Week 2 Adventures in Retailing

I'm in the middle of my second week of my internship at Calloway's. It has been a whirlwind of new experiences and information. I've spent a bulk of my time patrolling the greenhouse/bedding plant section helping customers find the plants to make the landscape of their dreams. I've done everything from recommending plants, identifying pests, diseases and plants; squeegeeing floors, to lining plants up, watering when the plants dry out, to unloading and organizing plants on tables. I am even getting familiar with the big brands Calloway's carries like HortCoture, Proven Winners, Burpee, and Blue Label. Everyday is a new adventure in bedding.

The Memorial Day Weekend sale was hectic, but was by far the biggest challenge I faced. Plants and people were moving constantly. We were selling out of things faster than we could fill tables back up. Every time I turned around there was something new going on.  Calloway's always has a big Memorial Day weekend sale to help move as much inventory as possible before the slower summer months.

I have even started working on the cash register. At first, it was a little intimidating with all the buttons and functions and things to remember, but as I work more and more on it, it is becoming second nature.

This was my register. 

One of my favorite activities I got to do was work on some of the displays. In the displays, I wanted to show the customers how different plants can come together and make beautiful gardens and landscapes. The displays serve as a form of advertising because it shows examples of how each plant can be used. They are also eye-catching and can draw people to different areas of the nursery. Even the Color Creations (pre-done color pots created by the employees) help show the customers ways to use the plants we sell. It is amazing how many people will ask about the plants in the Color Creations and displays each day.

This is one of the displays of interior plants I put together. I love the varieties of colors.

This is another display that I worked on. I took this picture 2 days after I built the display and we sold a few of the Pothos hanging baskets that were in the middle. I love the toad planter at the bottom of the design.

I am just starting work in the Plant Allies section of Calloway's. In this area, I help customers find fertilizers, pesticides, soil amendments and mulches. Many customers bring in samples and pictures of their problems on their plants. There is a huge difference in seeing pictures of different diseases and pest damage and seeing it on an actual leaf. In my down time, I try to learn more about the individual products we sell by reading some of the labels. There I can learn what the product is for, what to use it on, and how to use it.

I have also been learning about the business side of the nursery. I have seen how my location does compared to the other locations and other time periods. I have learned about cycle counts and why the cycle count does not match the inventory. I also learned how to do Receiving, where I had to check the vendor's purchase order with our purchase order with what was actually shipped to us. I also learned that unloading trucks is hard work in our Texas weather but it is important to keep track of what is coming off the truck so that you get everything you ordered.

I also enjoyed releasing some tiny Praying Mantis babies (we sell live praying mantis eggs, lady bugs and beneficial nematodes) into the flower bed in the front of the building. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of them venturing off into the wild for the first time. I will try to keep up with them and see how they do for the remainder of my internship at the store location.

In the second half of my internship I will get to help with a merchandising project that will actually be implemented in the stores. The birding and wildlife section at Calloway's was the project of one of the interns last year. Its really cool to see what other students in my position have done.

This is the Birding and Wildlife Display.

That about sums up my first 2 weeks at Calloway's. I am looking forward to learning even more from this great company.