Current Event #3: In denial

A few days ago, Zacks Investment Research published a short article about the top 5 companies in the department store industry based on relative performance. The analysis was based on recent trading activity on stocks that have the potential to outperform. Guess who wasn't on the list? 


The list in order was as follows:
1. Macy's
2. Kohl's 
3. Saks
4. Nordstrom
5. Dillard's 


Again, Macy's is kicking Sears' butt! It's number one on the list with a mere loss of 0.57% compared to Sears' lost of 2.6% in the last quarter. I asked the corporate trainee, who expects to be an assistant store manager in about 6 months, what she thought about the future of Sears in comparison with other department store retailers. She said, "I'm not worried about it. Sears is still a Fortune 500 company. So we're doing something right"


Despite the Fortune 500 company designation, it's obvious companies are doing something BETTER than us. For example, Walmart who ranks number one on the Fortune 500 list and Target at number 33! Although Macy's is a little lower on the list at 107, consumers are preferring them over us. I'm starting to think everyone is in denial! Everywhere I turn, someone is telling me that Sears is near bankruptcy...no one shops there...Sears is old news.


All in all, I think everyone is in denial. No one that works at the store level is worried and maybe they don't have reason to be. However, if all these companies continue to flourish without us doing anything, we will have something to be worried about!


Bibliography:


TOP 5 COMPANIES IN THE DEPARTMENT STORES INDUSTRY WITH THE BEST RELATIVE PERFORMANCE (June 23, 2011). Retrieved June 25, 2011. From http://www.zacks.com/research/get_news.php?id=174l7435.   

Bon-Ton and Sears Post 1st Quarter Losses (May 20, 2011). Retrieved June 25, 2011. From 

http://departmentstoreretailing.blogspot.com/2011/05/bon-ton-and-sears-post-1st-quarter.html. 

Week 3: Back to normal

Corporate meetings are over at our store! YAY! They weren't that tough but considering all managers HAD to work 6 day weeks (including the intern: me, and the national trainee), I think we're all happy it's over. There were several 12 hour days getting ready for the meetings. I haven't had an off day since last Tuesday, but I finally get one on Saturday! Enough of my complaining.

We just got a new truck in two of my favorites at the store: UK Style by French Connection and Apostrophe. =D. UK Style shipped us some thick long sleeve leopard shirts...a little early for winter clothes to be selling, but maybe they're thinking ahead. =) And Apostrophe always sends really cute floral stuff. I honestly and sadly didn't know Sears carried "trendy" clothes until this internship even though my family has been shopping with them for years. Which means no one else in the "younger" crowd knows it either! The current ad campaign in our area doesn't even highlight clothing, it's about a couple purchasing a washer and dryer. =\ I mean, we get it. Sears sells appliances. But we also sell a bunch of other stuff, at really good prices but no one hears about that until there's a sale. Our back stock on clothing is ridiculous and I can only attribute that to customers not buying it, right?

 Sears' target market is defined. It's a married couple, younger or older. They have recently purchased a home or remodeling a home. They may have kids or maybe their children are grown. So, Sears likes families. I think they reach this market pretty well. The customers that shop Sears, always do and they love it. They have all the rewards memberships, any possible cards, and so on. But, from what I've seen in the store, younger women and men don't shop Sears. In fact, I've seen a lot of parents shopping FOR their teens and if a college-age kid does wander in, they are disgusted with the selection unless they came for a particular item. I find this disheartening because we do carry some good stuff, I promise! We have plenty of graphic tee's and lace-y tops/dresses that SHOULD be selling. But they end up on clearance and I buy them with my employee discount. We aren't appealing to a huge potential market. If Sears could get teens to come WITH their parents to shop, we would sell a lot more apparel. I even offered to take my little sister shopping at Sears for back-to-school and she declined saying she'd rather go elsewhere. =0 The nerve! The visuals in our store are appealing though, the mannequins are fashionably dressed and there are aesthetically appealing colors and lights; the problem is getting everyone in there to see them.

