Buying and Merchandising Placement Review

merchandising: shipping goods to stores, looking at the on order, communicating this with my team, planning strategies to maximise sales by country, banner and channel, store visits
buying: going on vendor visits, comp shopping (online & in stores), completing SWOTs, store visits, building relationships with those around the business

yes, i was responsible for the shipping of multiple departments, booking trains/flights/ taxis for work trips, communicating the sales and data info to my team
in buying i was shadowing, but i was responsible for making my own way to vendor visits, comp shopping and communicating this back to my wider team, making product selections and retailing products with minimal assistance

developed my communication, organisation, time-management skills
learnt how to reflect on my own personal development and set and work towards my own goals, learnt how to use excel

Within merchandising I was part of the MDP (merchandising development programme) which combined classroom based training with store visits and department training. Within buying I was given 'buyers' training twice a week that was written by senior buyers just for the placement students.

The company had a great culture that was focused on 'relationships over task' and building great relationships around the business. The office environment was always very buzzy, however there were smaller rooms that you could book if the office ever felt overwhelming.

It took me a while to get used to the difference between attending university and a placement, however i thoroughly enjoyed my placement and have learnt so much that I'm bringing to my final year with me. I have built some great relationships and look forward to seeing them all again when I go back for my graduate role.

Yes