Jackie Oldenburg ’08 interned at Gap, Inc. in San Francisco.

I pretty much grew up on Gap: From the first jumper my mom got me from the San Francisco Gap Kids, to the pink jellies I just “had to have” every time spring rolled around. When I was 12, and yearning for my jellies, I never could have guessed that I would have the opportunity to build a career at Gap, Inc. This past summer the unimaginable became a reality as I walked into the three-story marble lobby of 2 Folsom.

I developed many valuable skills while interning in the inventory strategies department at the San Francisco Gap headquarters. I was fortunate to have a wonderful manager and “buddy” who made it his goal to ensure valuable learning opportunities throughout my internship. I was continually amazed by his involvement in my experience and willingness to not only listen to my expectations but to make them realities.

My primary project while working at Gap, Inc. was to create a customer choice (cc) productivity tool. Customer choices or ccs are the various colors and patterns that a specific style is made. For example, the Gap classic tee comes in a myriad of ccs where as a Gap dress may just come in a few. My assignment was to help create a tool that would analyze what number of customer choices is optimal for productivity and profit. This project forced me to become comfortable with all the essential analysis ratios and their implications. More importantly, I was able to present my system to senior management to be implemented in the planning department.

As part of my project I was able to get involved with the merchandising and planning departments to help expand my knowledge of the business. This opportunity ignited my passion in retailing and furthered my admiration for Gap, Inc. as a leading retailer. The passion of Gap’s employees at all levels made for an amazing company culture. Further, many top executives took time from their busy schedules to speak to the interns, including the CEO, CFO, and presidents of all four brands: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and the most recently added, Piperlime. This allowed us to gain insight into various career paths in the retail industry and to pose questions we had all been pondering in our internships.

I also had the opportunity to work with a group of seven fellow interns, from various brands and functions, on a project regarding Corporate Social Responsibility. This was a wonderful way for us to learn more about the culture of Gap while focusing on an issue that is at the forefront of many industries today. Upon completion of our project we were able to present to managers from various departments as well as members of the recruiting team.

Even though we worked extremely hard at Gap, Inc. there was also time for fun with the other interns. We attended intern dinners at swanky San Francisco restaurants, had a day of service in a local park, attended an intern and buddy picnic, and had a night out at a Giants’ game.

I couldn’t be more pleased with my internship experience. Just as I anxiously awaited the spring and the arrival of my jellies, I am anxiously awaiting next fall when I will return to 2 Folsom—to begin my career—in the Retail Management Program (RMP) at Gap, Inc.

Retail Management Institute - Santa Clara University
rmi.scu.edu