Placement Journal

JOURNAL B U Y I N G

P L A C E M E N T

MY EXPECTATIONS ..........................................................

1 . F R I E N D LY W O R K I N G E N V I R O N M E N T I hope the staff will provide a positive and friendly working environment, whilst also encouraging me to learn/show me various aspects within the Buying industry which will enable me to develop my skill set.

2. MUST BE ABLE TO WORK WITHIN A TEAM I expect that I will have to work closely within a team, as I will also be interacting with Merchandisers, Designers and Garment Technologists.

3 . M U S T W O R K AT A FA S T PA C E As there will be several deadlines that will need to be met, and various meetings to attend, I expect that I will be working quickly yet efficiently.

4. BE CONFIDENT TO MAKE DECISIONS I feel that for the role as a Buyer I will have to make quick decisions when completing tasks, and have confidence when doing so, this is an aspect I may struggle with.

5. DEVELOP SKILL SET WITHIN INDUSTRY I aim to develop new skills, and have a greater understanding of the buying process once completing my placement, which will benefit me in the future. ..........................................................

09 MARCH

D AY

O N E

RISE & SHINE As I had worked in Sainsbury’s Head Office previously I was more excited than nervous for my first day, as I enjoyed it so much last time and had an idea of what to expect when I arrived. So for the duration of my placement I was planned to work with both the buying team for the Gok range, as well as those on smart wear and outerwear.

For my first day the staff just really wanted to make sure I knew where everything was, and that I was familiar with the collections which were currently in store, as well as those which Ta k i n g a l o o k a t t h e S a i n s b u r y ’s Tu b l o g a s e x t r a r e s e a r c h .

they are working on in preparation for Winter.

MONDAY = TRADE MEETINGS I began the day by attending the Monday morning trade meeting that all departments on Womenswear must attend to discuss sales. I had help fetch the garments needed to discuss their sales performance, and select which items were the best/worst sellers of the previous week. The sales figures also being compared to those of last year.

If certain items failed to meet these targets an action plan was put in place in order to promote them, with the aim to increase sales, or to phase them out of store.

I realised that not a lot of work gets done on a Monday, its all meetings, and running back

On the next few pages you

and fourth to the mock store to collect items.

Despite being a busy little bee I was happy to be

will find the current spring

gaining greater experience of what it is like to

collections that are in store.

be working in industry.

The spring/summer collection Dolce Vita depicts a fresh colour palette of soft mint greens and cooling sea blues. This trend is a modern take on Italian Riviera glamour, and from all the collections it is one of my favourites! With full skirts, ruffle hem maxi dresses and delicate printed blouses this trend will look fab if you’re off on holiday, and will most definitely bring out the sun if your on a ‘stay-cation’ in the UK.

Key Items and price points

D O L C E

V I T A

St Ives features nautical stripes and structured tailoring to create a polished, flawless look. With key items such as the printed Capri trousers and daisy sleeveless shirt, I assure will brighten up those dull days in the office!

Sainsbury’s Tu have recently been working alongside Marie Claire to create an ‘advertorial’ showcasing their current collections in order to appear more fashion forward whilst still appealing to a slightly more mature customer.

S T

I V E S

Road Trip contains a selection of casual bohemian style separates to create a laidback effortless look. Long maxi skirts, relaxed shirt dresses in distressed denim and tie dye prints will be perfect for those summer outings, and will also make great festival wear!

Key Items and price points

R O A D

T R I P

10

D AY

T W O

MARCH

FITS LIKE A GLOVE So the day started off by assisting one of the

The garment technologist and the buyers made

buyers for the Gok range set up for her meeting,

several amendments to the garments in order

with the buying directors and head of Womens-

to produce a greater fit. This involved adding

wear, in hope to sign off the latest collection.

darts, as well as shortening items, and even altering the choice of fabric. This was incredi-

I had to steam and layout the garments forming

bly important for the Gok range, as they want

outfit builds and matching colour palettes. This

the clothing to appear flattering and sculpt the

was quite scary as I hardly ever iron my clothes

body.

