All About Retail: Sales Associates, Management, etc.

[BetteT]

It's really tough out there with this recession. Nobody is spending much money and retailers are all having to cut way back.

It might be time to look for work in other sectors, too. Don't leave any stone unturned ... it strictly a numbers game now ... so you have to double and triple your job hunting efforts.

Good luck!

 

[vita]

Advice on getting a job in a "trendy"designer boutique please.

Hello all,this is my first post here..i know how brilliant everyone is at giving great advice,,,so I thought I'd ask this one...

I live in London and am keen to get a job in a trendy designer boutique, or shop, like luella, vivienne westwood, or more alternative labels like KTZ, or sumthing at dover street market.

Problem is i have no "luxury" experience, although I have been in retail for about 3 years now.. 2 at topshop,as a style advisor, and currently working for a london womenswear brand. as a assistant manager in concessions.. although the pay is not bad, the image and direction of the brand is not really Me. Hence why I think the next step/challenge for me would be sumthing like the above.

if anyone has experience of working in a high end/trendy/luxury shop/boutique/concession, please let me know how do i get around not having luxury experience.. is it really that essential and why? And where do these places advertise.. i see nothing on their websites for careers..is it best to pop into the stores and speak to a manager or hand in my cv? Are there any recruitment agencies that specialise in this area of work? What are they looking for in their candidates.. With no experience in that market do you think I can apply to a assistant managers position or would I have to start out at supervisor level or as a sales assistant to get my foot in the door?
Sorry about the bombardment of questions.. but would really appreciate your comments/advice..

Thanks
XX

 

[BetteT]

Welcome to the Fashion Spot, vita!

I merged your thread with this ongoing thread about retail associates and jobs ... there might even be some information already here for you, if you take some time to scan through the thread.

 

[christrinity]

Hello all,this is my first post here..i know how brilliant everyone is at giving great advice,,,so I thought I'd ask this one...

I live in London and am keen to get a job in a trendy designer boutique, or shop, like luella, vivienne westwood, or more alternative labels like KTZ, or sumthing at dover street market.

Problem is i have no "luxury" experience, although I have been in retail for about 3 years now.. 2 at topshop,as a style advisor, and currently working for a london womenswear brand. as a assistant manager in concessions.. although the pay is not bad, the image and direction of the brand is not really Me. Hence why I think the next step/challenge for me would be sumthing like the above.

if anyone has experience of working in a high end/trendy/luxury shop/boutique/concession, please let me know how do i get around not having luxury experience.. is it really that essential and why? And where do these places advertise.. i see nothing on their websites for careers..is it best to pop into the stores and speak to a manager or hand in my cv? Are there any recruitment agencies that specialise in this area of work? What are they looking for in their candidates.. With no experience in that market do you think I can apply to a assistant managers position or would I have to start out at supervisor level or as a sales assistant to get my foot in the door?
Sorry about the bombardment of questions.. but would really appreciate your comments/advice..

Thanks
XX

I worked In Louis Vuitton and got the job as a sales assistant having had no previous luxury retail or retail in general background.
That being said I had just finished an internship in the press office of a luxury brand within LVMH so I think that was basically what got me the job.

However, our supervisor (who was directly below our store manager) got her job straight out of uni. She had retail experince but in a shop that is FAR from a luxury brand. She just convinced them well enough at the interview that she would work well in the team I guess. For those kind of positions, you will usually have 3-4 interviews in a company like Vuitton so you have the time to impress in spite of experice. If anything you almost want to play down having too much retail experience because they often prefer someone who will be more flexible and able to adapt to their rules, as they view luxury retail as very different from Topship etc, many more rules and very specific ways of dealing with customers and the products etc.

 

[vita]

Welcome to the Fashion Spot, vita!

I merged your thread with this ongoing thread about retail associates and jobs ... there might even be some information already here for you, if you take some time to scan through the thread.

Thanks for merging my thread Bette this thread has been particularly useful for possible interview questions and prep.. some of the best advice being from you ... thnx

 

[vita]

I worked In Louis Vuitton and got the job as a sales assistant having had no previous luxury retail or retail in general background.
That being said I had just finished an internship in the press office of a luxury brand within LVMH so I think that was basically what got me the job.

However, our supervisor (who was directly below our store manager) got her job straight out of uni. She had retail experince but in a shop that is FAR from a luxury brand. She just convinced them well enough at the interview that she would work well in the team I guess. For those kind of positions, you will usually have 3-4 interviews in a company like Vuitton so you have the time to impress in spite of experice. If anything you almost want to play down having too much retail experience because they often prefer someone who will be more flexible and able to adapt to their rules, as they view luxury retail as very different from Topship etc, many more rules and very specific ways of dealing with customers and the products etc.

