What attracted you to a career in retail?
I believe I am a very people orientated person. I enjoy the face to face contact I get everyday working in this environment, not only with customers but also my team. I found I have a talent and a real passion for visual merchandising. I also found the opportunities for someone like myself very appealing in this company.
How did you get to where you are now?
I finished school in year 2008, during which I worked as a casual at Harris Scarfe in Cranbourne. After finishing school I went to university for six months, but didn’t find that it suited where I wanted to be heading. I applied for a full time position at the new Harris Scarfe in Fountain Gate that opened in December 2009. After only two weeks of being in this full-time team member position, I was approached and offered an opportunity to move forward into an assistant store manager in training position. It was from this point onwards that I felt that I could use my strengths and really shine in this company. A few months later I was promoted into assistant store manager of homewares. A year passed in this role before I was offered an amazing opportunity as acting store manager of the Harris Scarfe in Eastland. Of course, I accepted, and I was at that store for eight months. This is where I was nominated for Young Retailer of the Year, and I completed my Diploma of Management. I am currently at the Fountain Gate Harris Scarfe store which is a great achievement for me to be now managing the store at which I originally learnt a lot and grew into the manager that I am today.
What is your ultimate career goal?
I would like to see myself being promoted into a full store manager, from here challenge myself to be the best at everything I know. Then I would like to venture into moving up into a regional manager role. When in this role I would commit to training “up and coming” young managers in the business, supporting them and watching them grow.
What advice would you give to those who want a career in retail?
You need to be passionate, thick skinned, and have a real hands on approach to any task thrown at you. Also a positive attitude and a smile can get you a long way, and of course, keep the focus on the customer. All we strive to do in retail is to keep customers happy, to try make a positive connection and to keep them returning to our stores and our brand.
Are you at all concerned about the future of retail?
I am looking forward to the challenge ahead. Online shopping has seemed to effect us first and foremost, with most of our products and brands being easily accessible online. Despite all the “doom and gloom” surrounding retail I am still confident with our brand. Harris Scarfe has seen the worst of times and I believe we are heading in the right direction with our strong strategy. Our price, brand and customer focus is what I believe will propel us forward in the near future. It is our vision to fill the service gap for our customers, and use this opportunity when people are in our stores to look at and feel our great, on trend home wares and fashion. These offers and the quality are getting noticeably better every year, it is a very exciting time to be a part of the Harris Scarfe team.
PROFILE
Name: Jaimee Stirling
Store: Harris Scarfe, Fountain Gate
Current position: Acting store manager
Date of birth: 15/5/1990