Internship Journal

June 19, 2018 3 hours

Attended employee meeting at Josephine’s with Shawn and Jackie. During this meeting
Sam; introduced the new role of assistant manager, introduced us (WWU interns),
talked about shift protocols such as switching and clocking on early, stressed the
importance of providing excellent customer service, introduced daily sales goals and
how to meet/exceed them, talked about layaway and hold protocols, and addressed
some housekeeping issues. At this meeting employees were able to write down
ideas/suggestions for us as well. Attending this meeting was very helpful to dive right
into the culture of Josephine’s and get a real feel for the business and its needs.

June 26, 2018 3 hours

Met with Sam, Shawn, and Jackie at Josephine’s to discuss our three different
internships and what we plan to accomplish during our two-month internship. We were
able to ask Sam if there were any specific things she needed from us and tell her what
we need from her.

July 2, 2018 3 hours

Worked on the floor at Josephine’s shop. Helped with customers, rearranging displays,
and learning first hand the vibe of the shop. I was able to talk to a couple vendors and
get their take on what makes Josephine’s unique.

July 3, 2018 2 hours

Researched handbooks online. Vendor handbooks for a shop like Josephine’s was
impossible to find. Most of the vendor handbooks are for farmers markets, but they hold
valuable information that applies to Josephine’s.

July 5, 2018 3 hours

Met with Sam, Shawn, and Jackie at Josephine’s to talk more about the vendor and
employee handbooks. Sam didn’t seem to have a specific idea or expectation of what
they should be. So, we mainly bounced some ideas off her to make sure we were on
the right track with the handbooks.

July 7, 2018 4 hours

Researched vendor handbooks and began my outline for my handbook. Wrote up a
mock table of contents as a guideline with the subjects I want in the handbook. I learned
that there is more to a handbook than I ever imagined.
July 9, 2018 3 hours
Met with Sam, Shawn, and Jackie at Josephine’s to talk about Jackie’s internship and
get Sam set up in QuickBooks. While they talked I worked on first draft of open and
close lists for the shop.

July 10, 2018 3 hours

Attended vendor meeting at Josephine’s. During this meeting Sam; talked about the
wish book policy for vendors, introduced the idea of vendor cubbies for mail and such,
talked about the expectations of vendors to keep their booths clean and maintained
(re-staging, keeping things off the floor, rotating inventory, etc.), informed vendors of
new rates that will be implemented with the new contracts, and talked about the 24-hour
hold and sold policy. Attending this meeting provided us with more information that will
be included in our handbooks.

July 13, 2018 6 hours

Opened the shop in the morning with Sam. Worked on the floor with another employee
and learned how to check out customers. Was able to interact with customers and
exhibit excellent customer service that met the Josephine’s standard. Also had some
time with Sam to talk about the employee handbook and things that she would want
included.

July 16, 2018 4 hours

Spent time at the shop working with Sam and getting suggestions on what she wants in
the handbook. Gave her a list of subjects that can apply to her shop and decided on
which ones she wants in the handbook.

July 18, 2018 5 hours

Spent hours researching laws and regulations that apply to her industry including
vendor licensing and insurance, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other
laws that apply.

July 19, 2018 4 hours

Conducted first check in with Mary at Josephine’s Mercantile from 1 to 2pm. Showed up
before and stayed late to discuss policies for vendors with Sam.

July 21, 2018 5 hours

Worked on my handbook. Finished my first rough draft. Continued research on design,
format, and layout.

July 23, 2018 6 hours

Spent the day with Samantha picking. We went to several different locations and I got to
witness first hand some of the methods she used to buy merchandise for her shop. We
filled her truck with merchandise then went back to the shop and put them on display.
Many of the items sold within minutes of putting them on the floor.

July 25, 2018 7 Hours

Attended small staff meeting with Sam, Shawn, and a few other employees away from
the shop. Discussed vendors and some things that will be implemented in the new
vendor handbook including; having to work 3-4 events per year, the application process,
possible recruitment, having knowledge of all products in the shop, vendor mail boxes,
and mandatory email communication. Discussed a new policy for employees about
asking for time off. Discussed events coming up for the rest of this year.

July 27, 2018 2 hours

Spent time with vendors at the shop interviewing and asking questions about their
experience and what they think is important information to implement into the handbook.
I got a few different perspectives from vendors that have been in the industry for
decades.

August 2, 2018 5 hours

Conducted second check-in meeting with Mary. Stayed after to work on the floor and
talk to employees and vendors about expectations regarding rental spaces. Took notes
to add some ideas to the handbook.

August 3, 2018 3 Hours

Went to Josephine’s and conducted my informational interview with an employee. Also
took some pictures of the shop for my portfolio.

August 5, 2018 8 hours

Finished my second draft of my handbook. Revised and edited every page word for
word. Realized that I need to put a couple more sections in it and put them in.

August 6, 2018 2 hours

Sat down with Sam at Josephine’s and went through the second draft of the handbook.
Made corrections as necessary and implemented them into the handhook.
August 8, 2018 6 hours
Revised and edited the handbook. I changed a lot of wording around. The more I read it
the more I want to change it.

August 10, 2018 4 hours

Spent the morning researching laws that address vendor rights and responsibilities. I
didn’t find much regarding this. It seems that since vendors aren't considered
employees they are considered their own business within Josephine’s shop. I keep
feeling like more should go into that section but am having a difficult time finding
information that is legally binding to protect the vendor’s and Josephine’s interests.

August 12, 2018 3 hours

Started my third and final draft of my handbook. It’s coming together and is starting to
look like a professional handbook. All the information is in there and there is mostly
formatting and editing left.

August 13, 2018 2 hours

Met with Sam at Josephine’s to look over the final draft as I have it so far. Still needs
formatting and editing, but she likes what she sees. I have to change some of the
language to make it sound like it’s Sam writing this handbook.

August 15, 2018 6 hours

Formatted and edited my final draft. Added another section on a vendor non-compete
agreement. Had to revise it because all the information I found was for employees and
not vendors. Turned it into vendors not being able to carry the same products as
Josephine’s in the event they leave and want to start their own shop. It’s 95% done.

August 16, 2018 5 hours

Went to Josephine’s early to write the vendor contracts. Wrote first, second, and third
drafts and Sam Proof read them. Printed off enough copies for the vendors.

August 17, 2018 3 hours

Spent time at the shop reviewing and brainstorming of anything that could be missing in
the handbook. We decided to put in a personalized letter rather than put in an “about
Josephine’s” section. We wrote the letter together. She told me her thoughts and I put
them into what the letter is.
August 20, 2018 4 hours
Spent time with Sam in her office reviewing the final draft word for word. She loved it
and only had a couple suggestions for improvement and to make it her own. We
decided to take out the Non-compete section.

August 21, 2018 4 hours

Sam took Alysha, Jackie, and myself to poulsbo to observe some shops she is
compared to. We evaluated and compared those shops with hers and we brainstormed
any improvements she could make over lunch. Thank you Sam!

August 22, 2018 8 hours

Spend the day going over everything before I turn in my e-portfolio.