Retail Employees Dissatisfied with Current Jobs Earnings. - Is There Hope?

Week 3 Day 18Macy's Merchandising Group LLC

Retail Employees Dissatisfied with Current Jobs Earnings. - Is There Hope?

After reading "Fashion Workers More Disaffected" from Women's Wear Daily, concern 

only emanated from me. The article was written by Arnold Karr who gives a brief overview 

of the current views in the retail job market but the industry employees. Currently many 

retail employees from various sectors of the industry are dissatisfied with their positions. 

These people vary in degrees of expertise and seniority with different backgrounds. The 

reports show that these individuals are unhappy with the work-life balance and most are 

still looking for other job prospects.

Karr also brings up facts about an emerging labor division. About  thirty percent of 

executives had a "year-on-year salary increase of 21 percent or more (Karr)", and their 

bonuses as well rose faster than any other employee with a difference of twenty-one  

percent.

After learning of this terrible news, I went and asked my boss if it were true. Upon giving a 

brief description of the article and asking for her opinion, she took a second to think. My 

boss then stated, "In the fashion industry, all companies run their businesses differently… 

this is no exception for Macy's. If you are concerned about our company and  it's policies 

then you shouldn't. We pride ourselves in constantly educating our employees with free 

classes from HR including CAD, Retail Math, Business Development, Photoshop, Indesign, 

Excel, and business etiquette. And these are just a few. Our company wants to see our 

employees grow and be happy because a happy employee in turn leads to a happy 

customer." After her quote she then explained to me that in Macy's promotion is available 

to those who strive for it and show their abilities. And this is very true with our Director of 

Men's being only 27 years old. She could not tell me about other companies and their 

values, but at Macy's it is clear that everyone who works for them is much like family.

Arnold, K. J. (2013, June 17). Fashion Workers More Dissaffected. Retrieved on May 20, 

2013 from: http://www.wwd.com/business-news/human-resources/fashion-workers-

more-disaffected-6996561?src=search_links 

Week 3 Journal Update

WEEK3

With Macy's being Marketed as the All American Department store, it is very difficult to attract every single customer from the Baby boomers to the millennial age groups. Currently, Macy's main campaign is the "Americana Push". I discussed this theme last week in my current event. This campaign was started as a reaction to JCPenney and Lord & Taylors Red white and blue theme along with implemented due to independence day on the horizon. Personally I believe this campaign is a good idea at the moment. To celebrate America, american icons, and people who make this nation great is a perfect focus for the summer month. However I can see it having future issues in the millennial generation (who is more conscious in the 'Made in America' tag). With the loyal customers being Baby boomers and generation X, there are no problems seen thus far in their campaign due to the lack of 'Made in America' concerns by these two age groups.

As stated previously, Macy's main goal is to be the All American department store. Its job is to appeal to every single market, at every age, and at different price points. Though their target customer is everyone, their main customers are primarily older clientel between the mid 30 to late 60's. These clients are typically set in their ways and are always price conscious along with shop with coupons. The customer also has a an average income and are typically family oriented. However Macy's has been slowly attempting to reach the "white space" of the marie which are the us, "the Millenials".

To reach the Millenials, Macy's would have to do a full on marketing campaign directed completely towards Social Media. Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter should all be the first sites Macy's should focus on. They should also Make their website more user friendly and trendy. Macy's should also advertise in Fashion Magazines like Vogue, Nylon, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, or InStyle, showing off their new trendy looks in a very hip and new way. And finally Macy's would also need to redo their store by creating an area within the store that is eye catching and stands apart from the normal old person's look.

This week I made a mistake and accidentally bought the wrong shorts during a competitive shopping trip. After realizing the mistake, I told my supervisor, offered to take it back and make the exchange, and come back right after. My boss was happy that I owned my mistake and gave me some words of wisdom - "Everyone makes mistakes, but don't call them mistakes…. call them learning opportunities."

I have learned a funny part of office politics. Everyone refers to the CEO of Macy, Terry Lundgren, as "TL", and people within Macy's who are close to him will actually call him that nick name. I have also learned so much this week that my 200 page note book is already almost 100 pages through. I have learned how to create a DP Tool, blow out a style tracker, and create master contracts of 100,000 of dollars of orders for vendors across the country. I have also successfully presented a sales presentation to the director of menswear, and she was so impressed that I was able to present it to the design team along with my thoughts and opinions on the coming season.

I think the most humorous thing that happened this weekend was when my roommate fell down the stairs at our apartment. At first it was scary because I thought she was going to fall right on top of me when I heard her hit the ground in front of me but her galaxy bruise on her butt is hilarious, and she was such a champ afterwards.

What Should be Macy's Current Store Initiative?

Week 2
Macy's Merchandising Group Internship
June 16, 2013
Ashley Long

What Should be Macy's Current Store Initiative?

