Week 6 - The Apartment
Part 1 - Prior Knowledge of The Apartment:
Before heading out to see The Apartment, I went into the experience with no idea or clue about what the place would look like or be about. Once I was actually inside the space and also did some research on The Apartment, I was able to understand why this place is very unique and diverse in the city. What makes The Apartment unique and diverse than other stores in the city is that The Apartment takes a more intimate, personal approach to retail in general. To create this personal approach in retail, this store creates an apartment (hence the name) within a popular city and allows their customers to purchase anything and everything that the store puts into the apartment. By allowing their customers to purchase everything and anything that is seen within this apartment space, customers are able to buy not only from home decor but they can also buy fashion and beauty items as well. Overall, what makes The Apartment successful and what had drawn me and other consumers in is that the store acts and feels like a friends’ home and you are able to come in and pick and choose what you would like to take from it without the hassle of seeing a price tag anywhere in sight and receiving personal service by the employees who work in there.
Part 2 - Observations Made During Tour of The Apartment:
Based on the information provided by Allee, ou speaker during the tour, I gained a lot of insight about the industry and my own career path. The insight I received about the industry from Allee during our session with her is that if you really want to be a stylist, merchandiser, etc. in New York, then you have to not only build up your experience by internship opportunities, etc., you also have to be willing to do your background research on the companies you are dying to work prior to any interview, connecting with people who work at those companies, and anything else related to the hiring process. Furthermore, the insight I received about my own career path from Allee is that whatever goals you have on where you want to work or what role you want to step into, get ready to talk to as many people as you can find in that company and ask each of them thoughtful, well-throughout questions that will truly show all of them just how passionate you are about working in your field and with this particular company. After gaining this advice from Allee, I feel that I am more prepared to tackle the hiring process after college because now I can begin my research into the companies I truly want to work for and try reaching out to their employees for a potential meet and greet. Additionally, I can also begin tweaking my resume and going over my cover letter to see what parts of these papers I can improve upon and enhance for each of the companies that I want to work for after college.
Part 3 - Overall Impression of The Apartment:
After seeing The Apartment, my impressions of the space and store set-up is that it is a very innovative and unique way to sell fashion, beauty, and home items to consumers. The fact that this store allows customers to simply shop out of a cozy apartment with no price tags visible with everything can be touched or tried on with ease creates a whole new look to what future retail stores will slowly become. While trying to create and sell a brand image throughout a retail space with items labeled far and wide and trying to maintain some good, reliable customer service, retail stores are no longer as popular as they used to be. Seeing this new way of retailing really allows consumers to not think about budgeting their money or worry about how much they can afford, they can simply walk around The Apartment, feel like their in someone’s home, and choose to try on or test items without having to fully commit to an expensive purchase. Overall, The Apartment is a unique and diverse store in the city as it takes a more intimate, personal approach to retail in general than most of today’s typical retail shops.