In other news, I've been working the register a lot in the men's department and the cashiers aren't happy. Apparently there's a lot of tension about credit applications within all the departments because Sears pushes credit. It's not fun for the cashiers though. One friend I made, Gemella (who I adore) is a bubbly, out-going, and confident lady who hates credit apps. I've learned it really brings everyone down in the area. I'd hate credit apps too, honestly. If I was being "graded" on how many credit applications I got from customers, I wouldn't be happy either. No one wants credit. Customers want to pay for whatever they're buying and leave.   Not fill out an app, wait for it to be processed, then be denied. You've wasted about 10-15 mins of that customers' time! There is a $15 incentive if the customer is approved. IF...

This week has definitely been a learning experience. I've been observing and absorbing plenty. I'm looking forward to working with Brand Central where all the appliances are. Not that I'm interested in toasters at all, I'd just like to see how their customers are and the employee dynamics.  

Current Event #2: Macy's takeover

While Sears is known for its housewares and appliances, Macy's is looking to gain some share. According to RetailingToday.com, Macy's has launched a new event, "Chef's a Go-Go" where well-renowned chefs will tour the country using Kitchen Aide appliances and teaching customers new ways to use them along with recipes. 


While Macy's is coming up with clever ideas to gain appliance sales, Sears is simply declining in sales. :-( The Chicago Tribune wrote, "In May, Sears reported that it swung to a first-quarter loss as sales sank at Kmart and Sears stores and its core appliance business continued a downward slide". 


I asked a coworker how she felt about this news and she commented that Sears doesn't have the kind of money to do a "Chef's a Go-Go" venture. When I asked why, she simply replied, "I don't know". That same employee though, decided to go "shop" at Macy's to compare prices and appliance selection. She reported to me that the prices are very similar and we have a wider range of appliances. So why are our sales declining and Macy's is able to spend money on celebrity chef's touring the world? We even match the prices of other retailers IF a customer finds it cheaper some where else. I have my own personal beliefs of why Sears isn't "flourishing" like it's other retail counterparts. Just from seeing store operations and dynamics first-hand...I think Sears has all the right tools but something, somewhere is going wrong, but no one really knows what it is. 

Bibliography/ citation: 

Retailing Today: (2011, June 21). "Macy's chefs hit the road". Retrieved on June 21, 2011 from: http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/macys-chefs-hit-road

Tribune staff report. (2011, June 21). Fitch Downgrades Sears. Retreived on June 21, 2011 from: 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-fitch-downgrades-sears-20110621,0,1282117.story

Week 2: Overtime

So my internship is now in FULL swing. No one has to tell me what to do anymore because there is PLENTY to do! Since my last post, I took a survey of the associates' perception on the "Shop your way rewards" program for my end project. I also finished my 30 day training on the Sears intranet way before 30 days! Woot! I've started hating computers! I learned PCN, stock locating, and pushing freight which is not very hard but kind of boring after going through all of our products, from soft lines to home goods including appliances. My favorite tasks still involve working on the floor with customers; Sears has the best customers ever!

Just from interacting with the customers, I can tell Sears has a very loyal base. In the store, from what I've seen, Sears is very family-oriented and friendly. Every morning my manager says, "Remember: a name tag and a smile!" It's very important to make the customer happy by any means necessary so Sears is also loyal to their customers.

I happen to LOVE my coworkers! There are still a few I haven't won over but I'm still working on it. :-) We just got a corporate trainee that just graduated from the University of Tennessee and she's done the internship already so she gives me plenty of tips! It's exciting! I'm getting to work with the visual team a lot too. It's been good times....except this week our district manager came because we're having the CEO and some other head honcho guys check out our store because it's doing really well. :-) It's good and bad. It's good because, yay! The store is doing so good, they want to see how we run. It's bad because our very nice district manager (she really is nice) took away my off days to help get the store ready. I don't mind but I'll be working more than I do now, which is already a lot! So, next week I'll be doing job rotations AND running around helping with sprucing up the store. Ahhh!

