Summer is a popular time for students in the School of Human Environmental Sciences to complete their internships.  This series will spotlight student interns.

Lauren Sullivan & Megan Bailey, Merchandising, Apparel & TextilesStudent: Lauren Sullivan & Megan Bailey, Merchandising, Apparel & Textiles

Internship Location:  Caught Ya Lookin’, Lexington

What is your typical day as an intern? 

Megan:  My typical day consists of coming into the store around 11, and then I help customers when they are in the store.  If we aren’t with a customer, then I help with everything online.  If we get a new product in I add it to the websites.  When orders get shipped to us from the factory I take them out of the boxes and call the people who they belong to, put them in shopping bags and get them ready for pick up. 

Lauren:  I help with all of the things Megan mentioned above.  Also, we will make sure the store stays well organized and kept.  My day also consists of answering the phones, sending orders to our factory and sometimes running errands for our boss.

What is one of the things you learned as a student that you use often as an intern?

Megan:  MAT 315, our retail math course.  All of the calculations actually helped me during this internship because we have to figure out wholesale prices and discounts as well as pricing for drop shipping and a bunch of other calculations that were used during that course.

Lauren:  The customer service skills, learned in class, were very beneficial to me.  Being polite and greeting customers when they walk in allows you to gain a better understanding of your customer and their needs.

What is one piece of advice you would give to students preparing for their internship?

Megan:  Don’t take things personally!  People aren’t always going to be polite and you won’t be able to please everyone.

Lauren:  Take full advantage of your internship opportunity because it may lead to a full or part time job in the future.

Posted 8/15/12