Internship Blog

Wharton Retail Club recruited several retail interns who have agreed to blog about their retail internship experiences. Our writers have a wide range of retail experience that ranges from buying and planning to merchandising and design. The purpose of this blog is to create an online community for students interested in careers in the retail industry. Make sure to check back often for great stories, insights, and advice from our writers!

Visit our blog at http://retailinterns.blogspot.com or see the newest posts below!

If you are currently interning in the retail industry and wish to contribute to this blog, email Philine Cheng at chengph@wharton.upenn.edu.

Latests Posts

• Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:54:00 +0000: The Best Company Ever - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  That's right: it is Target’s mission to be the Best Company Ever. I have always believed in this mission, but after having been here for the past three days I have come to experience it first hand. This experience gives the company mission its place on the walls of Target’s central meeting place, the Great Hall, and an even more prominent one in the mind and spirit of Target team members. 
  
  
  It is my hope that my blog posts over the next couple of weeks will speak to the ways in which Target exemplifies and consistently builds upon what it takes to be the Best Company Ever, a mission that is embodied in– and reflected by– its central brand promise. (C'mon! You already know it!)
  
  Expect more. Pay less. 
  
  
  Though I cannot promise to be the Best Blogger Ever (seeing as I’m always busy exploring Minneapolis and bonding with my fellow Target interns after work) I can promise to be genuine as I tell you about Target as a company, as a group of extremely talented individuals, and as an internship experience precisely the way I see it: through my very own [bulls]eyes.
  
  A little bit about my place at Target before the blogging begins: this summer I’m working in Target’s Marketing division at corporate headquarters in Minneapolis. I’m on the PR and Social Media team, and work closely with my team on Target’s behind-the-scenes online magazine, A Bullseye View. My team also works on Target’s Pinterest, and its VIP blogger program, Target Inner Circle.
  
  
  I'm so excited to make the most out of everything Target and Minneapolis have to offer. I have a feeling this will be... the Best Summer Ever.
  
  Janina (and Bullseye the dog)
  
  
  
  My instagram of a massive glittery portrait of Bullseye at Target HQ
  
  
• Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:19:00 +0000: Meet Janina, Target Corporation Intern - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  My name is Janina Lagemann-Doné and I’m a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences here at Penn. My major is so cool (it’s communications) and my minors are anything but minor to me (creative writing and French are huge interests of mine). 
  
  
  
  On campus, I’m newly elected VP of the Promotions & Web committee of MUSE, Penn’s marketing club. I’m also involved in the philanthropy efforts of my sorority, Chi Omega, and I contribute to several campus literary publications. 
  
  More about me? Okay! I like carrot cake, broadway musicals, and traveling. I also love marketing. Oh, and I adore shopping. 
  
  
  
  With that said, I’m thrilled to be doing retail marketing this summer!
  
  
  
  I’m off to Minneapolis, where I’ll be interning at Target corporate headquarters! I can’t wait to tell you more about myself and my marketing internship at Target. Check out my Wednesday blog posts!
  
  
  
  
  
• Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:56:00 +0000: Warby Parker: Training Week - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  Hey everyone,
  
  My name is Lennie Zhu, and this is my second time writing for this blog. Last time I was at the luxury brand Jil Sander, but this year I'm a few blocks over, working on shaking things up at the fashion world's revolutionary eyewear startup, Warby Parker.
  
  
  
  
  
  I had my first day at Warby Parker yesterday. So far, my work has consisted mostly of customer experience training and listening to various branch heads present on the history and functions of their departments. While this process of employee culturization and orientation is fairly standard among most companies, I have been continuously awed by the amount of depth and passion that I have seen in every single presentation here at Warby. It is clear that the company places vast importance upon educating every single employee about the operations and long term vision of the company.
  
  Within 2 short days, I have had the opportunity to watch fascinating presentations about everything from Warby's independent manufacturing process to specific branding initiatives to how to read glasses prescriptions. Throughout all of these talks, two things have stood out for me: (1) Warby's culture pervades everything- everything- that its employees do, and (2) Warby is a truly modern retail company.
  
