Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Question
How do we be different than other boutiques? People have come in LMD asking for "something different." Some say we have some of the exact pieces of clothing than boutiques next door. How can we stand out compared to others?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Fate
Wow, it has been a crazy couple of weeks! Kati and I are still working at our own boutiques and loving it. It is a place we can go and actually relax while doing our jobs. (Well, when we know what to do- It seems like these boutiques have no management at all. The managers just leave the store with no one who knows what to do. It is crazy!)
Our jobs at school have been a little different and very stressful. Last week, Kati and I got called in to the principal's office. One by one we were told our positions have been cut. I was shocked but it made it final for me and it was a sign!!! Kati and I are not supposed to be teachers anymore- WE ARE MOVING ON!
Our jobs at school have been a little different and very stressful. Last week, Kati and I got called in to the principal's office. One by one we were told our positions have been cut. I was shocked but it made it final for me and it was a sign!!! Kati and I are not supposed to be teachers anymore- WE ARE MOVING ON!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Work Work Work
So this week I started at Hemline! I feel like this all happened very quickly, but so far so good. I first went in on Wednesday, and just worked a few hours because it was very slow. I was really intimidated to talk to people and be outgoing. I felt weird at first having 2 girls younger than me watching me. It's always hard starting a new job regardless of what it is.
I worked my first full shift Saturday morning from 9:45-2. It was extremely slow, but I got to ring up a couple of sales. By a couple, I mean exactly 2. That's how slow it was. I guess this store is having trouble with business because it's only been open for a few months. I have to say, I originally thought it was a great location in the River Oaks area, but this particular shopping center isn't hopping with tons of foot traffic. It is located next to a Starbucks and a La Madeline, but most people that walk by, do just that, walk by. Most people that come in are return customers or have shopped at another one. (There are 11 locations in the South.) It will be interesting to see how business increases. They don't have daily or weekly goals yet, but they will be getting them in the coming months.
Today was my 2nd full shift, 12-5. I was there for the opening and the closing. We were much busier today, but it still wasn't busy. I have the hang of ringing people up. That was my goal for the weekend. I haven't seen a return or a hold yet. I also didn't learn how to run the closing report. I'm sure it's not difficult, but I need to learn how to do it. The girl I was working with, was in a rush to get home, and didn't walk me through it. I know how that feels.
I've learned a few things just talking to the other girls at work. Each Hemline is individually owned because it is a franchise. Each one is a little different. If you get something from another store, you have to pay the cost. This is fairly common. Stores call each other all the time asking for clothing checks. It's just really interesting to learn about how it works. It also freaks me out, because I don't know how to do that yet.
Through small talk, I've also been trying to talk to the girls about the basics of working in retail. Most of the girls have lots of experience and opinions, which is perfect because I have little to none! It seems like the biggest issues girls have are paycheck problems and disorganization. Several girls have had problems in the past with not getting paid for hours worked until much later. Many of the girls are working themselves through school, and they need the money. This is a side job for me, so it's not the end of the world, but that's not true for everyone. Two girls mentioned the fact that they had hours and shifts on the schedule, and then get cut an hour into the shift or are called to not come in. This happens when the store is really slow. The disorganization piece comes in because I get the feeling the manager is stretched really thin. Things fall unnoticed and several comments were made by the other girls about being annoyed at something or other. I know they are doing a contest for commission. Whoever has the most per hour, gets a free paid day off. Maybe this will help with morale.
The only POS system I've ever used was at Texadelphia. It is really different ringing up beers and sandwiches than clothes. Hemline uses Quick books for everything including clocking in and out. Another girl I work with has worked at like 5 different stores over the years including Nordstrom and Barney's. She said the best POS system is RetailPro. Callie says this is what LMD uses. Quick books is super user friendly, so if RetailPro is better, it must be great! I'm curious to know what other stores use! Ha Maybe a pretty lame thing to be interested in!
Ok so this has been an embarrassingly long post, but I'm just in the zone. I just wanted to address my goal from a couple of weeks ago. Actually having another job has kind of gotten in my way of searching other stores. I will say that Hemline does not order their clothes like LMD. They place clothes in the stores by color blocking. From what I can tell, they block by style also, but mainly color. they do put outfits together on hangers and on mannequins. This also includes jewelry. There are always necklaces, rings, etc. on the mannequins and hangers.
