Abby Rossman

Responsibilities

During my internship I was responsible for completing online orders, completing weekly newsletters to send to stores, looking at our competitors marketing assets to see how they compared to ours and what we could improve on, and completing weekly markdowns every Tuesdays for the stores to carry out. These tasks listed above were my weekly tasks, but I also had other random tasks that I was assigned to during this opportunity. I was able to create a sale overview for one of the quarters to show what items sold well, what didn't and what we can learn for next year. I also got to create preorders for stores. Preorders are what exactly we are sending to each store and how much they are receiving. I also got to attend virtual market where I go to contribute my opinions on next spring assortment. After attending market, I got to help create the buy sheet as well as the merchandising plan for our store layouts.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship was being able to come into work every day without a lot of direction on what I should be doing. It was rewarding to know that my hard work was paying off and that I could compete a lot of tasks without having to be guided. In doing this, it felt like I was an employee, not just an intern who gets to do boring old tasks. I felt like I was making a difference which was such a big accomplishment for me. Coming into an internship can be scary because you don't know whether or not you will make an impact but knowing that I was able to was so rewarding and the biggest accomplishment during my internship experience.

Learning experience

The greatest lessons I learned from my internship was to take notes! A lot of the times people can be spitting out information super-fast, so it is important to always have a notebook with you so you can jot down notes if needed. I was in several meetings, and I felt overwhelmed because I didn't bring a notepad, so I have learned to always bring one now. It helped me stay organized. I was able to create checklists of what I needed to get done. It made my internship experience a whole lot easier.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students is to take risks when it comes to choosing an internship. I never thought Hy-Vee would've had a fashion internship until I did research about Joe Fresh, their clothing brand. I am so glad I was able to do this internship. I really got to see the growth this brand has had in Hy-Vee, and how it will continue. It was exciting to see those changes, and I'm excited for the future when I see Joe Fresh in many more Hy-Vee's. You never know what will come out of your internship, so always take risks, and give your 100%.