(my mum still does mine, I know I need to grow up!) therefore had visions of me accidently

I gained a lot of information from observing the

burning holes or completely ruining the items...

fit session, it highlighted how quick the process

but luckily it all went well!

is, and if changes do need to be made that they are on such a short time frame in order for it to

FIT MEETINGS

be corrected. If items are not completed in time for launch it delays the whole process.

Later on there were various fit sessions scheduled with models and technologists from the

It was then finally time for lunch, and I was ab-

different suppliers to try on the samples.

solutely starving! Wish I had more than a salad!

2:00PM...

So during the afternoon (once all the meetings had finished) I managed to have a more in depth chat with the buyer for the Gok range. She spoke about her job role, her recent trip to London to discuss the collection with Gok (exciting!!) , and went through some of the processes in more detail. > COLOUR SUBMISSIONS I managed to look and comment on colour submissions provided by the supplier for the garment. This involved testing it under a lightbox stating whether it was fuller, thinner, redder ect. > A P P R O VA L P R O C E S S Samples were bronze, silver or gold sealed. Each product had to be gold sealed before bulk manufacture could begin. I then had to approve some of the products checking all the labeling and prices, which I enjoyed doing.

11

D AY

T H R E E

MARCH

Just to make sure these images are not of moodbaords that I was w o r k i n g o n f o r u p c o m i n g s e a s o n s w i t h i n S a i n s b u r y ’s .

GETTING CREATIVE 9:00AM...

Creative Meeting, this is where all teams on Womenswear meet to discuss the upcoming ranges. This involves looking at the collections, ensuring each item relates to a particular trend and ensures that none of the collections are clashing, to make sure it flows well within store. This took up most of the morning as it meant going through every item on Womenswear, and analysing it.

11:00AM...

Later on a designer had just got back from New York (I wish I got to go there!), and wanted to go through some ideas he had and what he had found. I got to go with the buyer to look at some of the mood boards‌ howevM y o u f i t f o r t h e d a y . I t ’s a c t a u l l y quite cold in the office & especially in the mock store!

er she thought that lot of it was unsuitable for the Gok range, and wanted to discuss other ideas.

(Sorry for the lack of images, I had to sign a confidentiality form which stopped me from taking photos!) >POST LOG This is done as a way to document what items of clothing have been sent to or from suppliers, making it easier for the buyer to track items, for instance if a supplier does not receive a sample where listed amendments have been made to the garment, this all has to be logged. I had to send garments back to suppliers in Turkey in which I found out the addresses were extremely long, and parts of Asia.

I found today really interesting as it highlighted the more creative side of the buying process, which is something I really enjoyed. As well as this I gained understanding of the series of process you must go through before items are launched into stores.

12

D AY

F O U R

MARCH

A BUSY BEE JUST 5 MORE MINUTES...PLEASE!

C R I T I C A L PAT H M E E T I N G

As it was now getting towards the end of the week

The buyers, merchandiser and garment technologist

the long days had finally started to kick in, I was

sat down to discuss each of the products within the

waking up at 6:00am every morning to meet the

Gok range. They handed out A3 size sheets filled

product technologist for quarter past 7, who kindly

with data, which seemed very confusing! It didn’t

offered to give me a lift whilst on my placement…I

help that the print was incredibly tiny, and me not

hate the cold early mornings!. Arriving for half 8 and

having the best eyesight made it difficult to read...

leaving at half 6 most days meant I was nearly fall-

I began to understand why everyone had a ruler

ing asleep on the journey home from Coventry.

handy! After listening to what they were saying I slowly began to get the jist of things.

Despite being half asleep my placement was going really well, and was pleased at how much I had

The fact that I had already covered the Buying and

learnt just over three days!

Merchandising module at University also helped as I had more of an in depth understanding, compared to

P L A N F O R T H E D AY :

when I visited last time.. and had no clue what lead times even were.

➢> Critical Path Meeting ➢> Sort out the samples in the mock store

The level of communication between staff is some-

➢> Supplier Meeting

thing I have noticed which is vital to the role, and ensuring everything runs on time.

.....................

If only the rails had been that tidy and organised.. it would have made my job much quicker! .....................

Items of clothing were crammed into every possi-

Lunch was greatly needed after the busy morning

ble space, stretching from the floor to the ceiling

I had, and it was as though someone had read my

with rails either side; it was a corridor piled up with

mind, as someone was giving free samples of a

clothes… every girls dream, right? Well, not once you

new energy drink which was exactly what I needed!.

have to start sorting it all out.

