1. For my STEP Signature Project, I interned with Big Lots Corporate Headquarters in Columbus over the summer. My role was in eCommerce Merchandising, where I participated in various projects to help enhance and create a better customer experiences for the website in three specific categories: furniture, food/grocery, and household essentials. My biggest project of the summer was to create an entire new experience for the grocery and household essentials page.
2. This internship helped me in so many different ways. I grew professionally in the work place, now have a better understanding of what I want to do with my future, and I gained relationships with both co-workers and co-interns from many different areas of the business that I will continue to stay connected with throughout my career. With this experience, I feel much more prepared for my internship next summer, which I have already locked down. This coming summer will hopefully lead to full-time after college.
3. Many different events and interactions occurred during the span of my 12-week internship program that contributed to my growth/transformation. I would say the three biggest contributors were my manager who also acted as my mentor and my team, the friendships I made with co-interns, and activities we did outside of our roles such as volunteering, intern cohort meetings, and experiencing the great company culture and sense of community at Big Lots.
To start, I would say that I learned the most from my manager. She started at Big Lots as an intern so she was really easy to relate to. She has been working there for 2.5 years and has already been promoted once. Through Ali’s direction, I learned how to use multiple different computer software systems for merchandising the eCommerce site and analyzing data. She trusted me with many different projects that impacted thousands of dollars’ worth of sales each week, which made me feel that my work was actually valued. In addition to working side by side with Ali, I learned a lot from working with cross-functional partners on the eCommerce team. From them, I learned how merchants act as a middle man between many different roles that support each other for final results.
In addition to working with my manager and cross-functional partners, both building friendships with my co-interns and attending events outside of work contributed to my growth and learning. Every few weeks, all the interns participated in intern cohort meetings where we discussed and learned about topics like “millennials in the workplace,” leadership, and company values. As interns, we also took part in volunteering at the local furniture bank. It was a great opportunity to take part in the company’s philanthropy. Because I enjoyed this event so much, I ended up participating in additional philanthropy outside of what the interns were expected to partake in. I made cookies at the Ronald McDonald House, which was very impactful because I was able to also get a tour and learn more about what the foundation does. Another big part of Big Lots philanthropy is Pelotonia, which I was able to attend the cheering section for. It was really inspiring to see how many associates took part in riding for such an important cause. I think that through all of this, I was really able to take part in the company’s culture and learn that there are many ways to give back to the community through work.
4. My experience through Big Lots this summer truly contributed to my growth and development towards my future career goals. I always knew I wanted to go into retail, and hoped that merchandising was the right career path for me, but never really knew for sure until I had this internship. Ultimately, I want to work in the fashion industry, but any experience in retail is extremely helpful for this industry. Because of the everything I learned at Big Lots, I was able to get a part time merchandising internship with Victoria’s Secret during this school year and I have another merchandising internship with Abercrombie and Fitch for next summer. I really do not think I would have had the confidence going into these interviews without the knowledge and experiences I gained at Big Lots. I thank Big Lots for giving me the push and head-start to what I am doing now, pursuing my dreams of obtaining a career in fashion.
