Friday 6/24/2011

Friday we were still getting everything set for the corporate visit. I started the day helping Tony move fixtures and making sure everything in the store was still in order. After that Tony had Meredith and I work on the Havana section and make sure the back pant wall was set. I sized and arranged all of the pants and put them into the wall. Tony let us then pick which props would go best with the section so that was very good and we got creative with them. After lunch we spent time in the stock room tearing tags off of the bsr hats, t-shirts, custom fit, and pants to get ready for all of the  price increases that were coming monday. We then worked on the denim concept table, pulling price tags and making sure all of the denim was in order and sized right.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Thursday 6/23/2011

Thursday we continued to get everything moved around and perfect for the visit on tuesday with corporate. We started in the sale section consolidating and getting everything as condensed in that section as we could to make more room for the full priced fixtures. After that Tony had me work on the Golf and pants mannequins thaty would go along with our new golf and pants fixtures. After lunch the focus was getting the dress shirt section set. Tony had me go through and price check all of the dress shirts to see whihc ones were sale and which ones weren't. All of the shirts that scanned for sale we moved out onto a banquet table in the aisle, and then me consolidated all of the full price dress shirts down to two fixtures, and got rid of one whole fixture, which Tony seemed very pleased about. After we got all of the shirts set Meredith and I spent the rest of the time arranging the ties and making sure they were set to the directive.

North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Wednesday 6/22/2011

Tony had Meredith and I get the Big & Tall section set because the new shipment of fall merchandise had arrived for Big & Tall. I first started out getting the new wovens out of the cart and placed onto the floor. I had to remove the old wovens that were on the half fold- half hang fixture and hang them because they were on sale. I then removed all of the new denim and sized and arranged them in order on the back of the Havana concept table. After we were done with Big & Tall Meredith and I went to halp Tony get sportswear set for the corporate visit. Tony had me work on the shorts concept table, where I folded all of the bleecker shorts down and sized them. I then arranged them on the concept table in a stagard arrangement, Tony had given me an official Polo Ralph Lauren directive and I arranged them exactly according to that directive. For the rest of the day Meredith and I made sure the whole area around the bleecker shorts was set, as we did full size runs on all of the oxfords and moved the sale back.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

June 22, 2011

We started the day at South Park in the Big and Tall section making sure that the Havana concept table was perfectly set. We went back and re-paper folded all of the Havana knits. We wanted the fold to have a puff and not be flattened down. We also fancy-folded the Custom-Fit Havana Dual Match polo in both brown and white so that the number three on the sleeve was showing.  We then straightened and sized the crew neck tees in active wear. Next, Collin and I worked on straightening the mesh wall by paper folding and sizing the mesh.  Rusty came and checked out the new Big and Tall fixtures. He also asked how our internship experience was going so far and what we were learning.  We then moved to men’s sportswear.  Rusty took us around the sportswear section and explained how each room should tell a story and go together. Therefore, each room should also have a color story.  We went room by room, as Rusty explained what merchandise would look the best in each fixture.  He also explained that the way the fixtures were set up beside the aisle almost created a wall along the perimeter.  The positions of the fixtures did not allow customers to easily walk through the aisles. Our sale section was also difficult to walk through.  In order to free up some of the sale fixtures, we needed to consolidate the merchandise. After the walk through, Rusty came up with a sketch of the floor, showing what merchandise to place in each room.  After the walk-through, Rusty, Lonnie, Tony, Collin, and I went to lunch.  At lunch Rusty explained what his job responsibilities entailed.  Collin and I also got the chance to talk to him about our project.  We spent the rest of the day in Big and Tall, making sure that all the merchandise was set for the corporate visit.