Luckily, I'm living at home and don't have to worry about cooking or anything after a long day. I have to get on taking some pictures to post! I'm looking forward to booking my flight to Chicago for the three-day intern conference which I'm very excited about! ...until my next post...*sleep*

Current Event #1: The Kardashian Kollection

Week Number: 1

Company Name: Sears

Internship position: Management intern

So, I may have spoke too soon about ALL the associates hating me at Sears. Its actually only a few. Everyone else is very pleasant and nice. :-) 


In other news, during my first week, while following Khloe Kardashian on twitter (because we are personal friends lol) I found out that the Kardashian sister's are launching a line for Sears! Immediately after I found out I searched for my mentor Katreena, who's in charge of all apparel in our store. She's pretty excited considering some departments in apparel don't do as well because the merchandise isn't what customers like. She commented saying, "Some of the stuff in Women's isn't trendy enough which is why no one buys it! Hopefully the new line will bring up our sales."


I love the idea of the Kardashian's releasing a line for Sears. Their popular, trendy, and most of all, fashionable. However, the median age of the Sears shopper is 45 so I'm not sure how the perception of the Kardashian name will go with the older audience. Overall, the hope is that this new launch will drive sales.


The products are set to include ready-to-wear, lingerie, jewelry, footwear and, handbags. It's to be released in August. Also, Sears just recently launched the line on the Sears website where customers can sign up for email notifications: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_kardashiankollection?

i_cntr=1307889215474

Bibliography/ citation: Beck, Lani. (2011, June 2).

Kardashian Kollection: The Kardashian Sisters Soon to Launch Apparel and Handbags. Retreived on June 10, 2011 from: http://www.handbago.com/blog/kardashian-kollection-kardashian-sisters-soon-launch-apparel-and-handbags

Week 1: No one tells me anything!

On Monday, June 6th, I started my management internship at the Sears in Cumberland Mall in Atlanta. It has been...interesting. It's not that I haven't enjoyed my first week because I have! Customers are my favorite people in the world, I've realized. It's just that...no one really tells me anything! Which is understandable, no one should have to tell me what to do every moment of every day BUT considering it was my first week and I'm new to the company, some general guidance would have been nice.

So far, I usually start each day at 7:00 am with my mentor (she's in charge of all apparel). We put new clothes out from stock until the store opens at 10:00 and then I work on the sales floor for an undetermined amount of time (I kind of just stay out there for a couple hours because no one has given me a structured time to change activities). I go to a 30 min lunch and then to the training room for some laborious online management training. I stay in there...awhile...and then head to my managers office for some instruction and he usually tells me to continue training or do some sort of task for him. I've made posters for a promotional event for Father's day and put together plenty of outfits for racks. The managers like to give me "fashion" tasks as they say.

I also get to sit in on the manager and department meeting. I have missed 2 meetings so far! :-( No one tells me when they are even though I asked! Everyone seemed to think it wasn't a big deal though. I've noticed that the working dynamics are pretty lax. My mentor, Treena, says that I'm way too quiet in comparison with everyone else but I think thats just because it was my first week. My manager is very chill. He basically allows me to decide what I'm doing for the day. I just wish there was more structure. The associates don't seem to care for me very much and when I ask them questions, very few are happy to answer them. :-( But I'll get over that.

Now about customers...I love Sears customers! They like help and I like to help so we get along so well! I did experience one customer though, that was looking for khaki's in the Men's department. I directed him towards them and he went searching for a few minutes, and came back to me saying, "Hey, I have to wear these today and there is dog hair all over them. What can you do about that?". I was very confused because even though I'm new to Sears, I'm almost certain they don't sell puppies! I could only tell him that MAYBE, just maybe, customer service has a lint roller...it was really funny. Even though I could only laugh at it by myself.

As for next week, I'm looking forward to hopefully some more hands on training opposed to the online stuff. I get a general understanding about Sears from online but I think actually experiencing it would serve me better. Also, I have an internship presentation to start working on! Sears has a "Shop your way rewards" program for customers to join and apparently not many do join so it my job to analyze the problems with it and suggest solutions. I've started off by making a survey for associates to fill out so I can examine their understanding and approach to the program. I will put it in the break room and I'm looking forward to seeing how much participation I get. Otherwise, I'll be asking a batch of associates individually the questions and I'm sure they won't care for that either!

All in all, its going okay!