Shop Till You Drop–For A Living!!

Become a Personal Shopper

In our fast-paced society there never seems to be enough time to do all the things we need to do. The pressures of a job plus the responsibilities of caring for a home and family leave little time for shopping for gifts, groceries, or clothing for growing children. What’s the solution? For some, the solution is to utilize the services of a personal shopper.

A personal shopper is a unique service offered by upscale department stores. Individuals trained to fill this position are attuned to shopper’s needs. They assist store guests in locating desired merchandise and they share product knowledge. Personal shoppers may wardrobe an entire family or select personal or corporate gifts for the holidays or other special occasions. They may even arrange gift-wrapping and delivery, or monogramming. Personal shoppers who work for department stores often work on commission and may develop an exclusive working relationship with clients.

Personal shoppers who freelance their services are becoming more common place in urban cultures. In addition to the services already mentioned, these individuals offer services such as wardrobe analysis. The personal shopper assists the client in organizing the wardrobe they already have and then shopping for items to update and complement the existing items. When providing this type of service, an initial consultation will be held to acquaint the personal shopper with the client’s preferences in color, fabric, clothing style and budget.

To be successful as a personal shopper, one must learn to evaluate quality and style and to listen attentively to the preferences of clients. Training in fashion design and merchandising is useful in this field, but not mandatory. A good eye for fashion as well as the ability to shop for value are the two most valuable attributes of a personal shopper.

 

Ms. Amanda Gladstone is a busy advertising executive. She has recently returned from an extended business trip in London. Upon arrival at her home in Chicago, she is faced with the realization that the holidays are only 10 days away and she has done almost no shopping. Her solution to this dilemma is to hire you to do her shopping for her. You must remember that Ms. Gladstone’s standards are very high and she will expect you to purchase precisely the items on the list that she gives you and to stay within your budget. Good Luck!

 

Directions:

1. Ms. Gladstone has eight items on her holiday shopping list. They are:

Man’s gray wool sweater, size XX-Large
A crystal vase with gold trim
A copy of a book about the art of Renoir
A women’s gold wrist watch
A collectible Teddy Bear (preferably Steiff)
An electric train set
A digital camera
A dark green or blue velour bathrobe for a woman, size Medium

2. Ms. Gladstone has authorized you to shop at any of the following retail outlets–Marshall Field’s, Spiegel, Bloomingdale’s, Lord and Taylor or Macy’s Department Store. She has authorized you to spend up to $750 to fill her entire shopping list. However, she wants to see photographs, descriptions, and prices of each item before you make your purchases.

3. Using the web sites offered by the approved retailers, prepare a shopping list proposal for Ms. Gladstone showing the items that you plan to purchase. Each item must be accompanied by a description and price.