During these first 4 hours of my experience, I learned how to greet customers, properly assist them, and take care of them while they are shopping. At Sanity, we always go up to the customers when they first walk in, welcome them, ask how they are doing, and ask if they are shopping for fun or for a special event. If they are shopping for something special, I will walk around with them individually and do a personal shopping experience. With that, I set them up in a fitting room, check in on them often, and grab different sizes if necessary or take items that they don't want. On the other hand, if they are shopping for fun, I let them know our most recent items that hit the store floor and let them look around, also while randomly checking in to see if they don't have questions. One of the major rules at the store is no standing behind the desk or being on your phone unless necessary. This all caters to the client's needs and can build a relationship by making sure they are taken care of from the second they walk in the door to the second they leave.

Today, I learned how Isabel styles the mannequin, shoots photos, and interacts with customers. Very few things in the store are sold as sets, and almost everything is designed to be styled with other pieces. We reorganized the racks and grouped items we think would make cute outfits, but aren't set as outfits. This helps customers gauge what to put together if they want a piece, but don't have an item in mind for a top or a bottom. This also made me learn a bit about my style and how I put my outfits together, giving me a different view. For photo shoots, we create multiple different outfits with some pieces being the center of attention but featuring many others.

We had done a photo shoot the day prior, May 4th, where I had styled a majority of the outfits. I got the folder today, full of all the photos from the photoshoot, giving me access to change the website and our inventory on the back end. I learned how to add items into the back end but not on the website, how to change inventory when it is wrong, and how to publish the website. With that being said, I went through each new item from this photoshoot, making sure the photos displayed were taken by us and our models, not just stock photos. This was a tedious process, but I still enjoyed it because the website looks so much better!!

Today I learned about how Isabel picks her products, the placement of them, how she prices, and how she promotes. These are the 4 P's in retail, and they work wonders. I previously mentioned how we had lined up certain racks to match and be seen with items alike. I also learned how she picks items from Faire, a wholesale website for boutiques and businesses. One thing I have learned about Isabel is that if she wouldnt wear it or she's never tried a product, she won't buy it because she ensures quality. We only get 5-10 variants of one item, typically not reordering unless we receive so many requests, but ensuring that there are more sizes available for purchase. Some accessories, for example, the Naples Soap Company and Pura, are 2 of our favorites at Sanity, and all the employees have bought one, if not both, of these within their time at Sanity. It also helps us build a way to sell an item by truly knowing and using it.

Throughout this experience, I learned how to properly market items in the store. We are especially big on keeping up on our Instagram. When new items come in, events are coming up, or we just want to show some pieces, we run right to the Instagram stories. I love doing these because it lets me be creative in many ways. Today we got in our Bandana bags, which Isabel had asked me to do a story of me talking about them and showing them. I sold one within 5 minutes of that video being up, and more people came to the store that day to ask. We also use Canva to design posts. I did one for Mother's Day, and another simple but effective post featuring our new pieces. Marketing is a huge piece of success and can make or break a business. I also may or may not have been promoting at practice because, for some reason, everyone loved the mockneck I got from Sanity this day and got a few potential clients.

Throughout the first week, I learned a lot about the store and how it has been functioning. This day, I put everything I had learned together while working the floor. I helped style customers, take care of them, answer questions, and promote the new pieces on our Instagram. I truly enjoy being here, and I had a lot of fun understanding the back end of the business while seeing how much it helps the actual business flourish.

Sundays can typically be a slower day in general. This was Mother's Day, and we ended up having a lot of people pop by to get last-minute gifts, gift cards, or even flowers. We had a bouquet stand from Fiorella Flowers, a local small business that makes curated bouquets in the store! We saw a lot of dads and daughters this day, grabbing their finishing touches for their moms and partners. Holidays get busy, but they make it all the more fun when they come in to support not just us but another small business like Fiorella Flowers.

At Sanity, we receive shipments weekly!! It can get overwhelming, but it's so exciting to be the one to unpack and put items out on the floor. With that being said, I unboxed our new items, checked invoices to make sure everything was correct with what we received, but also on the website, then I tag, steam (if needed) and find the perfect spot to display them on the floor. This can sometimes be tricky, but it has helped me learn where items are, to curate a certain look. Printing tags is also part of this, which is so satisfying to me since we have this little machine. As a whole, I truly enjoyed my experience understanding the works of a small business in Chagrin. It is so interesting to see how it has developed over the past 17 years. :)

This whole experience taught me a lot about myself. Some days were a lot longer than others, some were more hands-on, while others were spent sitting on my computer doing a little bit of tedious work. I love working, especially somewhere with a bunch of cute clothes, so this project worked out really well for me. Sanity has been my favorite boutique for years, going there all the time when I was young, and now being a sales associate.

My presentation went .... I began my slides prior to the project starting, so I would just have to fill in what I did, along with what I learned. Having said that, I enjoyed seeing how a small business functions and how Isabel has created such an amazing business.