually very glad I worked there to be able to compare the two shops. I think I best fit the Sea Island Shop because I’m more soft spoken and the environment is more my personality. I also worked in the Spa Shop one day this week. It is very different from the other two shops because the majority of its merchandise is lotions and facial products. It was very quiet all day and we didn’t have much traffic in the store. Then I also spent a day in the retail offices shadowing the buyer, the receiver, and the administrative position. I actually really liked this side of their system. Being on the floor and interacting with customers is fun and very informative, but I know I am good at desk work and I think I may want to pursue something on the administrative side. 

The reputation of Sea Island is incredible. It is a 5 star resort and it is known all over the world. I  have been told it is ranked as one of the top 5 places to visit in the world. They are known for their customer service and from working here, I can tell it is something they work really hard at. I have had really good experiences with everyone I have worked with. Everyone is extremely nice and is always willing to answer any questions. I think I fit the company culture because the company fits my personality and they have a family atmosphere. I haven't had any difficulties yet but I have had one disappointment this week. We were told that a rep from Peter Millar was coming this week to merchandise their product in the Sea Island Shop. I emailed my manager and asked if I could be placed in the store when she comes because I would love to observe. My manager was thrilled and happily let me come to the store while the rep was there. I was disappointed with the visit because the rep began by saying "this isn't something I can teach you." She was very unwilling to show me her thought process or answer questions. She gave me a table of shirts to fold to keep me busy. However, it was worth a shot and I'm glad I at least asked to observe.

I have learned so many new things already. I think my favorite day was shadowing in the retail offices. I loved seeing the "behind the scenes" of everything that goes on to be able to run the stores.

I have really great living arrangement on St. Simons Island. I am living with a UGA FM grad, Whitney Stone, and a UGA marketing major. None of us knew each other before we moved in together but it has worked out really well so far.

Next week I am looking forward to visiting the retail offices again. There is a rep coming for the buyers to preview a line and place orders. I have never seen the process before so I am very excited to be able to get involved.

Week 1 Current Event

Current Event Post - Week 1
Company: Sea Island

Summary: I read the article "Who has Signed the Bangladesh Safety Accord - Update," written by Katie Smith on May 24, 2013. It touches on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety that was recently signed by 40 different countries after a factory in Bangladesh had collapsed. The accord will last for 5 years and require safety inspections and public reports filed on the factories. Renovations and safety upgrades will also be mandatory for Bangladeshi suppliers. Companies that have signed the agreement are:

COMPANY	GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS
Abercrombie & Fitch	US
Aldi	Germany
Arcadia	UK
Benetton	Italy
Bonmarche	UK
C&A	Germany
Carrefour	France
Charles Vögele	Switzerland
El Corte Inglés	Spain
Ernstings's Family	Germany
Esprit	Hong Kong
Fat Face	UK
G-Star	Netherlands
Hennes & Mauritz (H&M)	Sweden
Helly Hansen	Norway
Hema	Denmark
Hess Natur	Germany
Inditex	Spain
JCB	Belgium
John Lewis	UK
KiK	Germany
Lidl	Germany
Loblaw	Canada
Mango	Spain
Marks & Spencer (M&S)	UK
Mothercare	UK
N Brown Group	UK
New Look	UK
Next	UK
Otto Group	Germany
Primark	UK
PVH	US
Sainsbury’s	UK
Shop Direct	UK
Stockmann	Finland
Switcher	Switzerland
Tchibo	Germany
Tesco	UK
V&D	Denmark
We Europe	Netherlands

This might affect Sea Island through its vendors that they use. If some of the vendors source to Bangladesh or have factories in Bangladesh, they will have to adhere to the safety restrictions and fully pay for any renovations that are needed. Since the money has to come out-of-pocket from the company, this could affect finances and the overall logistics of sourcing and manufacturing the product.

I think this accord is very positive and I hope other countries creates similar accords. There is so much abuse that happens in factories abroad and these safety restrictions that are legally binding will hopefully lead to improvements of conditions for workers. The other companies that have factories in Bangladesh should also sign the accord.

Co-worker's opinion: My co-worker, Cidney, also thinks this document is extremely positive and beneficial to the Bangladeshi workers. She is in agreement with me in hopes of other countries creating accords similar to this. We also discussed the issue of the end of the 5 year mark and whether or not these companies will resign the accord after the additional expenses of safety renovations.

Smith, K. (2013, May 24). Who has signed the Bangladesh safety accord - update. Retrieved on May 24, 2013 from: http://www.just-style.com/analysis/who-has-signed-the-bangladesh-safety-accord-update_id117856.aspx