Thanks for the info Christrinity!
Encouraging to know that your supervisor got in with no luxury experience as the adverts whenever i do see them on agency sites, like retailchoice.com, etc, always says things like a minimum of 2 years retail experience is required. There is still soo much I want to know..iu have all these questions...which i am sure alot of others do too... would really like if you or any other members can comment/advice on any of the below...

• Do you of any agencies in London that specialise in luxury/boutique SA jobs?
• Would you say it would be acceptable to just walk into someplace Like Vitton and just ask to speak to a manager about job vacancies and hand in my cv?
• What opportunites are there at Vitton for Training and Development? Is there much room for promotion, someone from a much earlier thread has said that it was very career oriented..would you say that is the case?
• My real interest is in product/ styling -either mannequin styling-window dressing/personal shopping.. more so than operations and people management, although I have skills in that area too...and seem to always get drawn into that someone how or the other. Do Vitton have a creative/display team?
• Do you know of any boutiques that would be ideal for developing into these areas? or know anyone who is a personal shopper for a highend store, or contemporary boutique? How did they get into it?
• What is the dress code at Vitton and what benefits do you get ..is it commissioned based and how much, if you dont mind me asking?
• What is the "client book" this is often spoken about so much in luxury stores?
• What sorts of rules are there in dealing with customers and products in the high end shops?

Sorry for shooting all these questions at you..but really need to learn more and get up to scratch on this area of work, as i am desparately wanting to make a move from the high st. I really have soo much more to offer...and gain.

I have only worked as a Assistant manager for 6 months, I am thinking I should stick it out for a yr as leaving any sooner, may make me look a bit uncommited if you know what i mean.. What are your thoughts. To be fair the brand I am working for isnt necessarily going to add kudos to my cv either, but really its the skills/experience that I am wanting to sell myself on...

And was Vitton what you expected it to be? Did you enjoy it there?

Thanks again Christrinity x

 

[christrinity]

To be honest I hated Vuitton, lol, it was VERY strict on what you could and couldn't do, how you could and couldn't dress, and having come from a background in a fashion PR office, which I am going back to in June, I was much more used to having freedom to use my initiative, being listened to and attempting to do new things etc, things which didn't appear to be welcomed in that kind of retail environment, you are expected to do what you're told, and do it to the letter! lol.
Again though, like I said, I think it is more so the aspect of retail itself that is not for me, I am much more suited to behind the scenes stuff, dealing with journalists, organising shows etc!

In response to your questions I will try answer as many as poss, though I have to respect the fact that there are certain things that we are told not to discuss and so I would feel unfair to diclose them on such a public forum, whether I liked the job or not!

- I don't know of any of those type of agencies in London (though if you go to lvmh.com there is a recruitment section which includes vacancies in the retail stores throughout the LVMH group)

- It is certainly acceptable to go in and hand in your CV though it is preferable to apply for a vacancy online etc as I did, though people did drop in a CV from time to time, just make sure u are well dressed and who knows u might get lucky!

- Vuitton is VERY career orientated, they definitely encourage staff to stay on learn new skills, gain responsibilities, become involved in training other staff, they defeinitely like to take a long term view of employment

- Yes Vuitton hav a merchandising team based in London for the UK stores but then within each store a certain memebr of staff, perhaps assisted by one or more others will have responsibility for the VM in that store, though they will follow things to the letter as to how head office has decided the displays should be done, unless u are part of the head merchandisnig team in head office, u can't be too creative with displays etc, a little but not much!

- Vuitton supplies their staff with uniforms, men have suits at the moment though that has just changed I believe, after I left. Women hav quite a plain black uniform still I think, uniform is very important and must always be won eaxctly as instructed to do (down to how u tie ur scarf even)

Hope all that info helps!

 

[vita]

wow vitton sounds like awful.. from the sounds of it..i would not like that AT ALL.!! suffocating!!

by the way.. when u refer to being well dressed, when going in to hand in a cv, does that mean I should be in designer gear.. or does neat/tidy in fashionable clothing, fit the bill?
i think I might find a more contemporary independent boutique more enjoyable..but again, in that area.. it seems to be based more on who you know..or who knows you.!

I take it you are really enjoying pr? sounds interesting & very stressful at the same time, did you do a degree in pr?

 

[BetteT]

We have a different thread to discuss PR .... just do a search under Public Relations. Or move the conversation to PM's, please.

