A Summer Job in Retail

The Retail Club helps SOM students explore and land jobs in at some of the world’s largest retailers. Last summer, students with an interest in this industry interned at beverage companies, cosmetic giants, and toymakers. At a September 18 panel, some club members shared what they learned.

Pablo Heredia Gonzalez ’15

Company: Anheuser-Busch InBev

“I was in charge of adapting the product portfolio for each of the six different sales regions within Mexico. I had to take into account the variable costs, the price, and profitability, which is the key indicator within the company. The position required me to work in conjunction with the marketing team and sales team. I needed to have their input, and it was really interesting because I got to learn a lot about the different areas of the company.”

Charlotte Wong ’15

Company: Hasbro

“Walking in, I knew that brand management meant you were owning a business within the larger business, but it didn’t register with me that you are truly running a business and you are the business manager. Day to day, you’re pulling data from NDP and you’re crunching numbers over and over again to understand where you are in terms of your allocated budget for the year and how you’re doing compared to your competitors… You think it’s going to be a lot about the larger brand strategy, and it certainly is, but the real core and heart of what you’re doing everyday is understanding where you are from a sales point of view and how you’re doing in market share.”

Derek Wang ’15

Company: Pepsi

“For me the biggest takeaway was that even after you get the internship, the networking never ends… It’s fundamental to getting things done cross-functionally at the company. You are going to need information from people all across the organization, and the best way to actually get them to send you data on time is if you’ve met them before and you have an existing relationship. Networking is also undoubtedly fundamental to you rising up in any company.”

Liz Cabot ’15

Company: New Belgium Brewing Company

“The biggest surprise to me was to learn that it’s possible to have a company that’s poised for growth—that of course cares about profit—but that is also authentically committed to its mission and to creating space for employee happiness and fun and playfulness. I didn’t know if this was possible, coming in. It was really heartening to see.”