Getting Lost in the Rush

From a very young age my generation was taught to constantly think about the future. We are studying for SATs, taking APs, picking out colleges, and deciding our futures way before we even know who we are or what it all means. Its overwhelming. As a person hell bent on getting what I want, I personally find myself micro-managing my future to an unhappy point. Spring term is my last full term at Drexel (assuming I get in to the study abroad program I want *fingers crossed*) and I spent a lot of time on co-op planning out the next coming months. Recently, it has really started to hit me that my education will over and I will be forced to start on a brand new path. Reflecting back, I realize just how much the co-op experience taught me and opened my eyes to. Growing up, adulthood and the "real world" are these shiny and elusive things. Even in college, though I was much more aware of reality, I still found the working world so desirable. Why would I want to sit in classes and do homework when I could be off influencing companies or creating things that mattered. It really wasn't until co-op that the dreamy ideal of the working world vanished. Today so many people are miserable in their jobs. So many people are getting taken for granted no matter how hard they work. The 9-5 is not so glamorous The reality of the working world is harsh to say the least.

Now while that paragraph sounds rather negative, I find that the popping of the proverbial bubble is entirely beneficial. Without experiencing this on co-op I would be going into the working world next year searching for a very different experience than I would now. While co-op has made my idea of what I want to do change, it has also clearly defined what I do not want to do and what type of things I should look for when I do graduate.

Mini Vacation

 I was lucky enough to have a long weekend which I spent in Vermont visiting friends.  My boyfriend and I spent almost five hours in the car trekking through mountains to Dummerston, a town in the southeast region of Vermont, only about five minutes from the boarder of New Hampshire.  On the towns main road, we were completely surprised and amused to see that there was a KFC, Taco Bell, and Dunkin Donuts,  we knew we were still in civilization.  Our friends live in a house on the top of a 600 acre apple orchard, it was beautiful even covered in snow and ice.  Oddly enough, Vermont didn't seem that cold nor did it look like it had an abnormal amount of snow considering the winter we have been through down here in Philly.  My boyfriend and I are not really skiers, so while everyone spend Saturday skiing, we spent it exploring.  We were extremely eager to try some New England Clam Chowder in New England and found a restaurant that overlooked a lake, the views were beautiful; then again, everywhere you looked in Vermont was beautiful.  With out much instruction of where to go we drove around and stumbled upon a farm that made cheese and had tastings, this was exactly what I wanted to do while I was in Vermont.  Already stuffed from lunch, I proceeded to stuff my face more with tons and tons of delicious Vermont Cheddar, but hey I was on vacation, calories don't count.  After finally eating more cheese than I could imagine and spending more money than I wanted too, we walked across the street to a frozen lake where we saw people ice fishing! I had never walked on a frozen lake so I was a little hesitant but hey when in Rome! Overall, I loved getting away to a remote area with such a different lifestyle than mine here in Philly.  I feel like I had a vacation that didn't last long enough! 

More Words, Less Numbers

When I first came to college I remember everyone wanted to be a buyer until we all heard that buying was more about math and less about fashion. However, ever since interning in the sales department I have learned that buying isn’t all numbers, in fact, it’s more about words. There are so many “buzzwords” used in the corporate sales world today that I wish I would have known before starting my internship. I always heard terms such as “Market Week” or “Off-Price” vs. “Whole Sale,” but I never knew what the terms actually meant until I had to dive on into it and slowly figure them out. After five months of working retail and interning with BCBGMAXAZRIA I have finally mastered all the buzzwords. I’m going to share my top 10 key terms I wish I knew before entering the corporate buying and sales world.

1.     4-5-4 Calendar: A calendar year devised specifically for retail to go in accordance with the selling season. The retail fiscal year begins in February and ends in January. The calendar is split into four quarters consisting of 4 weeks per month, except the middle, which contains 5 weeks. This is done so that each week begins on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday, as well as to ensure that each calendar month will have the same number of selling days as last year.

2.     Fall/Winter Quarter: When retail stores are selling their fall and winter collections (September – February), however it’s important to note that buyers are always buying a season ahead. So even though we may be selling fall in our retail stores, in the corporate world we’re already selling spring

3.     Spring/Summer Quarter: When retail stores are selling their spring summer collections (March – August). This concept is the reverse of the fall/winter quarters. It is also important to note that there are several deliveries per season and the first delivery of spring/summer season arrives in March, while the last delivery of summer will arrive in August. There is typically three deliveries per season (one delivery per month).

4.     Wholesale: selling goods in large quantities to be retailed by other accounts. Another term for wholesale is full-line, which means the merchandise is sold in accordance with the 4-5-4 calendar and the seasonal quarters.