The admin buyer and me went for the strawberry and lime, in hope it would taste like Kopparberg but

AHHH.. SO MANY SAMPLES!

unfortunately it didn’t!

The space was that small when trying to wheel

F I N A L M E E T I N G O F T H E D AY

the ladders down to reach the top rail, they were scraping against either side. I was just hoping that

The day ended with me going to a meeting with one

I wouldn’t get stuck! I had to put the items back in

of the suppliers. They wanted to get the bulk fabric

the correct places according to the trend, as well as

samples approved so that production could begin.

clearing out all the unwanted samples that had not

Luckily this all went well, and all samples were

been gold sealed. I managed to clear out tons of

approved!

items that were no longer needed, and made space for the new collections that we were working on.

By the time I had finished my arms were aching after trying to carry all the clothing up and down the ladders. I have to say this was not the most fun task I had been set

13

D AY

F I V E

MARCH

STRIPED JACKET ZARA £49.99

DRESS NEXT £32.00

IT’S FRIDAY...

COMPETITVE SHOP REPORT Friday’s seemed to be calmer, there were fewer meetings and fit sessions to attend therefore I had time to start completing a competitive shop report.

For this I had to focus on smart wear and tailoring, looking at both Tu’s key competitors such as George and F&F, but also aspirational brands such as Zara, Warehouse and Next. Whilst doing this it was important to pick up on key trends, considering style, colour and print.

For this I began to look online, as there was greater variety of items, however for some of the supermarket chains I went into store, to take photos. I went with the admin buyer on a little trip, trying sneakily to take photos.

Key trends were stripes, in navy, white and red and fluro - bold colours and prints, ready for summer.

Also for tailored jackets we found that they had contrasting linings and trims.

Once we got back we started to put together what we had found. It was fun getting out of the office for a while, and sneaking around the shops!

After this was completed I then had to archive samples that had been approved. This is done as a way to reference what colours, fabrics, prints and embellishments have been chosen for each of the garments. All of these were filed into folders based on the trend and season.

As the drawers had to be cleared it involved me having to push a huge trolley around the office, which only wanted to go in a straight line, struggling to get it around the corner! However I eventually managed it, and organised all the folders into boxes to be sent into storage.

Overall I had a fab first week on my placement, but despite it being Friday I was not looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Instead I have to go to work at Next, and start preparing for the mid season sale!

The joys….

16 MARCH

A sneak peak around the building...

D AY

S I X

MONDAY MADNESS After a hectic weekend at work, I was far from prepared for the early morning start back at Sainsbury’s.

I woke up in a state of shock when my alarm went off, frantically running around deciding what to wear, and figuring out what to do with my mop of hair!

To top it off the Monday morning traffic was just delightful (the sarcasm). I just managed to make it in on time, along with many other members of staff who complained how they had started out extra early knowing they had trade all morning….

TRADE, TRADE, TRADE So similar to last Monday I had to attend trade in the morning, with the same process of collecting all the garments, arranging them and identifying the worst/ best sellers of the week. Once this was over the admin buyer and myself had the task of putting it all back.

Later on, I had to help put together a pack for one of the buyers who was travelling to meet with suppliers.

It is important that she had all the necessary information which needed to be discussed whilst there.

It contained images of samples that are currently incorrect and need altering, past and current performance sheets so she had all the necessary figures, and inspiration imagery of designs for the new collection.

O T H E R L I T T L E TA S K S Monday morning style... (still haven’t managed to m a s t e r t h e a r t o f ‘ s e l f i e ’s ’ )

➢> Photograph garments for the Gok range. ➢> Help to assist and approve colour samples, providing comments. ➢> Open all the post, updating the information on the post log.

17

D AY

S E V E N

MARCH

WHY CAN’T I GO TO NEW YORK 10:00AM - FIT SESSION

So today one of the buyers had returned from New York, everyone here seems to be going to these amazing places - it seems so unfair being stuck in Birmingham, I want to go!!! She spoke about what she had been up to and found out, but really seemed to focus more on the fact she never had enough time to shop, and how annoying the American accent had become after she had been there over five times! She was really fun and chatty… it was a good start to the morning hearing about her little adventure.