  In the first talk, we learned about the company's core values; namely, Warby Parker believes that its employees should take their work seriously, but never take themselves seriously. Beyond that, the company seeks to be a "Good Company" that infuses social good into all of its everyday processes. This is apparent in everything from the way it communicates with its customers ("kill them with kindness") to its nonprofit partnerships, B Corp certification, and Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, to its carbon neutral materials. I have never before encountered a company that has so successfully integrated these values into its basic structure. The result is that Warby's employees approach their work with a highly positive, yet humble attitude, and also treat one another with the utmost kindness and understanding.
  
  Secondly, I am incredibly impressed by the number of creative and modern solutions the company is constantly finding for its problems. For example, the company has been selling glasses through a truly multichannel platform that includes its website, showrooms, partnerships with pre-exisitng boutiques, its brick-and-mortar flagship stores, kiosks in the Standard Hotel, and bicycle baskets filled with glasses at Art Basel. Additionally, the company leverages technology seamlessly in its business model in a way that no other retail company currently does. It uses Youtube videos to respond to customer tweets, has virtual try-on tools on its website, and uses new age technologies to track customer shopping patterns in its new brick and mortar stores. There has also been talk of incorporating 3D printing into the production model.
  
  With each new presentation, I become more and more confident that I am working at a company that has an unbelievably bright future. That confidence was further boosted by my visit to the company's visually stunning flagship store in Soho, which is pictured below:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Within the next weeks, I will continue to train, learn, and hopefully get started on my summer projects! I'll keep you updated throughout all of those adventures- I am sure that I'll have a lot to share with you all. Until then, take care!
  
  Best,
  Lennie
• Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:21:00 +0000: DKNY PR Girl: An Intern's Guide to Working the Shows.... - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  
  

  Professionalism is super important, and sometimes you have to anticipate your boss' expectations of you in order to do what is acceptable. As always, Aliza Licht, DKNY PR Girl, makes it easy for you to meet your boss' expectations, whether at a fashion show or in the office with a few (very) honest recommendations. -- Dan
  
  
  
  
  
  *The below recommendations really apply to many industries..
  
  Most people start in this biz as an intern.  We all have been there in one way or another.  I used to pick dust bunnies out of shoes in the accessories closet at Harper’s Bazaar and appreciated every minute of it.  As an intern it’s an incredible opportunity to experience certain milestones of the Fashion industry- Fashion Week being one of the biggest.
  
  

  So here’s a list of things I think you should know before show week and may the force be with you….
  
  1. Know your role. Meaning- have an understanding of what is expected of you before show day, so on that day, you are on autopilot.
  
  2. Ask what you should wear. There is nothing that makes me cringe more than an intern showing up at a show decked in something totally inappropriate for the brand. (Of course, a good supervisor should tell you!)
  
  3. For godsake, be on time, if not early.  There’s nothing worse than someone who is lucky to be there at all, showing up late.
  
  4. Don’t get in the way. This one should sound familiar. Your parents said this to you when they hosted dinner parties. Remember?  In this case it means don’t hover waiting to be told what to do.  If you did #1 you should know exactly where you should be and what you should be doing.
  
  5. Do not ogle vips, celebrities or designers.  I know it’s super exciting to be there, but really, people get very uncomfortable when they think they are being stalked.
  
  6. Do not think of this as a networking opportunity.  It is NOT.  Interns should be seen and not heard.  I mean that from the bottom of my heart, in the nicest way possible, but trust me this is the best advice you will ever get.
  
  7. Do not under any circumstances invite anyone to the show, not even to stand.  It’s not your party and yes, you can go cry if you want to, but it won’t help.
  
  8. As much as I can understand why you want to, this is not the place to snap pictures.  What goes on pre-show is proprietary information and should not end up on your Facebook page.  The people you work with will not appreciate candids of them in action.  #Trust
  
  9. Do NOT sit unless you are told to fill in a seat.  Sitting is a privilege given out, not taken.
  
  10. Impress your supervisors by asking them what needs to be done once the show is OVER.  P.S. a lot.
  
  11. Be an over achiever and come to the office the next day with the local papers that feature the brand’s reviews.  It will cost you all of $2 to do that and it looks super impressive.
  
  12. Work hard and make an impression.  We really value great interns and a lot of what we do can’t get done without you.  So THANK YOU for striving for excellence and trust me we notice when you do.
  
  

  I’m sure I forgot something, so feel free to tweet me @dkny and I’ll add it to the list.
  
