Buying and Beyond

In episode 6 the focus is on travel again, but this time inspiration trips, one of the most creative parts of the job! Similarly to a development trip, you will need to be keeping on top of your BAU, so again, as fabulous as the destinations can be, and nice it is to be out of the office, that day to day running of the team doesn’t go away - but it’s worth the juggle for the ideas you can get! We talk about the incredible places that Buyers get to visit, the quick turn around of product from festival to factory, and ..... It’s one of the the best ways to absorb yourself in creativity and see products from a consumer point of view - just make sure you take photos before you have a cheeky drink...!

Here are our 3 recommendations for inspo trips -

1. Don’t just stay in your lane, Inspiration trips are a great one for going with other departments, such as design, or marketing, or VM, and having a great bounce around of ideas
2. Incorporate store visits if you have any in that area - great to see from customer point of view in another demographic/geo location
3. Plan an Inspiration trip to gain the right information at the right time to influence your next range. Think carefully about timing. Ideally this will be at the beginning of your Critical Path to help you plan your strategy - but depending on your product category it might be months ahead of your CP starting e.g. beach inspiration trips may need to be in the summer (depending on where you’re going) but your CP may not need to start until the following February..

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you!
Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram
Send us a DM with any 'Retail Therapy' stories
Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com

Here we are our final episode for Season 3, ending with a Christmas special :) We’ve both bought Christmas for over 7 years and it was one of our favourite areas to buy, it can be so much fun! We talk favourite themes, development trips, sample mishaps and what happens in a Christmas sign off- the one everyone in the company wants to be at! We are now signing off for Christmas and wish all our listeners and lovely break and a Merry Christmas. See you in the new year when we will be back for season 4!

1. Black Friday- the debate, should you or shouldn't you, what feels right for your brand- you need to repeat those numbers next year. Are you just bringing forward sales that could still come with more profit
2. Christmas is all about being creative, don't be afraid to try those bold themes but remember traditional will always be in style and let’s make christmas more environmentally friendly, there is so many great new techniques out there.
3. Everyone will have an opinion in the sign off, stay true to your customer and don't let emotion get in the way of a decision.

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you!
Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram
Send us a DM with any 'Retail Therapy' stories
Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com

This weeks episode aims to give you that confidence boost you need to leave your job and reassurance if you've just made the leap to a new company. It can be quite a daunting prospect moving on, especially if it's your first job or if you're enjoying where you work but cant see the next step internally. Sometimes you just have to move on. Often you'll find you'll go from feeling super confident in your role, to feeling really out of your depth in a new place. Many companies are same same but different; most of the processes will be similar but be slightly different order, or ways of documenting, or words to describe the same things! It can be exciting and scary, an opportunity to prove to yourself that you know more than you think you know, or even a change to re-invent yourself! So have a listen and hopefully you'll find our discussion supportive and empowering.
Here are our top 3 points from today's episode to give you confidence that sometimes change is the best thing to move forwards...

1. Knowing when to move on, and understanding that when you stop learning it’s time to leave. You can always leave and come back if the opportunity isnt there when you need it, and come back bigger and better...
2. Be brave and try something new - it might be a stepping stone to something greater. You never know where your next role might take you, take every opportunity that comes your way that feels right. Trust your gut, and take a leap of faith!
3. Be open to learnng and understanding how other businesses work, you’ll gain a better understanding of the whole industry, can bring about change in a positive way, and not irritate people by thinking you already know the best way to do something, when you hardly know how the new systems work! Think about bigger picture, not what people will think of you *if* you ask a silly question.

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you!
Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram
Send us a DM with any 'Retail Therapy' stories
Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com

In Episode 7 we chat with one of our OGs, a very special trauma friend! We all started Buying as BAAs, and wow it was a wild time. We recount some of the ridiculous and hilarious memories of the Buying office - working on the hats, gloves and scarves team when you’re allergic to wool, the crazy fads we tried out, being very young and impressionable, wanting to be cool and raising our profile - plus a very sad story of a promotion that was taken away. Calli tells us why working in Buying has set the scene for the rest of her career with the many transferable skills she learnt during her time in Buying, and we discuss what it’s like working in a 90% female based office, the good the bad and how we think it should be!

Some of the key takeaways from this episode are:

1. There’s nothing quite like a trauma friend - it bonds you for life!! Whether that is going through crazy fads and fashions together, trying out new trends, or competing and challenging each other to be better and go further in your career. Often the Buying offices are 90% female, and a whole lot of emotions, but this can be channelled to drive sales harder, not act harder. Be intuitive, supportive, and encourage development of your co-workers - rather than throwing socks!
2. So many of the skills that you develop working in Buying will set you up for life. As Calli has shared, once you’ve worked in the intense environment of a Buying office, nothing will phase you anymore! You’ve got this!!
3. It’s not really as glamorous as it looks - it’s not all glitz and glam, that’s all smoke and mirrors, it’s actually more spreadsheets, numbers and data and that shiny gold necklace plating will wear off! We imagined it being all travelling the globe, fancy food & drinks, buying whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, living that high life...and there is a little of that. But really it’s moving heavy boxes of product, wearing high vis jackets at warehouse visits and not sleeping for days as you travel to as many factories in as little time as possible! It's exhausting, but it's fun. It's just definitely not glamourous!

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you!
Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram
Send us a DM with any 'Retail Therapy' stories
Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com

Today’s episode has been on a quite an intense subject, but one that we’ve had quite a few requests for us to discuss - so we hope we did it justice!
Stress can be both good and bad, the adrenaline can motivate, but too much can feel overwhelming and lead to burnout. It’s about finding that balance between driving and drowning, feeling strong enough to take on more but not too much that you struggle to keep your head above water, and about finding that balance between working and living your best life. There is always so much more than can be talked about when it comes to stress and burnout and sharing new coping mechanisms. We have kept the episode fairly light hearted, but there is a serious element to this and if you are struggling it’s important to seek help and find a way to overcome your issues - please don’t suffer in silence, you’re not the only one

1. Work/Life balance IS important - like everything in life, you need a balance. Making sure you have time to relax, just be you, or time to spend doing sports or crafts, or which ever activities you enjoy
2. If you feel overwhelmed, take a step back, or step away from the situation, get some space to clear your head. Go to the tea point to let off steam (excuse the pun) or pop out for some fresh air
3. Seek out support, build a network of trust, find the ones you can offload to, but also give you another perspective and reign in your stressful thoughts

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you!
Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram
Send us a DM with any 'Retail Therapy' stories
Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com