Earlier this week, I read an article by Sheron Edelson from the Women's Wear Daily. Her post was on Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy's Inc. The writer's story is a recap on Macy's store plans in the coming future. There are talks of bringing in smaller-sized department stores that are strictly devoted to samples.
What this means, is less inventory sitting on the sales floor, less cramped spaces, no more waiting in lines to check out. However, as Edelson states, " this is all talk". Macy's never uses these ideas on a full range of stores but on test stores to see how the company reacts to the change.  Currently Lundgren has opened up one test store in Gurnee Mills Outlet center.Lundgren states that, “[w]e’re testing [fixtures] that allow customers to see physical product and search all the inventory between dot-com and stores... We’re investing big time in mobile devices. We have a mobile app, but there’s a lot more we can do to leverage that experience to blend technology with in-store to facilitate the purchase.”And though this concept was practiced at an outlet store, Macy's does not plan on opening an outlet store in the coming future.

After learning of these better instillations (in terms of presentation) and no Macy's outlets in the near future, I brought up these findings to my boss. She was pleasantly surprised on my up to date knowledge of Macy's and provided me with her thoughts on this subject. She felt that it was great that Lundgren and the CEO's were willing to try new things.  She feels that the only way for the company to grow is to try new things. "Even if one idea fails, it should never be considered as a failure but as an opportunity to learn and grow", said my boss. She also felt that Lundgren's push for better presentation was important since shopping is not just to buy clothes but a memorable experience for the customers.

The only differing opinion that she had was on the lack of Macy's outlet stores. She believed that though the outlet store would be around similar price points as regular stores, it would still be a great way to quickly turn last season's stock while making room for the new season stuff coming in. She also added in that it would give Macy's the less crowded  feeling that people get when they come to the store which is always a bonus. 

I am unsure of who I should agree with at this point, and the only thing that Macy's could do is try it once. If it succeeds use it, but if not - learn from it.



Edelson, S. (2013 June 16). Macy's Terry Lundgren: "We Will Try Everything". Retrieved on June 12, 2013. http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/department-stores/macys-lundgren-we-will-try-everything-6983621?src=search_links

Week 2 at Macy's Corporate

Ashley Long

06/16/2013

WEEK2 - Day 14 Sunday

Upon entering this internship, I already had an idea of what Macy's was like. I always thought of it as a family store with personable people who are always willing to help. Now that I have been working in the office, learning from my mentors, and talking with upper management, I have learned that Macy's is all about teamwork, everyone's opinions matter, and the number one rule "the customer is always first". The reputation of this company is world renown. Macy's has always been known to have the magic of making the best shopping experience and is called America's Department store. The image of this employer is of an older more mature women who is looking for great clothes at a reasonable price. Working in the corporate office, I do not work directly with customer service. However, with my experiences at Macy's stores and learning the corporate philosophy of "be everywhere, do everything, never fail to astonish the customer", I can only assume that the drive to create the most memorable shopping experience is instilled into every single Macy's worker. 

I believe that I fit into this culture because I have always shopped at Macy's and knew every single brand going into this internship. The company has also treated me as an equal by facilitating my learning, working on real products, and valuing my input. I currently work in the men's division of private labels called Tasso Elba. The products that this Private brand creates include hard pieces, golf wear, island styles, and activewear.

So far the most challenging difficulties would be the fact that I am not proficient in Excel nor in the CS6 programs. It has been hurting me to be against the curve on these two programs since I have hardly used excel since freshmen year and do not have the necessary training the CAD software <not the same as Mrs. Brooks class). So far I have been combating these obstacles, by working after my internship in learning excel and asking for designers help in figuring out the CS6 CAD system. It is still a work in process since I am learning a years worth of work in only a short few weeks. I have also learned that being a southern girl has its advantage. Everyone in the office thinks I am the sweetest thing by having the normal southern hospitality and always smiling. I have also learned that to work in an atmosphere where everyone works as a giant team, communication and team skills are KEY!!! (Thank you to all teachers who have ever made me do group projects!)

Currently I have had no issues with my boss nor mentor, they have been extremely helpful and sweet so far. I have, however, had a confrontation with a coworker. When the head designer of the men's division asked for my opinion an a shirt the coworker was working on, I was honest and told him the truth of the design looking a little off in the collar. The coworker glared at me and stormed out of the room. Afterwards, I went and confronted the coworker. I apologized to him if I had said anything wrong, and that I just wanted what was best for the company and for those who are buying the divisions products. After resolving the miscommunication, we are now back to being friends.

I currently love my living arrangements! It is a little tight however the amount I pay for my living is unbelievable. I currently am staying with Olivia Barrett and Erica Boyd. We are staying in a 1 bed 1 bath studio apartment in Upper East of Manhattan. I can not wait for this week since I will be presenting a selling report of the past weeks men's shorts to the division head! Wish me luck!!

Is "Made in America" a Real Push?

Week 1 - Day 7, Sunday

Macy's Merchandising Group Internship: Current Event 1

Upon entering the Macy's Merchandising Group, I along with all of the corporate interns sat and learned about the new Macy's initiative for the 4th of July call the American Icon or "Americana Push".
This meant the push for red, white, and blue colors, the festive music, and promotional images of famous Americans.  After learning of this initiative, I decided to research this campaign. The article I found by David Moin from Women's Wear Daily shed some more light on this campaign. His take on the Macy's initiative is one that is a counter attack to many of the large department store's themes. Lord and Taylor and JcPenney are two of the large department stores that Macy's is currently battling.   Lord and Taylor is currently playing the star spangle banner in their flagship; while JcPenney is evoking Old Glory with their red, white, and blue logo. Though Moin is implicating Macy's actions, Chief Executive Officer of marketing , Martine Reardon, states that "[t]he campaign is to celebrate unique people, places, and celebrating American icons."