  

  xo,
  
  DKNY PR GIRL

  
  

  Source: dknyprgirl
• Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:36:00 +0000: Marc Jacobs Week 7 - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  
  
  
  Hi Everyone,
  
  
  
  Last week I started on a new project called “Top 20 Reports,” which compile the most popular 20 styles in each division into a single-page worksheet that is referenced during corporate meetings. Another intern and I took over for a full-time employee who left the company, assuming the responsibility of completing the reports for Retail and Wholesale divisions by Friday night. Moreover, this week we had to teach the process to a new intern who will be taking over the project when the first group of interns leave. A few key lessons learned from this experience:
  
  
  1)    Make sure to practice the steps yourself after watching someone else do it. I can’t even express how different it was to go through the process on my own than to watch someone explain the process to me. Nuanced problems will inevitably pop up that can be avoided by trying the steps yourself.
  2)    After trying the steps firsthand, make a calendar of the tasks that need to be completed each day and notice when you deviate from the projected timeline. If things are going slower than expected, do not hesitate to tell someone in the office so that they are not left scrambling at the end of the week when it is not completed.
  3)    When you are working on a project with other people, it helped to create a GoogleDoc that each person updated with their progress so that no work is duplicated or skipped. In my case, it is very easy to confuse the divisions and seasons because they have similar abbreviations; so, staying organized was critical to ensuring that no mistakes were made.
  
  
  At the end of the week, it felt amazing to have completed a project that would actually be used by corporate during meetings that Friday night, and to see the results of our efforts. I had to stay late one night to finish a division and I ended up having the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a person who is normally in meetings all day. She had excellent advice that I would not have heard otherwise because we do not have the chance to talk very often. 
  
  
  Whether you realize it or not, the extra effort that you expend above and beyond the bare minimum is noticed and it will be the critical factor that makes you stand out among fellow, equally qualified, interns.
  
  
  Until next time,
  Elle
• Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:22:00 +0000: Fashion Campus NYC - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  Sorry that I’ve been MIA since the first post! I didn’t work for the month of July so that I could make some money working at a summer camp. (I needed to be able to fund this free internship somehow!)
  
  
  Earlier this summer, Elle, Alex and I all attended an event called Fashion Campus NYC. This event is run by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Parsons The New School for Design as a way to get prominent business students interested in entering the fashion industry. This was an amazing opportunity where we were able to talk to workers in the fashion industry, learn about what different jobs are out there, and network with recruiters.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  One of my favorite parts of the event was listening to the panel of industry insiders and learn from their advice. The panel included Simon Collins, Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons, Alexis Hanczaryk, Senior Production Coordinator for Men’s Graphics at American Eagle, Laura Kenkel, Associate Production Manager for Women’s Wovens at J. Crew, Will McGinn, Head Buyer for Men’s apparel at Brooklyn Industries, Nancy Tsuei, VP of Merchandising at West Elm, and Carla Isabel Carstens, founder of FreeFashionInternships.com (where I found my internship!) I wrote down so many great quotes of what they had to say. Hopefully you find some inspiration in them, too!
  
  “Bloom where you are planted.” – Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s
  
  
  “You are your own brand, and you have to make a good impression on everybody.”  -Simon Collins
  
  
  “Ask for things they want to give you.” – Simon Collins
  
  
  “Ecommerce is going to be the most important channel of the business.” – Nancy Tsuei
  
  
  “Ask as many questions as you want at your internship.” – Nancy Tsuei
  
  
  “If you really aren’t happy, and you know it’s not right, then try something else.” – Alexis Hanczaryk
  
  
  “At the end of the day, it’s only fashion: smile and breathe!” – Alexis Hanczaryk
  
  
  “Stay curious within your own industry.” – Laura Kenkel
  
  
  Keeping this advice in mind, I applied it to my own internship; whenever I find myself with one-on-one time with an employee, I ask a slew of questions about their past and their position. I do whatever they tell me to the best of my ability in order to prove that I can be trusted with more responsibility. I always think one step ahead of whatever task I’m doing so that I can prevent anything from going wrong. And I definitely go into the job everyday curious and not expecting what will happen.
  
  
  If you want to find out more about the event, see some videos from the past two years, and learn about how to apply for next year, check out the event at http://fashioncampusnyc.com/.
  
