Merchandising Assistant Review

My chosen area to go into is Marketing, and was assigned the role of an Assistant Merchandiser for Fragrance, Skincare and Accessories. The start of the day typically consists of checking my emails first thing in the morning, responding to any enquires or communicating with people within my department such as fellow Assistant Merchandising Managers for example and completes any outstanding tasks. The daily interactions internally are in my team, there are 7 of us in total that sit closely so we are able to discuss anything without the unnecessary needs of emailing each other. Externally, I have had to create relationships with new people, for example I have enjoyed being able to arrange meetings with other people, just to introduce myself and also the recipients are more than happy to know how I am getting on, and welcome any feedback, issues, or any curiosities that I may have as they also want me to get the most from this experience. My responsibilities as a Merchandising Assistant include physically building displays or plannograms to a specific brief and clearly indicated deadline, as well as review the builds and raise any issues with Assistant Merchandising Managers. On a weekly basis I have to ensure the Merchandising Stock Rooms (MSRs) are working within Health and Safety requirements and maintain control that stock is being managed appropriately. I also have to provide support to the whole team when required. The allocated projects I have been set are particularly managed by my Line Manager, alongside my 'buddy' within the team who are really supportive and encouraging, they will set me tasks to help me understand certain programs that I will use on the computer and have allowed me to take ownership of creating builds physically in the MSR- Something which I highly enjoy doing as I can link this to my store placement. When there isn’t a heavy workload on, my team will visit other competitor stores to observe their merchandising, which we will then evaluate the pro's and con's of them and how we can make a bigger impact on our stores.

I am currently working towards a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Customer Service provided by Babington College, which has an extensive list of modules I will cover in my apprenticeship; some of these include Build and Maintain Effective Customer Relations, Principles of Business, and Personal and Professional Development. Apprentices meet as a group once every month with our course tutor, and we are assigned work at the end of the session. The internal training that I have completed or in the process of doing are Boots eLearning, an online platform for all Boots employees to undertake. iCan at Boots, which is another online system for Boots employee's, but mainly is catered towards Support Office staff. I have also had to have short training in the MSR to pledge that I would use them areas in an appropriate manner and would respect the rules of the MSR. Last week, I spent a day training to gain knowledge on Intactix, which is the system program which I need to use on a daily basis as a Merchandising Assistant. The personal and professional skills I am currently developing are through communication, confidence building, discussing ideas and my point of view with others, working as a team, and also computer based. I am learning something new every day, and I believe they all group together to build on my experience of becoming a Future Leader within Boots.

Although I have been with Boots for a short period, I absolutely love it! It was brilliant that we experienced Store Environment firstly, working for 2/3 months over Christmas and being able to understand the business and being loyal to our customers. I chose to spend my placement in 3 different stores which I feel I gained a real insight into the different stores and what their main focuses of business are. In my team at Nottingham Support Office, it has such a different vibe, my Line Manager likes us to take time out on certain days to catch up as a team, such as Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons where we have cake (!!) The programme has exceeded any expectations; it is good to keep an open mind at all times as this is a journey of your progression.

I feel incredibly valued by Boots as all my managers take the time to listen to my opinion. My team in particular are very supportive and encourage that I take ownership and pride in something I enjoy doing, whether it is independently or with guidance. Recent work I have done has also been recognised by Senior Merchandising Managers who I have met with and praised my good work overall.

Currently, I've only had 1 full college session where we were introduced into the programme course and what we would be covering over the apprenticeship. We meet on a monthly basis which is due to the fact we have other apprentices who are in store- which is something new that has been implemented. We have an allocated room in order to use for our purposes at a flexible time around our working day used for study, catch ups and meetings. I think that it is good that it is away from where we work, as it can be easy to get caught up with work tasks at desks.

Our training session in college is once a month, however our Tutor quickly responds to any enquires and feedback we may have, whether it is regarding coursework or units that we have been given, however it could be improved to be made more interactive and exciting. Furthermore, our Programme Leader Sarah encourages us apprentices to communicate frequently with each other over social media, which was a real ice breaker when it came to joining the company and not knowing anybody!

Me and my manager have set a certain day and time in the week for where we meet up to discuss my progress with work and programme. As I am still new to the company, we have guidelines to go through to ensure I am meeting my expectations and how they can be improved if necessary. Also, I receive invitations from representatives within my department who like to catch up as a group or 1-1 who are happy further support us and welcome any enquires.

Fantastic salary, allowed me to buy my own car to travel to work and pay for rent as I still live at home.

The external training courses I am intending to do in the short future is an online Open University course, which was suggested by my Line Manager which may build our skills in or out of the workplace, I'm really pleased that these options are available to me to consider if I am interested. I'm very excited to get involved in Boot's charity work, especially with Children in Need and Macmillan.

Yes

I am in a comfortable position guaranteed work from the Apprenticeship scheme, and Boots as a business is constantly changing and evolving, so I am able to move around and network with other people to understand different areas in the company. For me, this was the better choice instead of going to university- I feel like I have the best of both worlds. And we even have a graduation at the end!

If you are still at school or college, take advantage of your Career Advisor, allow the time for them to run over your cover letter or C.V as they will offer guidance and advice you may not of spotted or considered (Mine was such a big help when it came to applying for this!). Do not rush your application, make drafts whether you write it down or type it up prior to finally sending, this is your opportunity to shine and stand out! During interviews, you may have a telephone one before meeting your employer. I found that during the telephone interview, having my C.V, cover letter, and relevant notes out in front of me was a huge advantage. On the assessment days, make your personality and presence known to others, and be well prepared if you are given a task to complete and present - Remember, they are looking for potential Future Leaders, make your ideas well researched to the company and unique- Good luck!