---Meredith Pugh

June 20, 2011

Collin and I arrived at South Park mall at 8:00 a.m.  We arrived early in order to get a head start on all of the mark ups that needed to be done. To our surprise, Avanel had done all the mark ups in the men’s sportswear section.  Therefore, Tony sent Collin and I do the mark ups for Big and Tall.  We did the mark ups for the BSR oxfords, tees, and mesh.  While we were scanning the merchandise to determine which items had been marked up, we noticed that a lot of the clothing was set at different price points. For instance, on one rounder there were oxfords that were 50% off, regular price, and $47.99. Tony instructed us to move the merchandise around so that each fixture had one single price point or promotion while he worked in sportswear.  It was nice that we got to use the knowledge that we had gained throughout the internship and apply them by making our own decisions.  We started by scanning a rounder that had short-sleeved button downs. The rounder had both 40% off and 50% off merchandise.  We moved the 50% off button-downs and placed them with the 50% shorts.  We continued scanning and placing the merchandise together according to price points.  Afterwards, we went back and straightened all the Big and Tall fixtures.  We then ended the day by helping Tony in the sportswear section.

---Meredith Pugh

June 18, 2011

On Saturday, Collin and I worked in the stock room for most of the day.  Tony told us to work on preparing for the markups that were going to be taken on Monday. We tore off the perforated prices on Polo’s hangtags for the BSR Ethan and Preston Vintage Chinos as well as the BSR oxfords.  After we were done in the stock room, Tony let us take a break to go get yogurt.  While we ate, we discussed our project idea and Tony gave us advice on possibilities.  Tony also talked to us about what we should expect the next week. He talked to us about the Polo visit which is going to take place on Tuesday and how the next week is going to be critical for preparing for it. The rest of the day we greeted customers and helped them find merchandise. Saturday allowed me to see just how important it is to take the time to prepare for markups or even to make sure to size merchandise in the stock room. That way, when the time comes to pull the back stock on the floor, there will be one less step to do.

---Meredith Pugh

Tuesday 6/22/2011

Today we started out in Big & Tall straightening the Havana fixture and the T-shirts for Tony's pictures that he must send to corporate. After that Meredith and I worked on getting the mesh straight and making sure the sell tables had the right merchandise on them as the prices for each had changed when the mark-ups had come through. Rusty arrived later and we walked to sportswear floor with us and gave new ideas to different "rooms" on the floor. After this Rusty took us all to lunch and described his job to us and gave us an in-depth look at what he does for Polo Ralph Lauren and all of his responsibilities. After lunch we returned to Big & Tall and continued to get the floor straight and continue to move merchandise around due to the fact that so many of the prices had changed. We spent the rest of the day getting all of Big & Tall set and making sure it was perfect for the upcoming visit by corporate.


Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Monday 6/20/2011

Meredith and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. expecting to get right to work on the vast majority of mark-ups that had to be done, only to find upon arrival that Avanel had already done them all on sunday. Tony then had Meredith and I go do the mark-ups in the Big & Tall section. Meredith and I started out scanning everything to make sure all the price points were together and in the right place. We quickly discovered that there were many different price points, and very randomly selected merchandise in each price point. Tony instructed us to mark everything with it's new price and then to set the Big & Tall shop with the knowledge we had learned so far, which was very good practice and was exciting because it was the first time we had been making placement decisions on our own. We started out making sure all of the 40% sale merchandise and 50% sale merchandise was all together. It was difficult at first to make everything fit but we finally got everything together. We then made sure all the full price merchandise was together and presented very well. After we went over to sportswear and helped set a couple fixtures and helped customers.


Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Saturday 6/18/2011

Today we focused on preparing for the mark-ups that are going to be done on monday. Tony had Meredith and I start out preparing the floor for the mark-ups and making sure we knew where everything was that was going to be marked up. Tony then took Meredith and I to get yogurt and talk about the past week's events and what we should expect with the mark-ups coming next week. After lunch Tony had Meredith and I go to the stock room and begin pulling all the pants (Preston and Ethan style) and begin pulling all of the old price tags off and sizing them to get them ready to be re-tagged with the new mark-up prices. After we had finished we spent some time helping customers on the floor and then Tony let Meredith and I go for the day.


Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

June 17, 2011

We began Friday by discussing customer service. Tony asked us what we thought good customer service meant, and what steps we think a Polo specialist takes to please the consumer.  Through my experience at The Limited, I knew that the first thing to do is greet the customer in a friendly, welcoming way.  It is all about how you approach a customer and how you address them.  No individual wants to be greeted by a monotone sales associate who asks how the customer is doing.  Tony explained that the next step is to make a connection with the customer whether that connection is as simple as complimenting the clothing he or she is wearing or praising the items they are looking at. By building a connection, consumers feel at ease and may be more willing to ask for help.  I also knew that it is important to determine the occasion, in other words, what the customer is shopping for.  For instance, if the customer is going on a warm-weather vacation, the Polo specialist may show him fashion bathing suits or perhaps the concept groups Havana Club or Northport.  By understanding what the customer is looking for, Polo employees can create additional sales by utilizing life styling.  Closing the sale is also imperative.  Consumers want to leave feeling satisfied and the Polo specialists want to make incentives and build clientele.  We spent the next few hours helping the Polo specialists greet customers and answer any questions that had. We then pulled back stock to fill in the depleted merchandise and ended the day by organizing the pant room.

---Meredith Pugh

June 16, 2011

On Thursday we met at Southpark at 8:00 am awaiting the arrival of the Big and Tall fixtures.  Collin and I began by unpacking boxes of hangers and props while other workers moved the new fixtures.  We also had to move around select previous fixtures that we decided to keep on the sales floor.  The next hour we spent moving the merchandise from the old fixtures and placing them on the new fixtures, keeping in mind which ones hold more capacity.  We also wanted to remember the flow of the merchandise, keeping the sale together, flowing from seasonal to casual wear to dressy.  As we were arranging the merchandise on the fixtures, we also began straightening the regular price and sale.  Tony taught us how to properly display the Polo Ralph Lauren ties on the tie fixture.  After everything in Big and Tall was set, we went to lunch.  Afterwards, we worked in the Polo sportswear area, consolidating the clearance racks. We also got rid of one of the three banquet tables which were next to the aisle. We folded the sale denim on the banquet table and moved it to the back of a sale fixture. Overall, the day went really well, we had a lot of people from Belk helping us move the fixtures which made everything run smoothly.  Unfortunately we lost of a lot of capacity in general, but gained hanging capacity.

---Meredith Pugh

June 15, 2011

On Wednesday we started off at Southpark, replenishing the clearance area. We left at around 11:00 a.m. to go visit North Lake Mall. The Belk at North Lake likes to utilize banquet tables. However, there was clearance merchandise on one of the tables which would look better visually on a rounder. We unpinned the folded woven from the banquet table and hung it in the clearance area. We decided to use the promotional fashion interlock on the table instead of clearance. Next, we had to set the Havana concept table. Collin worked on the manniquins whiles I set the table. The North Lake store received a lot of the wovens for Havana but did not receive as many Havana knits. I also placed cream shorts with the group. Once Havana was set, we organized the mesh wall by using the back stock to fill in. Afterward, we ate lunch and met a woman who works as a visual merchandiser for Winston. She explained her job responsibilities and how she has a flexible part-time work schedule. After lunch, we went to merchandize the Big and Tall department for Polo. The small amount of fixtures made it difficult to organize the merchandise. We set Havana for Big and Tall, placing the Havana interlock on the bench. Collin and I also updated the manniquins with Havana. Tony worked on rearranging the mesh table while Collin and I hung the graphic tees.


---Meredith Pugh

June 14, 2011

On Tuesday Collin, Tony, and I met at 9:00 a.m. at Southpark Mall. Because denim was selling so well at Southpark, we wanted to make sure that we replenished the denim table. Tony taught us the proper way to fold denim according to polo standards. After gathering replenishment from the stock room, we made sure to size and fold the jeans, placing the largest sizes on the bottom shelf. Afterward, we met downstairs and Tony went over what individual items were selling. From the results we could see what fashion items were selling and how  the store was doing selling BSR. Collin and I spent the rest of the afternoon working on our blog and project.


