At COTY, I became accustomed to working long hours and met a new demographic of co-workers. It pushed me outside my comfort zone, doing repetitive tasks and helped my quality check skills that are needed in retail. It also broadened my communication skills with co-workers and superiors, as it was extremely important to make sure everyone was in sync to carry out the job.
Working at Sandro gave me a great insight to the levels of customer services that diferent companies provide. Sandro being a luxury brand that relies on excellent customer service for turnover, meant I had to really push myself when speaking to clients. Instead of a mundane "Hello, would you like any help?", I was trained in many diferent ways of approaching customers, and try push for higher sales and a deeper understanding of their needs. Furthermore, working in a smaller team at Sandro allowed me to excel in communication between my colleagues., to allow for a smooth operation of the shop floor.
My time in Under Armour really showed me the intricacies of how a store works and how to be eficient with my time. I was on the shop floor most shifts, constantly dealing with many types of customers and making sure the store was of standard. Furthermore, I was also there to help close and open stores, and worked in the back, where I helped with new stock and processing them, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This gave me the flexibility to be able to work where my superiors asked me to. Working during busy times, was a challenge at first, but it helped me communicate better to my colleagues and build my ability to work as a team. It also taught me how to work well under pressure.
I was able to get a lot of initial retail experience at Puma; handling inventory and stocks as well as preparing the sales. I especially enjoyed my time working on the shop floor, where I greeted customers and helped them with any problems.