Anyway, back to talking about actual work….

After completing my first week I felt like there was slightly more of a routine, with scheduled fit sessions and meetings taking place throughout the day. I liked to be kept busy; there was always something to be doing which made the days go extremely fast.

> The fit sessions involved looking at the smart wear jackets, these were tried on by two different models, to check the that shape, sleeve length and shoulder position were all correct. As well as this they also took note of any changes in embellishment such as buttons. > Trousers then had to be tested, again checking details such as the length, zips and fastenings. The models were also asked to questions to ensure that the garment was comfortable to wear.

Before lunch I then had to sort out all the folders.

They were crammed full of style sheets and fabric samples, they looked like they were going to burst open, therefore I had to split them all up into bottoms, tops ect just so there was more room to add the new ones. It was getting irritating as all the plastic wallets kept splitting, due to the amount that was encased in them!

Daydreaming... wish I could be in NY again! # TA K E M E B A C K

1:30PM

- L A B D I P A P P R O VA L

We had received more samples through the post these had to be checked and colour approved.

The admin buyer asked me to do this giving feedback. I was nervous having to do it myself incase I got it completely wrong.... Some of the colours I rejected as they differed greatly from the original design.

The admin buyer then checked it to make sure I had provided the correct comments, which she thought I had, woohooo!

The day ended by helping to finish off the oversized bag of sweets along with the rest of the team. What can I say.... its difficult to resist

The packet was gone before I

starburst jelly beans and after another busy day I

had chance to take a picture.

was definitely in need of all the sugar!

YUM YUM!

18

D AY

E I G H T

MARCH

Maybe one day I will become an assistant b u y e r. . . . w h o k n o w s !

SOMETHING NEW Today I had the opportunity to work with the designers, this was very exciting as it enabled me to develop my creativity, and look more closely into trends. One of the designers began to show me some moodboards that he created, displaying prints, catwalk imagery, street style and other inspirational visuals.

I was then asked to help look into these trends further, I got to on WSGN noting down information and images that I thought would be necessary. Throughout my research I always took into consideration the Sainsbury’s customer – this knowledge was gained from a folder the buyer gave me to have a look at.

BRIEF CUSTOMER PROFILE Examples of the critical path, and performance sheets.

➢> She is busy juggling work and family. ➢> Wants inspiration and easy outfitting with lots of mix & match potential. ➢> Quality, fit and comfort are key. ➢> Also shops at Next, Wallis and designers at Debenhams.

Through being able to view and help create some of the visual boards, it enabled me to be more selective and refine images. I was also able to look more closely at layout, which is something I have struggled with in my work, therefore I found this very helpful.

PROGRESS MEETING A few hours later I was able to attend a progress meeting with the buyers where they discussed upcoming launch dates, ensuring that suppliers were on track to meet these. During the meeting promotional activities were also spoken about, with members suggesting products and selected lines that they think should be included.

19

D AY

N I N E

MARCH

JUST UNLUCKY My morning was disastrous I originally thought I had

W E H AV E V I S I T O R S

left my phone in the car… which was bad enough as I feel completely lost without it. However, it became

I had to assist the buying team with the visual

10x worse when I noticed a taxi driver get out the

merchandising in order to showcase their product

car waving a phone around complete with a unicorn

ranges, as they had to prepare for a visit from the

case… obviously that phone could only be mine!

field team, who had come from store.

The screen was shattered to pieces with the glass shards falling off and the button already missing,

The aim of the visit was to educate them on the

clearly I was not a happy bunny!

product range and show them how it should appear in store, so they know make it look appealing to the

ANOTHER COMPETITOR SHOP

consumer. They also provided them with additional information that could be used when trying to per-

After a rubbish start to the day I was happy to be

suade customers to make a purchase.

completing another competitor shop, this time though it was for the Gok range. The buyer specif-

O T H E R TA S K S C O M P L E T E D

ically wanted to look into the trends other stores were focusing on for spring, and what the price

> Daily post log.

points were for the various garments.

> Documenting samples and feedback. > Checking gold seals and ensuring all the

This was completed in an excel spreadsheet, listing images, prices, fabric compositions and details.

information, labeling and sku’s are correct.