 

[@~PinkCouture~@]

Not sure is this the right place to post this...

I have an "Interactive" second interview this Saturday @ BCBG. I think that basically means the management will be observing me on the floor to see how well I interact with the clients and the clothes. I am FREAKING OUT b/c I have no clue what to wear!!!

I was hoping someone could give me some tips and pointers.

My last job was at VS. I was a assistant manager there for almost 2 years. Their dress code was pretty much black and white, business casual.

My personal style is very "Express," "Zara" and "Gap"-ish.

I know I have the selling and customer service skills to excel, but I am concerned I might be overlooked as a applicant if I don't dress "right"

So again, any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone know BCBG's dress code? Am I allow to wear flats?

 

[pinkpalm]

Interactive typically means a group interview. Highly unlikely they will let you loose on the floor (too risky-liability and all that). I'm hardly ever in BCBG but would recommend a good black suit with one of their tops under it.

 

[@~PinkCouture~@]

^ They actually told me I will on the sales floor for two hours

 

[Juliet.J]

Oh I use to work at BCBG.

They usually wear 3 pieces pants,shirt, and cardiwrap or you can substitute the cardiwrap for cardigan . Wear all black to be on the safe side if youre uncertain about what colors to wear. They usually work with plum,camel, tan, gray, black, and green though.

 

[reese06]

I'm a guy but I did have an interactive at BCBG and was offered the job and I have several friends that have worked there or do work there now.

Do not wear flats. They are very much into how you look, makeup, heels, trendy or just very much BCBG, think of what they were wearing when you went for your first interview.

Black, white, and grey are safe since they have certain colors that you can wear depending on their collection at the moment.

And good luck on your interactive. It is a tad stressful though because they do give you a goal to meet and it can be hard because when I did my interactive the customers that came in already had associates that they normally work with. Also, make sure that you don't just stand around on the sales floor if you are not busy, straighten up clothing but the customer is always the most important thing for your interactive. And also, they are big on adding on when you help a customer in the fitting room, shoes, bags, belts etc.

Good luck!

 

[chel4mdavali]

I was technically hired at the Disney store recently and before i can actually start working there they have to run a background check. Its has almost been a week and they still have not called me back. how long do these usually take? I'm not too worried about losing the job because the manager seems to be the type to call back either way. But i did have some issues about my Social Security number because my income tax papers were stolen, hopefully nothing serious is going on with that...

 

[SpaceOddity]

Not sure is this the right place to post this...

I have an "Interactive" second interview this Saturday @ BCBG. I think that basically means the management will be observing me on the floor to see how well I interact with the clients and the clothes. I am FREAKING OUT b/c I have no clue what to wear!!!

I was hoping someone could give me some tips and pointers.

My last job was at VS. I was a assistant manager there for almost 2 years. Their dress code was pretty much black and white, business casual.

My personal style is very "Express," "Zara" and "Gap"-ish.

I know I have the selling and customer service skills to excel, but I am concerned I might be overlooked as a applicant if I don't dress "right"

So again, any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Does anyone know BCBG's dress code? Am I allow to wear flats?

For an interactive @ BCBG they DO let you loose on the floor. They basically let you take on the role of a sales associate for three hours w/e and it's all about selling. All though they do touch on other things the more you sell the more likely you will be to get the job. They company/Sa position there as a whole is VERY sales-oriented. They're also really in to clientelling, so touching on that would probably get you some points. But yes, they are VER into the whole image thing as well, as someone else mentioned.

 

[Juliet.J]

I want to apply at UrbanOutfitters as a part time sales rep but I heard they arent as flexible with the hours. I also applied at Uniqlo, they called me for an interview but I received the message to late. SMH.

Hows H & M?

 

[lmelanie]

i work and Urban and i think that it depends on what store you work for..some of them are good with hours and some aren't..

i am trying to get a job at the barneys co-op..how hard is it?

 

[rollagasper]

Has anyone worked for Club Monaco before? I applied to the position of "Stylist" and got scheduled an interview, but I can't find any specific description of what the job title entails. From random bits I found through google, "stylists" sound like sales associates. Anyone know?

 

[Juliet.J]

Has anyone worked for Club Monaco before? I applied to the position of "Stylist" and got scheduled an interview, but I can't find any specific description of what the job title entails. From random bits I found through google, "stylists" sound like sales associates. Anyone know?

Stylist = Sales rep.

I know you have to wear the "uniform" they give i think or either buy... but I do know that they have a "uniform" policy.

Thanks lmelanie, do you know anything about the 14th st store?