  
  
  
  I’ll write again about wrapping up my internship! Only two more weeks left! 
  
  
  Amelia 
  
  
  
  
  
  (Here's a picture of Elle and I listening to a representative from Moda Operandi! Elle seemed picture ready... I was REALLY into the free food.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Sat, 28 Jul 2012 21:24:00 +0000: TJX Week 9 - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  As time is running out, I have been given a bit more responsibility. My buyer has allowed me to reorder basics from our major juniors vendors. Basics include items such as tshirts, camis, and leggings, usually solid colors and updated with a little bit of the latest fashion. I start this process by first looking at the week’s selling. I determine which items to reorder using the sales to stock ratio (inventory turn or how fast it is selling), the sell through, the number of weeks it has been on the floor, and what we have on order. Then, based on how much we have shipped in the past, how fast the item is selling, how much we already have on order, and how we see it going forward, I propose a quantity to reorder. I have been fortunate to do this multiple times and it has been such a learning opportunity.  I have picked up on the bodies, colors, and trends our customer really likes as well as the ones she hates. If I’m ever curious about the reason behind this I can look at our production sample or our pictures from the showroom.
  
  
  Another task I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with is shipping. Buyers frequently have to handle vendors asking for manufacturing extensions and encountering shipping problems. Anything that delays product from hitting the floor is detrimental to business. A buyer desires to have a consistent flow of product on the floor and spend fixed portion of their open to buy for in each class. They are also loosing out on sales. One of our vendors was supposed to ship us biker and baseball jackets at the beginning of July. However, because these items still haven’t left the Chinese factory, I had to cancel the order. We needed them to be on the floor for the month of July and shipping them in August wouldn’t work with our product mix.
  
  

  The view of lower Manhattan from our breakfast cruise

  Besides the learning experience, money, and networking, internships are also great for their perks. Last week was our office sample sale. All of the buyers were forced to clear out their racks to make room for the fall/winter samples. Samples are given to us at no cost and so we paid between $0.50-$10 for items such as coats, dresses, sweaters, shoes, handbags, jewelry, blankets, towels…….basically everything you could find in a TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Homegoods. All the money went to charity. Let’s just say I’m going to need another closet. Yesterday we had our summer office party and went on a breakfast boat cruise around Manhattan. I’m going to have to disagree with those that say that work can’t be fun.
  
  
  Until next time,
  Megan
• Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:18:00 +0000: Starbucks Channel Development Tour - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  Recently, all of the Starbucks interns went on a Channel Development Tour - visiting a company operated store, Starbucks in-aisle at a QFC grocery (a CPG location), a licensed store inside QFC, and Barnes & Noble (one of Starbucks’ first foodservice accounts) in West Village Shopping Center.
  

  From left to right: Starbucks lobby merchandising at a company-operated store, Starbucks on-shelf at QFC, Starbucks cafe at Barnes & Noble

  It’s incredible how many places Starbucks as a brand shows up, and really, out of all the channels it shows up in, the only place that Starbucks has full control is in its own retail stores. There are so many relationships that Starbucks has to manage as a retailer - in CPG they have to negotiate shelf space where every brand is fighting to be at the prime eye-level location, in licensed stores, they have to communicate all company activities correctly (for example, we saw the Refreshers promotional materials a day before it was supposed to launch - ahh!), and in foodservice accounts like Barnes & Noble, Starbucks appears next to other foodservice partners (for example, Barnes & Noble doesn’t carry Starbucks foods, but instead carries items such as desserts from The Cheesecake Factory and pizza).  
  
  On top of that, Starbucks has to manage how the brand experience is expressed in every channel. Starbucks prides itself on the barista-customer connection as well as the quality of its beverages.  However, I think the perfect illustration of this disconnect in the brand experience is the Penn Starbucks location under 1920s Commons. Speaking only from my own experience (I’m sure lots of people have other experiences!), I’ve definitely had a beverage or two from that Starbucks, which is a licensed store, not be made to the same quality as a company owned store.
  
  All of these challenges come with the growth that Starbucks is doing, and it’s not going to get any less complicated as Starbucks enters more global markets and manages joint ventures.
  
