Throughout my experience in retail with the companies of Justice, White House Black Market, and Loft, I learned valuable customer relationships. When I started working at Justice during my sophomore year of high school, I was nervous to interact with people, being more on the shy side. As I worked there for close to three years, I grew to not only perform outside of my comfort zone but learn more about people. Focusing on their specific needs in the clothing store rather than purely to close a large sale, I noticed that it would develop repeat customers and larger purchases from their trust in me.
A specific example I can recall was having an older woman enter the store, looking extremely flustered and unsure what direction to proceed in the buying process. I learned that approaching customers immediately upon entering the store can cause them to be overwhelmed and resistant to opening up into a conversation. As I let the woman wander the store, I finally approached her to say, “are you still doing okay looking around?” This casual way of offering help without seeming forceful or practiced, helped her to open up enough for me to continue to ask casual questions.
She was unable to decide on what to purchase for her grandchildren for their sixth birthday. Justice is an extremely colorful and fun clothing store for kids, so when Janet told me that her twin grandchildren were having a princess themed birthday party, I knew something pink would be perfect. I worked alongside Janet to pick out matching pink dresses, hair accessories, and shoes that pulled the outfit together. If I would not have asked Janet questions about her family, her reason for shopping, or more details about the twins, I would not have known how to effectively help her complete her purchase
I could have easily shown her the most popular outfit in the storefront and thrown together random pieces, but I focused on knowing the customer above selling the product. Janet visited me quite frequently after that, asking for advice on outfits for her grandchildren during seasonal times and for presents. The relationship I built with Janet over the years remained purely on the subject of Justice and clothes, but it built a successful brand mindset in her that brought recommendations from other customers and repeat sales, ultimately helping the company.
BoweryJE22