Megan Fawcett

Working in Selfridges has extended my experience with working in a luxury retail department store. Although I have previous experience in childrenswear division in my previous employment I wanted to continue my childrenswear experience in Selfridges also. While I have been employed with Selfridges in the childrenswear department I have learned how to work along with the boutiques such as Dior, Gucci, Burberry as they are own bought in childrenswear in Selfridges where as they aren't in Harrods. An achievement that would reflect of my product knowledge and customer service would be that I managed to sell 5.3k worth of stock from Dior and Burberry in one single transaction to an international customer while also handling the language barrier that was taking place. So therefore I have grown my product knowledge very quickly so it can benefit myself and my customers. While also being employed with Selfridges I have come across having the time to learn how they also have KPI targets which is something I take into practise to meet the businesses requirements but also to satisfy myself as I know I am capable of reaching goals and to show my managers I'm willing to push myself to excel in my career. Furthermore while being with Selfridges I have of course had to take on challenges such as learning the store layout, which includes the stockrooms that are apart of my shop floor which is in total 4, to also learn a new till system and to learn about the Selfridges Key Holder system that Selfridges offer to customers. I can confidently explain this to customers and also highlight the advantages and benefits that customers have when using there Selfridges key with every transaction they make. I love to volunteer for any help that may be needed to my team members and managers, I thrive of being a part of team and to motivate others. I have taken part for more difficult shifts over the Christmas period , one being the overnight shift to day up the sale stock for Christmas which required me to communicate and organise shop floor and stockrooms for everyone's shifts to be run smoothly to be able to give customers an excellent atmosphere and service during the busy period of trade. To fairly say I am quite new to the business because of the contract type I have I believe I have imprinted a good reputation for myself across the division. I have had praises from my line manager, floor divisional, brand specialist and also my team members.

Working in a luxury department store is the most rewarding experience I have encountered so far, from building up clientele, working with luxury brands, being apart of a community within a work place and many more. I have senior assistant on my ID card meaning that I have more functions on operating the till than others such a returns, exchanges and refunds. This is because I completed my course and showed that I understand the harrods policies on there returns. As well as being able to make transactions as the customer being present I can also make payments while they aren't present, such as other the phone payments and pay by links and of course as customers aren't present I go the extra mile of doing dispatches so the customer can get there items delivered straight to them as I do the morning shifts and the late shifts I am able to check the float first thing in the morning and to check the float at the end of the business days and to complete the cash bags. I have extended my customer service to above and beyond as working in a luxury store isn't something everyone get to experience, I always greet customer from the moment they visit my department and from the moment they leave. I believe in treating customers with respect and equality even if they spend a few pounds or if they spend thousands, everyone that is included in my clientele is important to me and I always build relationships with my customers, they are always free to contact me through my business card which I offer my contact number, as I have really good clientele I know the importance of customer confidentiality and data protection which is GDPR I have responsibilities on the shop floor and expectations that I am required to meet by my line manager, I often finding my self voluntarily offering to do extra tasks such as stocktake which isn't an easy tasks across my big shop floor, asking if they need me for extra cover, also offering help to my team members with the clients that they have. I currently have four brands to have responsibilities over on my department and this all included keeping the Harrods standard of the shop floor to be maintained. This includes making sure hangers are all neatly hanged with the items, hangers must be all facing the correct way in according order, replanning any missing items and making sure everything is clean. I am a very organised person and often find myself tidying and arranging files, lunch deployment and giving out take to the rest of the team members, I like my day to run smoothly and in order. As I mentioned I like to run my day smoothly sometimes it doesn't go according to plan as I have confidently dealt with difficult customers when they experience some frustration but to me is all about treating people how I would like to be treated and to remain calm. If the situation gets out of hand I know my managers and security are always available to me but I have never had to use these resources.

