Harcum Visual Merchandising: April 2014

Thursday, April 24, 2014

What Should Be On Your Blog

What should be on your Blog:

1. Themed Mood Board

2. Store Project

• Mood Board

• Floor Plan

3. My Store Proposal

• Paragraph

•Store Interior Board

• Store Merchandise Board

· logo should be on both boards

4. Photograph of your Window Display Box Project

5. Resume

6. Blog Elements

• Picture of you

• About Me Paragraph

• Custom Background

All entries should be clear, good quality and right side up.

BOX PROJECT IS DUE ON APRIL 28

BLOG IS DUE, COMPLETED ON MAY 5

FINAL EXAM ON MAY 5

Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Major Difference between a fashion show and a display is movement.

• Providing room for the movement - ie, runway

• Themes

• Settings

Travelers

Pipe and Drape

Plants or flowers

Stairs

Turntables

Arches, doorways or curtains

Props

Lighting

Music

READ: Chapter 29 - Fashion Shows

Monday, April 14, 2014

Don't Forget that the Final Critique and Backstage volunteers meeting is tomorrow evening at 5pm in room B4. Everyone should attend!

If you are working backstage, here is a list of stylist essentials:

What Every Wardrobe/Fashion Stylist Need In Their Kit

A very basic list

Lint roller, lint brush – To clear away all those tiny pieces of everything that inevitably find their way onto every single inch of fabric.

Safety pins – Buy them by the bushel.

Binder, paper clips – Use them instead of safety pins to tighten a too large garment if you want to be able to return it.

Tape, tape, and more tape…and lost of double stick tape too - Put tape on the bottoms of shoes to prevent them from getting dirty (and thus preventing you from returning them). Use the double stick version to prevent belts from flapping loose, or to keep the ladies from falling out of their dresses.

Shout wipes, baby wipes… – Anything that can possibly stain the model’s clothes will. Keep these on hand and patrol with vigilance.

Tide or Clorox Bleach Pen

Antibacterial wipes – Courtesy wipes for the ladies before they plug in a pair of earrings.

Static Guard – Clingy clothes are about as welcome as clingy people. This will help at least with the clothes.

Shoehorn, shoe mitten, shoeshine, shoelaces, insoles – Shoeshine boy not included.

Tape measure – For those rare cases when you actually want the clothes to fit the model.

Wire ties (the kind you close garbage bags with) – Good for making necklaces shorter.

Clear bra straps – An elegant dress isn’t so elegant when the bra straps are showing.

Slips- I have two nude and two black half-slips in knee and calf length size small. Used to mask sheer garments or add weight when it is windy.

Bras and Thongs- Nude sheer seamless in size 34B and 34C. Calvin Klein is my favorite because they are seamless. Also nude thongs. I go to discount stores such as Nordstrom Rack or Lohman’s and you can usually find them for $3.

Nipple patches - To preserve modesty and good taste.

Spritz water bottle - To help with ironing.

Rubber bands – Instead of paper clips, use these to make belts tighter in the back.

One big trash bag – Because it’s easier to carry around than a lot of small ones.

Tampons, sanitary napkins, and panty liners

Small Krazy Glue bottle – Does this need introduction?

Sewing kit- needle, thread of assorted colors, tape measure, thimble, small scissors. Basic sewing skills are a must and basic hand sewing is very easy to pick up.

Scissors

Duck tape- used to tape up the bottom of shoes so that they are not scuffed, especially important for outdoor shoots or when you need to do a buy and return with shoes.

Scarf- To place over models face once makeup is done so that it doesn’t get on garments.

Homework Update - Please Read!

DUE Tuesday, April 15 -

Your Whole Foods Questionnaire, and one paragraph, with a picture, of the most successful display that you saw there. This should be printed out, in color.

Work on your box project. It should be thoughtful and well crafted - I suggest going to a big art supply store like Michaels or AC Moore to get ideas and props.

This is Due on April 29th.