5.     Off-Price: available inventory of last seasons merchandise is sold to “off-price retailers” (ex/ TJMAXX) for a less than usual retail price and is not in accordance with the 4-5-4 calendar and the seasonal quarters.

6.     Market Week: Where the international world of apparel, accessories, and footwear companies trade information, preview trends, and build more accounts. Market Week typically follows Fashion Week and is in the form of trade shows where brands set up booths and buyers come to see what each company has to offer.

7.     Private Label: When a brand designs for a retailer and allows the retailer to put their name on it rather than the brand’s. Ex/ BCBGMAXAZRIA designed the Miley Cyrus for Wal-Mart Collection, but BCBG’s name was not on the label.

8.     PO Numbers: The documented order number used to purchase merchandise from vendors

9.     Pack and Hold: When merchandise is packed and held in an inventory warehouse against orders. Typically only large retailers have the ability to pack and hold and billing doesn’t occur until merchandise is shipped.

10. Factory Store: An outlet store where the company can sell their available inventory directly to the public rather than through a retailer.

Problems & Solutions

For my independent study on tuesday, I met with the coordinator an hour before class started to better implement the class structure. We came up with a solution to split the class into two groups. The 6th graders will work in the classroom where the materials will be readily available for them. The 7th graders will work in the hallway because they needed space to lay everything out. We realized that the major flaw was that we were not allowed to set up our materials prior to the class.

Once class began, I immediately began placing the required materials onto separate desks. Some of the students began to sit near the projects due to their curiosity. The desks were grouped in a way that students can sit and work on a specific project along with their neighbors creating a production line in a way. I could not believe how quiet the classroom was with the other half of the students working in the hallway with the coordinator. The classroom environment seemed somewhat more controllable.

On thursday, I began to get a glimpse of the darker side of the public education system in Philadelphia. Before I arrived, my coordinator informed me that a girl from the school and was last seen at school but she did not go back home. When I went into the art room to gather supplies, the art teacher told me that she was just punched in the stomach by a second grader. As I tried to collect my thoughts and accept the startling news, I begin to realize how important this visual class might be for the 6th and 7th graders. The visual arts elective is not only a 30 minute class about designing the school but also a class that allows students to feel a sense of accomplishment while working with other students.

Expectations

My internship is over in a couple of weeks, and I am beginning to have mixed emotions. Prior to this opportunity, I was eager to get out of Philadelphia and into the working world. I had an internship on top of school during my sophomore year, so I figured having a full time job without school would allow for more free time. I was wrong, and right in some cases.

For one, having a full time job does allow for more free time (unless fashion week is nowhere in sight). I have been able to focus on my own interests and activities without having to worry about schoolwork and deadlines. However, I have noticed that my energy is completed drained after work. I have started to look forward to casual nights in with my favorite take out order in hand. Working full time is very different than school. This opportunity has given me a glimpse into adulthood, and although I am excited for it in the future, I am definitely thankful I still get to be a student for the next year. I pride my education and love learning, but I think we can all say sometimes we take it for granted. We look at it more as a hassle than a blessing. Having the chance to intern has shown me the importance of my education.

My friend Laura playing dress up on her last day

Making new friends also never crossed my mind. I was so focused on the job part that I didn’t think about how important it is to like the work environment. Thankfully, I absolutely love the people I work with. As the only American intern, I have been able to connect with a diverse group of individuals. Germany, London, France, Australia, Columbia, the interns’ come from all over the world! It has been great working with people who are equally as enthusiastic about the work. I am thankful that this experience has brought me to make some of my greatest friendships. Unfortunately, a lot of the interns have been slowly trickling away as the weeks go by. Saying goodbye has been difficult, especially since most of them have to fly back home to Europe. Although its unfortunate that they will no longer be in New York, I now have plans to travel to see their home countries. Overall, working with people from different backgrounds and cultures has been one of my favorite unexpected experiences during my internship. This aspect makes Marc Jacobs a truly unique company.

On Camera: HuffPost Live

On this past quiet Sunday evening, I received one of the most unexpected emails, well, ever. A producer from HuffPost  had read my articles here on d&m@Work and wanted me to contribute to a segment on the effects of commuting. Yeah, I thought it was a joke at first too, but I knew I had nothing to lose.

I myself was rather unfamiliar with HuffPost Live, so I did a bit of binge watching the night before. Each segment is hosted by a Huffington Post correspondent who presents a topic along with a panel of individuals with relevant experiences who contribute via web chat.