---Meredith Pugh

Friday 6/17/2011

Today was very much focused on helping out on the floor and selling the merchandise for fathers day. We started out the day helping out any customers if they needed help, and Tony went over the Polo Ralph Lauren 5 rings of customer service. We spent the rest of the day pulling stock out of the back to fill in the fixtures that were depleated and helping the costumers. This was a good day due to the fact it was the first time we really got to interact with the customers whihc gave us another perspective of the whole operation. We ended the day by organizing the Preston Pants wall, which had was in shambles from last night due to customers looking through it.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Thursday 6/16/2011

Thursday was a huge day for us, as  the new fixtures for the Big & Tall Polo Ralph Lauren shop arrived at Southpark. Meredith and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. and meet Tony who was already there, as soon as we arrived the fixtures began rolling in. We all started moving the fixtures around to where Tony said they should be and opening the many boxes that came with everything. Tony, Meredith and I focused on getting all the merchandise off of the old fixtures on to the new ones and making sure the store was set well, which took most of the day. Other Belk employees chipped in to help which was very good and helpful. Tony then treated Meredith and I to a very good and nice lunch for helping out with the new fixtures. After lunch we went to sportswear and we organized the clearance racks and folded denim that was in the big table.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Wednesday 6/15/2011

Tuesday we traveled to Northlake to see the Polo Ralph Lauren shop there. We started out by moving the clearance off of the banquet tables out front because we at Polo Ralph Lauren do not like to acknowledge that we have clearance and we certainly do not want that to be the first thing customers see when they enter the shop. After that I made the Havana mannequins and helped Meredithset the Havana table. Tony then had Meredith and I organize the mesh wall. Tony then set up a lunch for us with a visual merchandiser from the Winston company, and she informed us of her job and how it differed from Tonys, which was very interesting. After lunch the focus was to get the Big & Tall section set. Tony, Meredith, and I moved alot around in the Big & Tall section, and we actually ended up moving it around to were it looked like there was much more space than before, which was very good.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Tuesday 6/14/2011

Tuesday we were at Southpark again. We started out the day really focusing on getting the denim set and making sure it was sized right so the customers could find it easily. Tony showed Meredith and I how to fold the denim the way that Polo Ralph Lauren likes and he also showed us how to size the denim and how to place it around the fixture. After we were done with the denim Tony went over the numbers from the week before with us and showed us how each individual item was selling and how we could improve each store and what we should focus on changing. After that Tony gave Meredith and I the rest of the day to work on our project idea and update our blogs.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

June 13, 2011

On Monday, Collin, Tony and I met at Pineville mall to carpool to the Asheville and Hickory stores. On the way, we looked at the weekly results for the Asheville store. We were able to see not only how many units sold last week, but also how many were sold two weeks ago, three weeks ago, and four weeks ago. We also analyzed the sell thru for each item and compared how many we had on hand last week compared to last year.  It is necessary to understand which items are selling well, which are not, and recognize if the merchandize can be displayed more appropriately to drive store results.  We also looked at the market share for the Asheville store to see if Belk has gained or lost market share to the Dillard’s at the mall. Asheville is a high capacity store, however because all the promotional mesh and interlock was in the aisle, the mesh wall and fixtures looked barren.  In order to strengthen the mesh wall, we took the solid regular price mesh which was on the P200 fixture and filled in the mesh wall. Using knowledge we gained the previous week, Collin and I were able to color block the wall, ensuring that the line of sight shelves looked incredible while consolidating colors that had sold down on the lower shelves.  Our next task was to create an area where customers could shop casual shorts.  We wanted to make sure that the shop flowed from sale to active to casual wear to dressy. By doing so, customers would be able to easily shop for what they need.  We moved and folded down the Fielding Tartan shorts as well as the Bradbury Seersucker shorts, placing them in the dressy area. These shorts were placed next to a rounder which held wovens which could easily be paired with the shorts for a pulled-together look.  While Tony worked on the clearance section, Collin and I placed the Gellar Classic Cargo shorts on a ballet bar with short-sleeved button downs.  The store had sold down the tissue shorts which had to be moved to a small ballet bar. Our goal was to place the merchandize in a way which made the fixtures look full and also flowed from category to category while using life styling. Our last task was to dress three mannequins which stood in front of the dressing rooms. These mannequins were located in the center of the shop, so we wanted them to be merchandized well to act as a focus group.  The other mannequins were located behind the concept tables, displaying new merchandize from the Havana Club and Northport group. We ended by touring the mall and visiting our competitor stores.  Next, we visited the Hickory Polo shop. Like Asheville, Hickory has high capacity fixtures; therefore we wanted to arrange the clothing in a way to make the store look like it had more volume.  We started out by unpinning clearance wovens and hanging them. The mesh wall had large piles of yellow polos at the bottom; therefore we inter-mixed the yellow with the other mesh and pulled the back stock to give the appearance of more volume.   The store did not have Havana set up; instead it had 30% off merchandize on a corner concept table. We moved the sale merchandize from the table and began gathering the polos and shorts to create Havana. Unfortunately, the store only received the classic fit polos for the group so we had to use a little creativity when merchandizing the table. We placed the polos on the table and laid the reversible green bleeker shorts with the tan and cream front flat chinos on the bench.  After the display was set, we completed the 30% off fixture. We mixed graphic tees with polos and shorts in order to fill it and placed the sale hats on top.