Ok, so finally done. Sorry to bore you! Come see me at Hemline!
I worked my first full shift Saturday morning from 9:45-2. It was extremely slow, but I got to ring up a couple of sales. By a couple, I mean exactly 2. That's how slow it was. I guess this store is having trouble with business because it's only been open for a few months. I have to say, I originally thought it was a great location in the River Oaks area, but this particular shopping center isn't hopping with tons of foot traffic. It is located next to a Starbucks and a La Madeline, but most people that walk by, do just that, walk by. Most people that come in are return customers or have shopped at another one. (There are 11 locations in the South.) It will be interesting to see how business increases. They don't have daily or weekly goals yet, but they will be getting them in the coming months.
Today was my 2nd full shift, 12-5. I was there for the opening and the closing. We were much busier today, but it still wasn't busy. I have the hang of ringing people up. That was my goal for the weekend. I haven't seen a return or a hold yet. I also didn't learn how to run the closing report. I'm sure it's not difficult, but I need to learn how to do it. The girl I was working with, was in a rush to get home, and didn't walk me through it. I know how that feels.
I've learned a few things just talking to the other girls at work. Each Hemline is individually owned because it is a franchise. Each one is a little different. If you get something from another store, you have to pay the cost. This is fairly common. Stores call each other all the time asking for clothing checks. It's just really interesting to learn about how it works. It also freaks me out, because I don't know how to do that yet.
Through small talk, I've also been trying to talk to the girls about the basics of working in retail. Most of the girls have lots of experience and opinions, which is perfect because I have little to none! It seems like the biggest issues girls have are paycheck problems and disorganization. Several girls have had problems in the past with not getting paid for hours worked until much later. Many of the girls are working themselves through school, and they need the money. This is a side job for me, so it's not the end of the world, but that's not true for everyone. Two girls mentioned the fact that they had hours and shifts on the schedule, and then get cut an hour into the shift or are called to not come in. This happens when the store is really slow. The disorganization piece comes in because I get the feeling the manager is stretched really thin. Things fall unnoticed and several comments were made by the other girls about being annoyed at something or other. I know they are doing a contest for commission. Whoever has the most per hour, gets a free paid day off. Maybe this will help with morale.
The only POS system I've ever used was at Texadelphia. It is really different ringing up beers and sandwiches than clothes. Hemline uses Quick books for everything including clocking in and out. Another girl I work with has worked at like 5 different stores over the years including Nordstrom and Barney's. She said the best POS system is RetailPro. Callie says this is what LMD uses. Quick books is super user friendly, so if RetailPro is better, it must be great! I'm curious to know what other stores use! Ha Maybe a pretty lame thing to be interested in!
Ok so this has been an embarrassingly long post, but I'm just in the zone. I just wanted to address my goal from a couple of weeks ago. Actually having another job has kind of gotten in my way of searching other stores. I will say that Hemline does not order their clothes like LMD. They place clothes in the stores by color blocking. From what I can tell, they block by style also, but mainly color. they do put outfits together on hangers and on mannequins. This also includes jewelry. There are always necklaces, rings, etc. on the mannequins and hangers.
Ok, so finally done. Sorry to bore you! Come see me at Hemline!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Nervous for nothing!
So I wasn't sure what to expect for today. I didn't know if I'd be starting today, if it was just an interview or if it was just a conversation! The district manager was extremely laid back and nice. She told me she was basically in a similar situation as Callie and me when she started working at Hemline. She was unhappy in a job and begged the owner at the store to give her a job. She has worked there ever since, and like I said, she's now the district manager of the Houston, Austin, and Baton Rouge stores.
She kept saying how important it was to be happy at your job. That was exactly what I needed to hear. She said tomorrow when I come we can look at the schedule and get me in there! It just seemed so easy! Hopefully, I like it. It's scary starting a new job. Even though I've been working for 3 years, this is something totally out of my comfort zone. My old roommate Emily used to have a little card in our vanity area that said something about "happiness beginning outside of your comfort zone." I saw it every day, and I can't stop thinking about now. I don't usually "do" quotes, but this one is on my mind. Sorry for the mild lameness, but I think I'm allowed one of these every once in awhile.
Anyway, it all worked out today. I'm hoping things will continue to look up!