After reading the article and absorbing in the information, I then thought "Could this have bad implications since Macy's Americana campaign is not made in America?" I remembered Ralph Lauren's Olympic's scandal where the designer created our American Athletes clothes to evoke national pride, but instead the initiative created upset when found out that the outfits were produced in China. "Could this happen to Macy's as well since all of our clothes are primarily made overseas?"

I went and asked my boss and mentor these questions; both provided some interesting insight. What I did not know was that this program is not company wide. Many of the divisions in Macy's are not part of the campaign; this fact is due to the last years campaign featuring Brazil (which I was not familiar with). Apparently, Macy's attempted another campaign with Brazil models and icons which did not translate at all to the customers. This caused the initiative to be quickly cancelled and much of the product still being pushed on the floor today to redeem losses. Currently, Macy's is learning from the past by making the Americana push small, as a test, to ensure positive consumer response.

I also learned from their point of view about "Made in America". My boss states, "[p]eople will buy no matter what strictly because the bottom line always deals with price, and the question of - Am I getting a good deal?" This of course is their main cliental standpoint. My mentor also gave her in put by saying, "[t]hose who care about clothes made in America are only a small  percentage compared to the masses…. Most of this percentage come from your generation, the Millenials (ages 13-25), who do not have the money nor resources due to your groups age." Macy's current market is directed towards the older generation of X's and Y's who have the bank flow to spend. That goes without saying that in the coming future anything is possible. With Macy's trying to reach the white space or open niche of the Millenials and with production prices going up all over the world, producing in America may become a viable option of "killing two birds with one stone" - being profitable/ time efficient along with satisfying the demands of fair labor practices from the Millenials. Only time and shifts in the economy will tell. As for now the motto of my boss still stands - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".


Moin, D. (2013, April 8). Macy's Americana Push. Retrieved on June 6, 2013 from:

http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/department-stores/macys-goes-american-6884147?src=search_links

June 5, 2013 - Day 3 of Macy's Merchandising Internship

Week 1- June 5, 2013

Official Start Day of In Office Work

Currently the company that I am interning for is Macy's Merchandising Group LLC in Manhattan, New York. The internship position that I am currently in is called the Product Intern for Private Brands. The term product intern was given since my position covers various aspects of the design, development, production, and distribution process. So far, the training that I have received is learning the Metrics System of the company, pre-line discussion etiquette, and reading master and pipeline lists. 

The hardest problems that I have been dealing with is actually working within the Mainframe of Macy's Merchandising Group or (MMG). The Mainframe deals with the memorization of codes in order to log yourself into the system, clock in, clock out, and manage your weekly pay rate. I dealt with this issue by, instead of bothering my boss, contacting Human Resources for assistance in explaining the Mainframe process one-on-one. I set up an appointment time with one of the main people, Micheline, and she aided me in further understanding the input process along with using the checks and balances to manage my pay.

Today, I have also learned a little bit of office politics/ gossip. I do not add into the co-worker's conversations though I have heard individuals call my boss "the dragon". I am not entirely sure what that means, nor do I want to ask. I also learned that I have to speak to certain people within my team differently than others like designer (with a slight temper), my boss (who is kind but expects results), and my mentor (loves to joke and keep the work place fun).  People within my work also find my accent and over all demeanor to be fascinating since I am from the south. Apparently they love to hear me speak with my "Savannah-ian" accent, and love it when I say things like "excuse me darlin'". Besides the whirlwind of an adult job, New York City is also the craziest town I have ever been to. The subways are confusing, and all of the blocks look the same. However, I find this place to be so fascinating and my difficulties of navigating are providing me with all the more reason to figure out this city.

With only the short time I have spent in this city and in this internship, I feel that I have learned so much. Relying on my smarts and friends instead of the close hand of family has definitely been a new change. I believe that I am growing as an individual in terms of maturity and I am also growing in the learning area. For the first 2 days of the internship, I feel as if I was just having an over view of the company, getting to know my fellow interns/ networking, and doing team building activities for the Macy's education leaders to observe. Today however was a completely different pace of learn on the job, learn quick, and always always always ask questions! I have learned so much with in this first day on things ranging from textiles application like TPI and fabric to understanding how stores are able to provide specific products to a certain demographic at almost every store.

I think the most humorous thing I have seen this week was the first time I met the male fashion designers from my team. They paraded into the meeting with their drag queen heels, providing their model walk. Their funny and dramatic personalities never fail to make me smile. I know there will be more work in the coming day, but I look forward to the mini projects they will be providing me. Some of the projects include selling reports presentations that I will give to the team, Omni-channel research, and the "giving back day" that Macy's Corporate puts on every other month.