---Meredith Pugh

Monday 6/13/2011

Monday we met at Pineville at 7:00 a.m. to hit the road to travel to the Ashville store. Once we arrived at Ashville we focused on getting the mesh shirt wall set and straightened up because it was in bad shape. After that was completed Tony had me move all the swim wear to one fixture to make room in the wall to hang the blecker shorts. Meredith and I then hung the short sleeved oxfords with the other short sleeved wovens. After all of that was completed Meredith and I took the tissue shorts off the front fixture as there wasnt many left and we then hung the cargo shorts to that fixture. Tony then took us on a tour of the Ashville mall and we finished up and hit the road again to the Hickory store. Once we got to the Hickory store we noticed right away that they were lacking alot in stock, so Meredith and I hung the short sleeved woven shirts on the same fixture to set the sale. Then Tony had me set up Three mannequinns for the Havana display table. Then to make the most of the space we had Meredith and I set the 30% table and used as much space as we could on the fixture.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Friday 6/10/2011

We were at Southpark again on friday. Tony had Meredith and I begin the day by getting the Havana table set and making sure it was right and on point with the catalog. We arranged the shirts and added a suitcase and a couple more props. The table came out very good and I was quite impressed with the outcome. After that Tony had me dress a mannequin for the Havana table, I choose the choclate Havana fashion polo with the big player on it and a light havana short to go with it and a brown belt. After we were done Meredith and I went to lunch, after lunch Meredith and I had to redress the 8 mannequins that were around the denim and North Port area. We made sure each mannequin was set to the catalog and Tony came and said they looked good after we were done. Tony then took us on a tour of the mall and we had an interesting discussion on how the other stores in the mall were set up and how it might effect each.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Thursday 6/9/2011

Today we were in Greensboro working on the two stores. We started at the Four Seasons location, the main focus was to make sure there was a clear view into the back of the shop so that the store so it looked cleaner and there was a clear view from the aisle. Tony then took Meredith and I to lunch and we discussed the upcoming fathers day sale and how it was such a huge time in men's retail. After lunch Meredith and I worked on setting the mannequins for the store. We then went to Freindly shopping center and worked on the store there. Meredith and I worked on setting the interlock sale fixture and Tony let us kind of take that on our own which was a good learneing experience.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Wednesday 6/8/2011

We were at Southpark again today. We started out the day by going to Dillards and scouthing out the Polo Ralph Lauren store there and Tony went over what was exclusive to them and to us and the differences between each. Tony then showed Meredith and I the Big & Tall section and informed us that they had been doing so well there and expanding so much that the Big & Tall section was becoming it's own shop. We then focused on the getting the clearance set and making sure the aisles were clean and that the sale merchandise was clearly labeled. We spent the rest of the day making sure the clearance was set and hanging the woven shirts to clear space for full price merchandise.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

Tuesday 6/7/2011

Tuesday was our first day at Southpark. Tony took us on a tour of the southpark mall and showed us were everything was located in the mall and showed us the layout so we could get use to it as we will be spending most of our time at the Southpark mall. After the tour of the mall we went into the stock room to familiarize ourselves with the products and their locations. Tony then gave Meredith and I the rest of the day to work on our blogs and get them up and going.

Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing

June 11, 2011

On Saturday I met with Tony at 10:00 a.m. at Southpark Mall. We wanted to get as much back stock onto the floor as possible for the last day of the Friends and Family Event.  We started marking down clearance items in the stock room and replenished a lot of the sale merchandise. We also made sure that all of the clearance wovens were hanging on rounders in order to maximize sales. Before leaving, we made sure that all the displays were still set from Friday and that the shop was in order. Saturday helped me see how important it is to constantly make sure that sale stock is put out on the floor before it gets marked down again at the end of the month. By replenishing the stock, we can ensure that more sizes are available to customers which in turn will create more sales.

---Meredith Pugh

June 10, 2011

 On Friday we visited Southpark Mall again at 9:00 a.m. We knew that the merchandise would be cleared out a bit because of the Friends and Family Sale so we began replenishing items. We were able to put out a lot of back stock. Afterwards, Tony worked on rearranging the clearance while Collin and I reset the Havana table. We added a leather Ottoman and suitcases and worked on folding the knits with two pieces of folding paper. After folding the table to perfection, we helped Tony move sale hand knit sweaters to the clearance rounder. Tony assigned me to arrange Havana dress shirts in a waterfall formation on a circle table slightly behind the Havana display. I used the dress shirts from back stock for the fixture and made sure to use the standard in sizing (one XXL, two XL, two L, two M, and one S).  After hanging up more sale wovens, Collin and I headed to lunch. After eating, we started redressing mannequins in order to more visually represent a display.  After everything was set correctly, Tony took Collin and I around the men's department at Belk and asked us to tell him what we think of when we see particular brands. We continued on to other stores in the mall, looking at window displays and acknowledging what the store's target market is. As we ended back at Belk we briefly discussed the placement of registers in a store and how certain positions can have a negative or positive effective on either the store or its customers.

---Meredith Pugh

June 9, 2011

On Thursday, Tony and I carpooled to the Four Seasons Mall in Greensboro. During the car ride, we utilized our time by reviewing Store 465’s sell thru results.  As Tony drove, I got to look at what items sold the most at the Polo shop at Four Seasons and what merchandise the store was struggling to sell. Wovens did not sell well last week at the store. Additionally, pants and Andrew shorts saw fewer sales.  Tony explained that he likes to review the results prior to visiting the store in order to see what is not selling and if those items can be represented better visually. After arriving to the store, we met with the Polo Specialist, Dan, who has worked there for many years and has very strong knowledge of the Polo Brand. During the Belk morning meeting, Dan was recognized for his outstanding sales in the Polo department.  I began the day by unpinning folded clearance wovens which were then hung to increases sales. From there, I moved the crew neck tees to a clear glass wall fixture at the end of the shop. I placed the tees in the fixture by using a color block method, and consolidating colors that were almost sold out. I also placed the BSR visors above the crew neck tees to provide a casual summer look. Because the V-neck tees were sold down a lot, I moved them into a wooden shelf fixture which held graphic tees. Later in the afternoon, Collin, Tony, and I toured the mall and went in to the competitor store in order to check out their merchandise floor plan. After lunch, we folded the seersucker shorts and plaid shorts on a fixture by the aisle.

---Meredith Pugh

June 8, 2011

On Wednesday we met at Southpark mall at 9:00 am and began preparing for the Friends and Family Event. The event lasts through Saturday and allows customers with the coupon to save 20 % off Polo merchandise excluding clearance.  Customers can also enjoy an additional 30 % off clearance items. Setting up the sale section was a key focus for the first day of the event.  I worked on straightening folded graphic tees on a sale fixture as well as consolidating the clearance merchandise.  Tony and I switched the clearance items that were hung on wooden Polo hangers to plastic hangers for a more uniform look.  As the day got busier, Collin and I assisted the Polo Specialist, Lonnie, by greeting customers and answering any questions they had. We also had the chance to go over Southpark’s Recap results with Tony who explained the meaning of the results.  By preparing for the event, I learned the importance of efficiently setting up the merchandise and gained further knowledge on how the customer responds to certain set ups of clearance items.  For instance, sale woven shirts will typically sell better if they are hung up on a rounder versus being folded on a shelf fixture.