She kept saying how important it was to be happy at your job. That was exactly what I needed to hear. She said tomorrow when I come we can look at the schedule and get me in there! It just seemed so easy! Hopefully, I like it. It's scary starting a new job. Even though I've been working for 3 years, this is something totally out of my comfort zone. My old roommate Emily used to have a little card in our vanity area that said something about "happiness beginning outside of your comfort zone." I saw it every day, and I can't stop thinking about now. I don't usually "do" quotes, but this one is on my mind. Sorry for the mild lameness, but I think I'm allowed one of these every once in awhile.
Anyway, it all worked out today. I'm hoping things will continue to look up!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Finally!!
So Callie finally heard back from a couple of the places she applied! Of course, she already has a job, so I swooped in and am going to meet with the manager of a cute store Hemline! They have a great location in River Oaks. It is a store where I would actually shop! I'm super nervous, but it sounds like they need people and are flexible with shifts! The manager mentioned they train employees for 2 weeks. This is obviously way more than the ONE day Callie was trained! I think we can learn a lot from Callie and I working at different stores. I'm excited to see what the vibe at the store is, and if I will like it! I haven't started a new job in years! It's pretty intimidating, but this is the push we need! I'll have to blog tomorrow after I find out more. Not going to lie, since we bought the house, I've really had to limit my shopping. Having extra money will be great, but hopefully being around all of these cute clothes isn't too dangerous for me!
Kati
Kati
Monday, February 13, 2012
Limbo
So, I haven't been as lucky as Callie has in the job department! However, I am really glad one of us has a job! I have been trying to learn as much as I can through Callie and her experience. There are things about working in retail that I never even thought of. I will keep applying and talking to friends and try to find work, but in the mean time, I plan to learn and research as much as I can.
For some reason, one thing that really surprised me was the ordering of the racks that Callie mentioned earlier. On the racks, they put together whole outifts with a specific order. Is this something most stores do? Or is it exclusive to LMD? My goal, by the end of the week is to visit several boutiques and check out their racks. I am really curious if they all have a specific order for their racks.
If I find that everyone has the same idea, I guess it's just pretty standard for small boutiques. If I find that there are other orders, I wonder what makes boutiques choose the specific order.
So that's my goal for this week! Hopefully, despite having only one job (unlike superstar Callie) I won't be completely useless!
On Friday night, I talked to a girl I know from college. When I mentioned our plan for the future, she adamently insisted, that we check out the Memorial area for locations. This is somewhat near the City Centre place we visited before. However, it's more of the whole area, not just one trendy shopping center. There are two huge nice highschools. I consider the area in between to be key. It is a coveted area to live in Houston, with good schools and high end neighborhoods. I am not super familiar with the area, other than the fact that my fiance went to highschool there. I've been to a couple weddings and showers in the area, but I still have to use mapquest to find an address. My next goal (which may be longer than a week) will be to explore that area, and see if there is a specific area Callie and I could add to our list of ideas!
Well now that I have two ideas, I only feel slightly useless!
Kati
For some reason, one thing that really surprised me was the ordering of the racks that Callie mentioned earlier. On the racks, they put together whole outifts with a specific order. Is this something most stores do? Or is it exclusive to LMD? My goal, by the end of the week is to visit several boutiques and check out their racks. I am really curious if they all have a specific order for their racks.
If I find that everyone has the same idea, I guess it's just pretty standard for small boutiques. If I find that there are other orders, I wonder what makes boutiques choose the specific order.
So that's my goal for this week! Hopefully, despite having only one job (unlike superstar Callie) I won't be completely useless!
On Friday night, I talked to a girl I know from college. When I mentioned our plan for the future, she adamently insisted, that we check out the Memorial area for locations. This is somewhat near the City Centre place we visited before. However, it's more of the whole area, not just one trendy shopping center. There are two huge nice highschools. I consider the area in between to be key. It is a coveted area to live in Houston, with good schools and high end neighborhoods. I am not super familiar with the area, other than the fact that my fiance went to highschool there. I've been to a couple weddings and showers in the area, but I still have to use mapquest to find an address. My next goal (which may be longer than a week) will be to explore that area, and see if there is a specific area Callie and I could add to our list of ideas!
Well now that I have two ideas, I only feel slightly useless!