  More to come soon!
  Philine
• Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:53:00 +0000: Last Week at Bloomingdale's - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  
  
  {Yigal Azrouel (one of the designers my supervisors buy from) fur vest I've recently fallen for}
  
  I can't believe it, but it's finally the last official week of my internship.  I can't even put into words everything that I've learned and gained from this experience, but I have to say, I'm sad to see it coming to an end.  I've extended my offer here at Bloomingdale's to last till August 10th, which is hopefully going to prove to be yet another awesome opportunity for me to learn more about the company from a different perspective.
  
  Instead of continuing on under my Buyer supervisors, I'll be placed in a planning position in what Bloomingdale's refers to as "center-core".  This refers to almost anything besides women's ready to wear--so basically cosmetics, jewelry, handbags, the works.  I don't know anything about this division, having been in women's designer the entire summer, so I'm looking forward to not only learning more about Bloomingdale's planning process but a whole different department as well.  The largest differences I'm expecting are volumes of each buy for the department store as well as the lack of (or at least smaller emphasis on) sizing and body type.  For instance, because in women's designer my buyers purchase such a small amount of each style (we're talking maybe only five or 6 of each type of dress) so being in a department that buys hundreds of anything is definitely going to be a different experience.
  
  Over the past few weeks, I have to admit, the most amazing benefits of interning at Bloomingdale's have definitely come to light.  I had to present my final project to my intern class as well as HR, I've had a final review both from myself (that's right, personal reflection!) and my supervisors, a meet and greet with the president (and soon the CEO) of Bloomingdale's, and a final interview with HR for a full-time position at Bloomingdale's starting next summer.  Phew.  That seems like a lot, and by goodness it was--but I'm so happy to have been so busy and had such wonderful experiences to draw upon later in my career.  We learn so much at each meet and greet, where executives come in and talk to us and allow us to pick their brains about anything.  We had HR come in and give us mock interviews before our final meeting in order to prepare us not only for a chance at a career with Bloomingdale's, but for future endeavors into the real world of job hunting.
  
  For now, I'm off to bed to a) recover from my final interview stresses of today and b) get ready for our meet and greet with yet another executive from Bloomingdale's--this time from our designer division!
• Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:02:00 +0000: Recent Events at Starbucks - Refreshers Launch! - Wharton Retail Club Interns
  
  
  This past Tuesday, Starbucks launched Refreshers in the form of both handcrafted beverages and VIA Instant beverages globally in 16 of its markets, in addition to its existing ready-to-drink carbonated version that had already launched in CPG previously. Refreshers are beverages made with green coffee extract that still provide your fix of caffeine but in a fruity way. 
  
  
  
  
  
  I think it’s such a great experience to be at Starbucks when they’re launching a product that brings to life two of its strategic initiatives - its Blueprint for Growth model and its commitment to coffee innovation.  Starbucks’ Blueprint for Growth is the company’s strategy for how it is going to leverage multiple channels to reach its consumers at every available touch point - retail cafes, CPG channels, and digital/online space.  Refreshers has been the biggest launch utilizing this model since the launch of VIA Instant Coffee in 2009. It really takes the entire company's support to have the ability to launch simultaneously in so many markets and have a singular marketing voice and message to back it up!  Then, I love how innovative Starbucks is, essentially always looking for the what the next step is with coffee. In an extremely competitive market, I think that Refreshers is definitely going to be incremental to Starbucks’ beverage and VIA portfolio, capturing customers who love the Starbucks brand and are looking for products that provide that extra energy boost, but don’t necessarily like the taste of coffee. 

  Me and two other Starbucks interns at the Refreshers Launch Event

  
  
  So with this new product launch, a large part of Starbucks’ culture is its partner engagement, so on the launch date, there was a partner event at the Starbucks Support Center. Every time there is a big event happening at the company, Starbucks hosts an event on the 9th floor (the top floor of the Starbucks building that has a large open space in the center) that serves as an internal kickoff to educate and allow all partners to celebrate together. So. Much. Fun. There were samples of every form of Refresher, a DJ playing tropical music, and partners from the beverage innovation team dressed up as Refreshers (Very Berry Hibiscus, Green Coffee Extract, and Cool Lime) to take pictures with everyone. The energy was definitely at a high, and not that we don’t get free coffee all the time anyway, but it never hurts to provide everyone with a little more caffeine!
  
  Philine