Main RMI Number
408-554-4960
SCU - St. Joseph's Hall
Room # 108
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Retail Management Institute Newsletter Winter '02
Internship at: Gymboree - By Eileen Corrigan �
Eileen Corrigan, a
senior art history
major, completed
her internship
at Gymboree.
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Over the summer, I spent ten stimulating and informative weeks at the headquarters of Gymboree, in Burlingame, California. Gymboree is a children’s clothing retailer with stores across the United States, as well as in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Because it is a smaller company, there is a strong sense of community among the employees, which enabled me to get to know many people during my internship.
The structure of Gymboree’s internship program provided me with the opportunity to follow the complete product life cycle. I spent time in numerous departments, such as Design, Product Development, Planning and Allocation, Marketing, and Store Operations. By shadowing individuals in these specific areas, I was able to learn more about each distinct part of the business and how the work of each division coalesces to affect the cycle outcome.
During my internship, most of my time was spent in the Merchandising department, under the supervision of the Baby Girl and Newborn Merchants. Despite their busy schedules, the merchants took time to explain things to me and assisted me in learning something new every day. My responsibilities varied and included initiating competitive shopping to check competitor’s product development, contacting District Sales Managers for feedback updating sales units for in-store lines every week, organizing samples, and creating line and grid notes for past lines.
I learned different management skills that proved to be helpful when working in the retail setting. The merchant is involved in every step of the product life cycle process.
As a merchant, it is essential to communicate clearly with all departments and to “multi-task” because numerous lines are being developed simultaneously. My Gymboree experience reminded me of the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and sense of humor when working in a fast-paced environment. These qualities enable individuals to form a cohesive team that is productive and energetic. Gymboree employees are creative and dedicated. They share a spirited enthusiasm, much like their target customers, children. Working in this vibrant environment challenged and engaged me. My internship gave me a worthwhile and memorable introduction to a thriving retail head office. |
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RMI Newsletter