S o m e o f S a i n s b u r y ’s c u r r e n t i n s t o r e v i s u a l m e r c h a n d i s i n g . “#LIVEYOURSTYLE”

20

D AY

T E N

MARCH

CAN I STAY PLEASE? My morning consisted of :

Unfortunately I was unable to do three weeks at Sainsbury’s, as I had to work several days next week

> Fit sessions

due to the mid season sale at Next. The sales are

> A supplier meeting

mad therefore I had no chance of getting the time

> Clearing rails from the mock store

required off. Such a nightmare! I really wish I could

> Raise style sheets

have stayed, however when speaking to the buyers they said they would have me back anytime, and

During the afternoon I was able to speak with a

mentioned about returning in the summer. I gained

senior buyer and a designer who had just got back

several contacts, which will beneficial when looking

from a trip to abroad.

for placements in the future.

She provided me with an insight to her role, what she

It was so sad to leave, as everyone had been so

does on a daily basis, and what she did previously

kind and helpful. I felt that the experience gave me a

before working for Sainsbury’s. For me this was very

greater understanding of what it is actually like to be

helpful as it broadened my outlook into other roles,

working in industry, and put the skills learnt so far at

as well as this answered any questions raised whilst

University into practice. Hopefully I will return there

on my placement.

again very soon!

SKILLS GAINED

OVERALL THOUGHTS

> C O M M U N I C AT I O N ......................................................

This was vital for the role as there is constant inter-

FEELING POSITIVE

action amongst staff members whether discussing sales performance, commenting within fit sessions,

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sainsbury’s

or speaking about the stages met of the critical path.

Head Office, and felt that I gained so much more knowledge of what working within the fashion indus-

> TEAM WORK

try actually entails. Although I was mainly working with Buyer’s and understanding their role, I also got

Every member of staff played an important role

to interact with designers, garment technologists and

when ensuring deadlines are reached, targets are

merchandisers, all of which enhanced my experience,

met and the end product meets Sainsbury’s quality

and showcased how important team work is within a

standards. By attending meetings, fit sessions, and

working environment.

working within various areas such as design I felt

......................................................

this was a skill I developed further.

FA S T PA C E E N V I R O N M E N T

> WORK UNDER PRESSURE

I also loved how everything was so fast pace, and that there was always something to be doing, it made

I sometimes don’t do well in pressurised situations,

the days go so quickly. The fact that a collection is

and can be a little stress pot, but this skill was devel-

launched every two months for the Gok range means

oped through constantly working against deadlines.

there is no time just to be sitting down!

Everything is so fast pace meaning that decisions

......................................................

have to be made quickly and instantly, therefore

P O S S I B L E C A R E E R PAT H

there was no time to worry and stress about them.

In the future I will consider this as a possible career > O R G A N I S AT I O N

path, as there are many elements that I enjoyed. As well as this I feel there is room to progress within the role as

I realised how important it was to prioritise tasks as

a Buyer, and opportunities to work your way up.

well as documenting everything that is happening,

However I sometimes question if I would prefer some-

such as all the samples coming into the office, mak-

thing slightly more creative.

ing notes during fit sessions, preparing spreadsheets

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

for meetings, archiving samples and organising them. I had to make sure I managed my time effectively to get all the jobs required done.

BACK AT NEXT LET THE MADNESS BEGIN.....

As I was recently given a permanent contract at Next it meant I was unable to get the time off as it has be booked months in advance, and the mid season sale meant that nobody was available to cover my shifts, so instead I did a weeks experience here. I felt it would actually be beneficial as I am fairly new to the job therefore I still have a lot to learn.

S AT U R D AY 2 1 s t = S A L E D AY So over the weekend the mid season sale began, although it is not as large as the summer or boxing day sales people still go crazy for it!

I was happy not to be on the early shift which would have meant being in at 6:00am, instead I got the more reasonable 9:00am start, which felt like a lie in after getting up early everyday for the last week!

So the morning consisted of constant recovery on the shopfloor, particularly womenswear, making sure that items were picked up and arranged as neatly as possible. This was a difficult task as you can imagine clothes were flying here, there and everywhere!