Please Read these articles in preparation for class on Tuesday.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2013/02/14/frightful-not-delightful-tales-of-terrible-customer-service/

http://fashionista.com/2014/03/shopping-luxury-stores-wearing-sweatpants/

Customer Service

Why is Customer Service Important?

Customer service handles company issues in stores, over the phone and even by email. Companies that produce highly technical products, such as software or satellite television, often have technical support staffs to resolve problems. Customer service is important to an organization for a number of reasons. Foremost, it would be difficult for a company to survive without customer service, as there would be no one available to handle payments or answer questions from prospective customers.

Significance

Customer service is important to an organization because it is often the only contact a customer has with a company. Customers are vital to an organization. Some customers spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars per year with a company. Consequently, when they have a question or product issue, they expect a company's customer service department to resolve their issues.

Identification

Customer service is also important to an organization because it can help differentiate a company from it competitors, according to the article titled "The Importance of Customer Service" at Drew Stevens Consulting website. For example, it may be difficult to tell the difference between two small-town drug stores, especially if their prices are similar. Therefore, putting extra efforts into customer service may be thing that gives one drug store a competitive advantage.

Function

A company with excellent customer service is more likely to get repeat business from customers. Consequently, the company will benefit with greater sales and profits. Contrarily, companies with poor customer service may lose customers, which will have a negative impact on business. It costs a lot more money for a company to acquire a customer than to retain them, due to advertising costs and the expense of sales calls. Therefore, the efforts that go into maintaining quality customer service can really pay dividends over time.

Publicity

People that have a positive experience with a company's customer service department will likely tell two or three others about their experience, according to Consumer Affairs website. Therefore, quality customer service can be a source of promotion for organizations. Contrarily, a person who has a bad customer service experience will likely tell between nine and 20 people.

Prevention/Solution

Customer service is important to an organization because of potential complaints. Consumers can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs or even a class action attorney if they are dissatisfied with a company's customer service. As long as a customer owns a product, they expect to be able to service it. Otherwise, they have certain rights to sue the company, as consumers are protected by the Federal Trade Commission.

Providing excellent customer service

The Associate and the Store Front
- 1
  
  Think of what it means to be a customer--what it feels like when you walk into a retail store. What do you expect from an associate? Whether you're coming in to browse, make a purchase or return an item you want the same quality of service--excellent.
- 2
  
  Start by dropping whatever you're doing when your customer enters. Your customer is your number one priority.
- Smile. The very first thing a customer should see is a smile.This creates a warm and welcome first impression.
- 4
  
  Use a welcome message. Say your store's greeting with a pleasant and upbeat voice. Your voice should not be monotonous, it should have inflection.
- 5
  
  Be consistent. Every customer must be greeted.
The Shopping Experience
- 6
  
  Be available. It is not necessary nor is it advised to hound a customer or follow them around. However, make yourself available for their needs, periodically checking on them but careful not to interrupt their shopping experience.
- 7
  
  Know your product. Your customer may very well ask you for your advice. You should know what you're talking about.
- 8
  
  Lend your expertise, if asked, for item choices. Make honest suggestions, not suggestions just to make a sale. Being genuine will help you receive the customer's trust in your taste and opinions.
The Fitting Rooms
- 9
  
  Continue to be available. Make sure you don't forget about your customer in the fitting rooms. Consistently check on them but don't become annoying.
- 10
  
  Lend your advice when asked.
- 11
  
  Be honest but polite. If a customer asks your opinion in the fitting room be honest. If the item is not a good fit, politely let them know, then suggest a better fit.
The Register and Exit
- 12
  
  Ask the customer did they enjoy their shopping experience and find everything they needed OK. You should actually be listening to their response for personal and store feedback.
- 13
  
  Try to expedite their experience at the cash register as quickly as possible and don't forget to tell them to return to your store for any further shopping needs.
- 14
  
  Be sure to tell the customer on their way out to have a great day and reinforce that they return soon. Don't forget that smile either.
- 15
  
  Think about all of these practices throughout your day as a customer service provider. If you have fallen short of any of them, be sure to make improvements as needed.