 Huffington Post notes their Third Metric initiative is to redefine success to include well-being, wisdom and compassion: "The current model of success -- which equates success with burnout, sleep deprivation, and driving ourselves into the ground -- isn't working." This particular segment was addressing a recent study conducted in the U.K. that correlated longer commute times with greater levels of unhappiness and anxiety. Much to my dismay, all of the data noted a relationship between bus and coach travel and the highest level of stress. You can probably all infer that I was not the least bit surprised.

The other contributors consisted of an avid biker and blogger from Seattle, a screenwriter who commuted to work by car in Los Angeles, and a researcher from Wales. Dr. Newman, the researcher, concluded that individuals who walk or bike to work by choice are more content because they feel more in control of their situation. I realized immediately that my commute was so stressful because I am merely an passive rider. I'm subject to weather, traffic and drivers who don't know their way around and ends up making a wrong turn or two. It was also noted that economics played a significant role in the way people choose to commute, and as my internship is unpaid I can only afford to take the most inexpensive method of transport: the bus. Despite my less-than-ideal commuting situation, my supervisors are not only incredibly understanding but also respectful of the effort I'm making to commute such a long distance in order to work.

Check out the video here!

In Her Bag: Winter Edition

One of my favorite sections to run in The Triangle is a feature called "In Her/His Bag," where we unpack a student's bag and have them talk about what they have inside. As the primary photographer for the Style section, I like it because I enjoy piecing everything together like a puzzle for the photos, but it also gives us a revealing look into what that person considers their most essential items. Maybe this is just a reflection of how our consumer culture has become such a prominent part of our day-to-day lives, or maybe I'm just nosey. Here, I've emptied my bag to show you my own work-day essentials.

Madewell Sloan Satchel: Some people are shoe people, some are bag people, but I wouldn't consider myself to be either. I have three or four bags that I rotate based on occasion, with one for everyday, a larger tote for school, and smaller bags for going out. After completely destroying several of my everyday purses, I realized how important it was to invest in quality items, especially when it's something being used every day. This is my second Madewell leather bag and I'm absolutely in love. I'll also note that all of these items were a bit of a tight squeeze...I couldn't close the zipper!

Urban Outfitters Wallet: I bought this wallet on sale about a year ago after I broke the zipper on my previous one. I love the floral motif and sometimes, when I'm in a rush or only have to go a short distance, I'll carry it alone. It never fails to receive a compliment or two. I also like wallets that don't fold or crush my dollar bills.

Madewell Teddy Loafers: On this particular day last week, I was trudging through a lot of slush and puddles, so wearing my wellies to work was essential. I knew I wouldn't want to stomp around the office in rain boots all day so I stuffed these flats into my bag.

Asos Cable Knit Beanie: Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't own a winter hat. I know that sounds maddening, and you're probably shouting "Courtney, no wonder you're always freezing!" But I'll let you know I have a pair of earmuffs that I used on the daily. I've recently succumbed to the beanie trend and it's actually a million times warmer, which should come as no surprise. The things I'll do to protect my hair...

Moleskine Weekly Planner: I'm not sure what it is about Moleskine notebooks, but they're my favorites. Maybe it's their luxurious leather covers, fun colors or interior pockets. I splurged a bit on this one but it's essential in order for me to stay on top of my myriad of obligations: class, work, the newspaper, D&M Magazine, shifts at my part-time job, when to go grocery shopping, etc. If I don't pencil in time to sleep, I probably won't do it.

Micron Pen: I love a good inky pen. Nothing is more satisfying than a nice, dark inky pen line.

1GB USB Drive: Anything less just wouldn't do, and at any given moment I'll have half-a dozen working layouts for the magazine and photos for the newspaper stored on this guy.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm: This is a year-round necessity for me, but it's especially helpful in the bitter midst of winter.

Hair Ties/Bobby Pins: When I finally get home at the end of the day, I often find myself running back and forth to either clean up the mess I made that morning or making dinner. The last thing I want is hair in my face or hair in my food, so I always have something on hand. You also never know when you'll be caught in some bad weather, so I also consider this my Bad Hair Day Emergency Kit.

Samsung Galaxy S4 & Klipsch Headphones: Would you believe me if I told you this was my first smartphone? It was a gift for my birthday last spring, and I was so reluctant to switch because I pay for my own phone bill. Now that I've owned an Android I know I could never go back to a device without a mobile network. Welcome to the 21st century, self. These Klipsch earbuds are also noise-cancelling and are lifesavers whether I'm commuting on the bus or on the subway.

Make sure you check out the next issue of the Style Section for a new In Her Bag feature!