Once the madness had started to slow down later on during the day, I had to go over to childrenswear, as sale stock was running low it meant that all the new stock had to be put on the shopfloor, therefore I got to do some visual merchandising, which I never really had the the chance to do properly before!

VISUAL MERCHANDISING The whole wall of ‘big boys’ had to be redone; it was tricky as next follow a plan provided so that each store has similar visuals, with flowing stories. However stock was low, therefore had to improvise, as not all items needed were available in store.

After fetching bars and deciding where everything should go my arms were killing. Everyone at work knows I have no strength therefore have developed the nickname “muscles” and most the time someone ends up having to help me carry or hold the items. I Should probably go to the gym more often....

Anyway in between jumping on and off the tills serving customers, I finally managed to complete the VM work, along with the help of another member of staff. The stories were labeled ‘Faded Neon’ and ‘Festival Spice’ ready for the summer! Our supervisor was very pleased with what we managed to do with the stock available.

After scanning all the stock onto the shop floor, and making sure everything was tidy my shift was nearly over! Time flies on sale day! Overall the day went well... apart from realising at the end of the day I had my sale t-shirt on back to front with ‘welcome super shoppers’ written across the front!

I was really happy that I was able to do something more creative and put my visual merchandising skills into practice!

24

D AY

F O U R T E E N

MARCH

A FEW DAYS LATER..

The last few days were manic as customers were

MORE RETURNS!

coming to collect their sale orders which had started to arrive in store. This meant two people had to sort

Later on throughout the week all the returns started

out the parcels everyday as we were receiving over

to build up, as people had collected online orders

30 sacks, meaning this took up the whole morning

and had many items they wanted to return.

to sort them all out.

Therefore as the till bell kept going off so half of my shift was spent on the tills processing them. As cus-

10 SACKS DOWN 20 TO GO...

tomer service always comes first I had to leave any other jobs that I was required to do.

We had to scan every parcel, then place them in order relating to the code provided. As well as this a

REPLENISHMENT

whole move had to be done in the stockroom, which was so confusing as it’s basically to do with the

Due to the reduced amount of sale stock on the

alphabet but backwards..... I have no idea!

shop floor it meant that new stock had to constantly be brought down, in order to fill the areas where

Although this wasn’t something I was thrilled about

the sale had been scaled down. This involved some

doing it had to be done, and as well as this I was still

more visual merchandising, as well as picking

completing jobs that I never usually get to do, so I

replenishment assuring we have all the sizes

got to learn something new!

available.

25

D AY

F I F T E E N

MARCH

LOOKING PRETTY Today I got to do some more visual merchandising on womenswear. I had to do the table layouts, selecting jeans and tops that will be placed on the display, as well as a few accessories such as a bags and shoes in order to inform customers of ways to wear and create outfit builds.

I also had to change the mannequin displays to match the new season stock we had in store. This is something I had never actually done before, and thought it would be a simple task... well clearly I was wrong! Attempting to get a dress on whilst aimlessly The amount people order out of these books is crazy!

trying to screw it together, and get the arms in was harder work than I initally thought. The fact it was bigger than me probably didn’t help the situation.

JOINING THE DELIVERY TEAM Later on I then had to go to the stockroom and assist the delivery team, as they had a lot of stock come in and needed assistance, and I was happy to help! I had to help process the stock - tagging it, providing the correct hanger and size cube. This then had to either put away in the stock room or go straight onto the shopfloor.!

ORGANISED GEEK

One thing I have learnt this week is that mess stresses me out! I I can’t deal with clothes being everywhere, it’s so bad I even attempted to colour coordinate the sale stock a put it into similar categories... however this was practically impossible!

The sale meant I had to work quickly under pressure, whilst still providing exceptional customer service.

Aside from this I got the chance to do some in-store visual merchandising which I hope I will get to do again since being provided with the opportunity, hopefully I showcased that I was capable!

I am pleased that throughout my three weeks of placement I got to look into several different aspects, and understand what is required of the different job roles. My experience on these placements My cute little diary I bought to

has helped to develop my skills which I feel can be

make note of everything done

adapted to both my current employment, university

whilst on placement

work and any future career goals within industry.

D A N I E L L E

M A Z U R