---Meredith Pugh

June 7, 2011

Collin and I met with Tony at Southpark mall at 9:00 Tuesday morning. We started the day by becoming familiar with the men's polo shop, women's shop as well as big and tall. We then toured the mall, looking at our competitor's stores to see what marketing was in place and the different layouts of the merchandise. Later in the day, Collin and I met to set up our blog and submit our initial posts. We also spent some time brainstorming ideas for our project by thinking about possible improvements for Polo shops to utilize.

---Meredith Pugh

June 6, 2011

I met with Tony Henderson and Collin Allison at Pineville Mall at 9:00 a.m. Monday. We began the day by photographing the store and  rearranging the clearance section. I took hanging graphic t-shirts that were marked 30% off and folded them, placing them in a shelf in the sale area closer to the back wall. I then moved the fashion denim to the cabinet which previously held the graphic tees. I hung the denim on wooden polo hangers with one wash of denim facing out in the cabinet. Near the register was a metal bin which contained three styles of clearance belts. The belts were in a disarray. Therefore, we decided to hang the belts for a more organized look.  I then filled the bin with the clearance hats and scanned the regular-priced hats to see which styles went on sale. Next, Collin and I moved cargo shorts which were folded on a table and hung them in a cabinet. In its place we put interlocke polos which were going on sale for $49.99 in preparation for Father's Day. The fixture we put the promotional interlocke on was right beside the aisle, allowing customers to notice the sale easily.
During lunch, Tony showed Collin and I results Rusty had sent, displaying which stores had seen increases or decreases in their sales. After lunch I helped Collin set the Havana display by hanging woven shirts which were folded. By doing so, Tony said the shirts would most likely sell better. The main task Collin and I worked on after lunch was the mesh wall. Polo at Belk uses a color block method in which fashion polos and BSR polos are arranged so that no color is repeated in the same row or column. This method of display adds interest and allows customers to see the various colors offered, instead of resorting to a light to dark color method.
Overall, I think we had a very productive first day. Tony made sure that we left understanding the basic layout of the Polo section and how to set up merchandise so that customers will almost be able to self shop because each clothing category leads into another.


---Meredith Pugh

Day 1 June 6, 2011

On the first day of the intership I arrived at the Carolina Place mall in Pineville, North Carolina at 9:00 a.m. and met Meredith and Tony at the front entrance of Belks. We started out with a quick overview of the days activities and then got straight to work. Tony had me start off scanning the mesh polo shirts to see which ones were on sale and which ones werent. When I finished pulling the mesh shirts that were on sale off of the shelf me and Tony set up the sale fixture in the aisle, which was our first main focus as Tony descrbied it was very improtant to get our sale set first. Then I continued to help pull on sale shirts and set the sale with Tony until lunch. During lunch Tony, Meredith and I went to eat and Tony showed me and Meredith the numbers from each store he is over and which stores and products are increaseing or decreaseing from last quarter and the reasons why the numbers are showing a decrease or increase. After lunch the focus was getting the Havana Nights display set which is the new display that has been sent out to each store. Tony described to us how the displays should look the same in each store and also explained to us the pshycology behind setting the displays and where to set them. Tony also described in depth the way the Polo Ralph Lauren store is set up so that shoppers will choose one item, and immediately see other items in near by areas that can also be bought by the shopper in the same categorie. For example the bathing suits are right beside the summer shirts, and the North Port display lead you into the Havana Nights display which plays off of summer. For the remainder of the day we did several different tasks in which we made sure the store was set for our sell in the right exact way. We also compared our store to competitors store (which ours was much more impessive). We finished the day around 5:00 p.m. The first day was very exciting, as we had no downtime and were constantly working. Going forward into this internship I find my self more intrigued and excited to learn about the industry and to try to find ways to put my own personal mark on it.

- Collin Allison
North Carolina State University
Fashion and Apparel Management
Brand Management and Marketing