My summary is written regarding the comparison with selling techniques and also the processes used in different situations. When I was working in the Stationery Shop and on the day of the fashion event, I gained a lot of experience within both of these procedures. In my evaluation I have included examples of both of my progression.
I have reflected some of what I have learned with my experiences, both as a customer and as a salesperson. This was quite hard as you are looking at both sides of how you are affected with different processes. This unit has allowed me to participate in role plays and then, at the end, we ran our own event for a Fashion Fix , which I have had a great experience to be part of. Being able to raise money for charities as well as improving my own selling skills at the same time. I enjoyed the practical work as well as the role plays as I felt like I could express myself and my work better.
Stages in the selling process
When I was working on the stalls the selling procedures were separate to how they are in the shop, although they were similar they are still different to when I was doing work experience in the shop. When I was working on the stalls the only difference from the Stationery Shop is that in the shop you have the benefit of the till. As for when you are working on the stall you have to take each purchase to the shop and put it through the till, it’s having to make the effort to walk to and back to the shop to put each order through. This was a high disadvantage as there was only a few people on each stall, so when we did reach our highest point with customers, it was very hard having to go through all that effort. And also there was different merchandise involved; hence when we were helping out with the Fashion Fix , the products were mostly clothes, accessories and shoes. As in the shop it is all stationary products, which was not as easy to locate. Another reason is our customers on the stalls which were mostly students. Although in the shop you do have students as customers, but mainly their target audience is teachers collecting pre-orders.
Dealing with the complaints
When dealing with complaints in the shop, the only complaint I dealt with personally was a student returning a pen due to not working. I dealt with this by giving her an option of either having her money returned or exchanging the pen for a different one. As when I was working on the stall at the Fashion Fix , I did not have to do the procedure of dealing with a complaint. Although when I was working with the models I did have many complaints with their outfits. I dealt with this by putting out the time to find them a more appropriate outfit that they felt comfortable with.
Recording information
There were many techniques I experienced when I was working in the shop, such as:
Online staff orders – on approved items
Internal transfers – un-approved items
Daily cashing up sheet – end of the day
Banking and finance form
Print x and z reports – from the till
These are all great examples from the knowledge that I learned during my time.
What amount of training would be needed?
My training was very sensitive when I started working in the shop in the beginning, although after a while I adjusted to the roles that I had been allocated. I did need training to get me started, then I found that if I did get stuck for example – cashing up. I would go and ask for assistance from the person in charge. When I was helping out with the Fashion Fix , although I had assistance from the teachers, we all knew what we were required to do. There was no need for training as it linked in with our business course.
What part does a dress code play?
The dress code did vary with both experiences, in the shop it was a much more business environment. You had to dress appropriately and sophisticated for the job role; the way the employee dresses has a huge impact on the business. Customers are going to be judging