I worked at Mini Athletics Club Romford. Which is on a Sunday 9:30am-12:00pm. I used to be with kids from ages 2-7 sometimes a bit younger and older. The kids have so much energy and I love seeing them happy and being around them in general. They have such character and I look forward to enjoying my Sunday morning with them. My roles during the shift is to make sure the kids are happy, enjoying themselves and interacting with the activities that are planned by the head coach for them. I, myself have to make sure that the equipment is set up for each activity while the main coach is warming them up, preparing them, and doing demonstrations. I have to be able to talk to the children, make sure they are enjoying themselves and encourage them to join in. It can be sometimes difficult as the children can have bad days, but the team is to make sure that while there with us to put there energy to something. It also gives the children a chance to meet new friends and understand and learn how to share, communicate in different way and to also become closer to their parents as the parents also get to have a chance to join in to with some of the activities. I'm never afraid to get stuck in with them either it's a pleasure to be given an opportunity to have learn new experiences, accept a challenges that come with the job. Every single child is different, which I love. Because they have their own personality, differences and uniqueness. My dream job would be to be a PE teacher in a secondary school. So working with children doing sporting activities gives me that experiences for my main career goal.

November 2019-July 2020) - Achievements & Responsibilities. Working in retail is challenging. You're constantly with customers which means I have to have good communication and customer service. Which is two of my strengths. Customers aren't always easy to deal with, meaning that I have to have patience and to be able to understand their wants and needs. In retail you have to reach targets and goals. Which means you have to interact with customers to sell a certain amount of items to be able to get sales, and also receive commission. During working in retail I had to be able to get tasks done, which most of the time meant knowing how to multitask. This is therefore to get things done quicker so I can move on to a different task. I had to have responsibilities such as keeping the store tidy, for myself, other employees and customers health and safety, by also keeping the store clean it made customers easy to get around the shop floor and easier to find things. Also to keep a good reputation of the company's name and that customers enjoyed spending money on the company. While working in retail I would have to understand policies, rules and other simple things. Without understanding policies and rules I wouldn't be able to serve and communicate with customers when they would need a question to be answered. Additionally when working in retail you have to have time management skills. This is simply because there would be multiple things to get done throughout the day especially in my shift time. I would have to put clothes in the correct places and also in a neat and organised way. I would also have to be able to work not just individually but as a team. By working as a team the day runs smoothly and things would get done a lot easier and quicker, so that we would have time to go over everything before the closing time. When working in retail you have to be able to do more than one role. For example my roles were a till operator and clothing assistant. I had to adapt quickly when it became necessary throughout the day. If customers were building up a long que I would have to open up a till quickly to not only get the que down but to also make sure customers do not complain and become frustrated, after the que became manageable I would then go to the shop floor to assist people who needed help with the clothing section. Overview: ● To be approachable. ● To be able to communicate ● Team Work ● Time Management ● Customer Service ● Quick Adaptability. ● Working under pressure ● Attention to detail ● Patience ● Cultural Awareness ● Problem Solving.

February 2016- November 2019) - Achievements & Responsibilities While I had the role of being a junior hairstylist, I had many responsibilities. Them being that I always gave the correct and acceptable customer service to all customers. Meaning that refreshments were always offered throughout the time of their stay. Throughout the days I was working I had to make sure that the salon was clean for hairstylists to continue with their work throughout the day and for their own, mine and clients health and safety and just for simple hygiene reasons. While I was working there it was never my intention to become a hairdresser but it was a good experience and a good career idea to fall back on. While I knew nothing when I first walked through the door, my skills grew while I learnt from colleagues that I was currently working with. I learnt how to do a simple colour change, blow-dry, scalp treatments, toners and many more. As well as learning skills and making sure the salon was constantly clean. I made and met new friends that overtime felt more like family. I found it important to interact with clients so that they enjoyed their stay. I gained confidence, communication skills, I built teamwork. Being to work as a team is important. To make the day easier for everyone and also it's more enjoyable then. Overview: ● Keep work stations, disinfect tools such as scissors and combs. ● Schedule appointments for clients. ● Maintain, update customers information records. ● Operate cash registers to receive payments from customers ● Demonstrate and sell hair care products and cosmetics. ● Massage and treat scalp for hygienic and remedial purposes, using hands, fingers or vibrating equipment. ● Recommend and explain the use of cosmetics, lotions and creams to soften and lubricate skin and enhance and restore natural appearance.