From Classroom to Showroom: My Internship at Burlington
Hello! My name is Avery Bumsted and I am a soon to be senior majoring in advertising, with dual concentration in Copywriting and Brand Strategy & Research. This Summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern as an Assistant Buyer at Burlington Stores.
For as long as I can remember, exploring fashion has been at the forefront of my creative interests. While I have always been drawn to fashion filled racks, what especially captured my interest was the strategy surrounding a store’s intended shopping experience. With a personal interest in fashion marketing, I was instantly drawn to the opportunities available at Burlington. As an off-price retailer, Burlington creates a unique shopping experience focused on providing the best value possible for its target customers.
In my role, I worked alongside a team in the Women’s Knit Tops department. More specifically, my team buys knit tops across the moderate category. The role of a buyer is incredibly strategic, and enforces skills in not only trend awareness, but analytical thinking. Each week, I travelled to Burlington’s NYC office, where I would attend vendor meetings and showrooms. The opportunity to do so introduced me to behind-the-scenes fashion retail space!
One of the most important lessons I learned during my internship is the value of effective communication, both internally and externally. Working within a positive company culture alongside a motivated team significantly enhanced my work experience and success. At Burlington, I was inspired by my direct team and those I had the opportunity to shadow. This role pushed me to embrace new social situations and helped refine my external communication skills when meeting new vendors and fellow interns.
Something I always refer back to is if you’re green, you’re growing. Entering this role, I followed my passions, and above all else embraced the opportunity to learn. My concentrations in Klein provided me with an incredible foundation for thinking with strategy in mind, and for discovering the “why” behind business decisions. Despite this, I have learned something new day in and day out during my internship experience. Seeking new knowledge is the greenest opportunity you will provide yourself with when entering an internship experience.
