KNOW YOUR PRODUCT

Everyday my routine used to be somewhat same. We all used to go to the store by the company van which mostly was driven by Vikas. He used to open the store. Our store timing was 10am to 1pm and evening 5pm to 10pm. As there was no concept of enrolling housekeeping staffs we ourselves had to keep our sections clean. We had to vacuum clean the carpet, and mop the window panes. Doing all these activities on our own created a sense of ownership which made the job more challenging and interesting to me.

During my stint at Jamjoom centre my job was rotated in all the departments. In the men’s’ department I understood and learnt all the products in detail. I got to know the various categories in the men’s’ department like formal wear, casual wear and sportswear and men’s essentials. Every day in the morning after we finished with the vacuum cleaner, we had to arrange all the products in the department. During this process I got a chance to learn the various products, the various styles and range that was available. I studied in detail every style in a product and the logic behind it. In a few months time I got to know in detail the categories of the other departments also.

Every style in a product has got logic behind it:
1. An individual who prefers a double knot tie should go for a cut-away collar shirt which will give a good appearance to the knot over the collar, instead of a classic collar.
2. A button-down collar shirt should be preferred when a tie is to be worn as the button down collar supports the tie from slipping down.

The logic of the style hipster trouser in ladies wear
Hipster trousers are used to eliminate the wide waist or hip problem, commonly on pear shaped women

The logic for T-shirt style bras in lingerie
T-Shirt bras are designed without raised seams, so that a tight t-shirt may be worn without the bra being visible, and hence recommended to those who prefer to wear T-shirts.

I also understood and learnt the art of displaying and placing the products on the fixtures in no time. I also got familiarized with the various fixtures and their use. In the ladies department I found it more interesting because of the wide collections of tops and bottoms in various styles, fabrics and colours. I got to learn the art of mix and matching the products and the concept of co-ordinates. It was more fun in merchandising products in this department. I also got familiarized with all the brands, of course with the help of Vikas and Stylo by my side. They also taught me how to read the lot number on a product which is also termed as SKU or stock keeping unit, and its importance. The lot number was mentioned on every tag placed on each and every individual product. The barcode was also available on the tag. Vikas also taught me how to read a barcode, so as to recognize the size, colour, and style of the product. The barcode was used to scan merchandise. The lot number is used when it is difficult to scan a product. It is just another option provided.

Barcode is a label, which is a machine-readable representation of information in a visual format, which is attached to all the merchandise offered for sale to customers at the Stores.
Barcodes provide very detailed, up-to-date information on key aspects of the product including statutory declarations in certain cases. At store level, control of barcodes plays a vital role to avoid fraudulent activities or misuse that would render huge loss to the company.

I also got to understand the meanings of each and every washing/care instructions mentioned on the tag, and the UK/US/EURO size mentioned on the tag.