Kati
Thrown to the Wolves
So I just had my first week ever in the business of retail. I LOVED IT! I worked 4 times this week by myself. Here is how it went...
Monday- I was trained for 3 hours. I was told everything! It was really overwhelming. I learned the cash register, how to turn on the alarm, how to do returns, exchanges, how to merchandise the store, etc...
Tuesday- I got there at 4:00 and the manager said "You will do great!" and left me around 4:30. LEFT ME!!! Within the next 10 minutes some woman came in with a damaged shirt wanting to exchange it. It was just my luck. haha It was nuts. At the end of the day I had to fill out all of the paperwork for the day. I kept thinking..."She told me all of this last night, why can't I remember??" I now know why my third graders don't get it after just one try!! I was so lost! I finally got through the night and closed up. I only had a couple mistakes.
Thursday- I worked 4-7 by myself. It got a lot easier and I wasn't as stressed out. Saturday- Opened for the first time by myself! This day was my favorite. It was so busy and Kati came in and bought a lot of stuff so I made commission in my first week!!! I can't tell you how great it felt when I saw my total sales for the week. I feel so accomplished and I feel really good about it.
That was my week. I made my goal 2 out of the 3 days. Hopefully I can hit it everyday this week. Well, I am on round 2. I work Tuesday 4-7, Wednesday 5-7, Thursday 5-7 and then on Saturday 2-7. Come see me!
What I learned...
-When putting the clothes on the rack, it goes like this-1. top, 2. bottom, 3. jacket or outerwear (In Kati and my case it would be a cardigan), 4. dress
-When someone comes in, don't ask what they are looking for right away...strike up a conversation first.
-UPT=units/# of transactions
-ADS=actual sales/# of transactions
-SPH-actual sales/shift(# of hours)
-% to goal= actual sales/goal for the day
What I want...
-A home away from home (LMD has no chairs, has white walls, the racks are hanging making me dizzy)
-A place to feel comfortable (more than one employee is there and it seems like people want to be there!)
-A place I can feel proud of and take care of (I would have never, NEVER left a girl on her own the first time she ever worked in my store)
-A place to feel value, pride, love, career
-A one stop shop- jeans, shoes, purses, gifts, gift wrapping, a little something for everyone!
Callie
Monday- I was trained for 3 hours. I was told everything! It was really overwhelming. I learned the cash register, how to turn on the alarm, how to do returns, exchanges, how to merchandise the store, etc...
Tuesday- I got there at 4:00 and the manager said "You will do great!" and left me around 4:30. LEFT ME!!! Within the next 10 minutes some woman came in with a damaged shirt wanting to exchange it. It was just my luck. haha It was nuts. At the end of the day I had to fill out all of the paperwork for the day. I kept thinking..."She told me all of this last night, why can't I remember??" I now know why my third graders don't get it after just one try!! I was so lost! I finally got through the night and closed up. I only had a couple mistakes.
Thursday- I worked 4-7 by myself. It got a lot easier and I wasn't as stressed out. Saturday- Opened for the first time by myself! This day was my favorite. It was so busy and Kati came in and bought a lot of stuff so I made commission in my first week!!! I can't tell you how great it felt when I saw my total sales for the week. I feel so accomplished and I feel really good about it.
That was my week. I made my goal 2 out of the 3 days. Hopefully I can hit it everyday this week. Well, I am on round 2. I work Tuesday 4-7, Wednesday 5-7, Thursday 5-7 and then on Saturday 2-7. Come see me!
What I learned...
-When putting the clothes on the rack, it goes like this-1. top, 2. bottom, 3. jacket or outerwear (In Kati and my case it would be a cardigan), 4. dress
-When someone comes in, don't ask what they are looking for right away...strike up a conversation first.
-UPT=units/# of transactions
-ADS=actual sales/# of transactions
-SPH-actual sales/shift(# of hours)
-% to goal= actual sales/goal for the day
What I want...
-A home away from home (LMD has no chairs, has white walls, the racks are hanging making me dizzy)
-A place to feel comfortable (more than one employee is there and it seems like people want to be there!)
-A place I can feel proud of and take care of (I would have never, NEVER left a girl on her own the first time she ever worked in my store)
-A place to feel value, pride, love, career
-A one stop shop- jeans, shoes, purses, gifts, gift wrapping, a little something for everyone!
Callie
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