Retail Management Internship
The Miller Center has developed a unique retail internship program. Each summer, over 150 undergraduates receive internships with retailers participating in the program. The internship gives students an opportunity to assess their potential for a retail career in their participating firm.
Some Retailers involved with our internship program are: Aldi, Ashley Furniture, Bealls, Belk, Bridgestone, Caleres, Chico’s, City Furniture, EJ Gallo, JCPenney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Ross, Sherwin Williams, Target, The Home Depot, TJMaxx and Walgreens
Retail Interns are paid a salary and exposed to a variety of retail experiences as part of the management team.
This internship helped me to develop my professional skills and exposed me to students from all over the country with viewpoints that have increased my ability to approach the situation from a diverse perspective. This experience has taught me how much work is done behind the scenes to create the consumer landscape we see today and has confirmed that retail is the right choice for me regarding my future career.
Macy's Intern
Internship Details
The following information about the internship program is designed assist you before, during and after your internship, specifying important steps and offering helpful tips, suggestions.
Attend the Career Showcase at the O’Connell Center in September and January. Dress in professional attire, and remember to bring copies of your resume. You’ll talk to a number of recruiters from an array of companies, so plan on staying for the entire day. After the Showcase, go through all the corporate literature and business cards you gathered, and decide which companies most interest you. Send “thank you” emails!
After the Career Showcase, you may be contacted with “Preselect” offers. Preselects are the students companies specifically request to interview when their recruiters come back to UF later in the semester. If you don’t get a preselect offer, you can watch for open schedules and stay in contact with the Miller Center for more information.
Research the companies – find out all you can about their history, culture, and business. Check out the company web site, and get more information from the UF Business Library. Learn all you can about the art of interviewing. The Miller Center offers workshops on interviewing throughout the year to help you prepare. The Retail You program offers instruction as well!
Go to the interviews if you signed up for them. Be prompt and dress in professional attire. Don’t forget to write thank-you letters to your interviewer.
Sit back, relax, and wait for the offers to come in. Make your decision, and let the Miller Center know which offer you accepted by the beginning of April. If you didn’t get an offer, stop by the Miller Center for help finding an internship as soon as possible. The more you communicate, the more you can get help.
Register for the summer internship for either 1, 2, or 3 credits. Retail internships are part of an academic program and must be taken for credit. You cannot earn the Minor in Retailing Leadership without this internship credit.
Enjoy your internship, and remember to contact the Miller Center at any time if you have any questions or problems. We are here to help you!
During your internship, you will be responsible to the company as if you had a “real job.” The average salary for interns is over $10.00/hour, so earn it! Arrive on time, and stay late if necessary. You will have regular day-to-day duties at work, and you’ll also be responsible for completing weekly assignments relating to your experience back to the Miller Center.
The internship will show you all sides of retailing – many of which you may not have been aware of previously. You’ll observe the buying process, selling, security, visual merchandising, management, distribution and information systems, and customer service in action; and get to see how they all relate to each other.
Not only will you see retail in action, you’ll be an active participant in retail. You’ll learn ways to handle customer and associate complaints and conflicts, how to read sales managers’ reports, and even learn about the systems they use for scheduling and payroll. It’s likely your manager will go on vacation at some point during your internship, and leave you in charge of everything – the floor, the customers, the works! Though this may sound intimidating now, you’ll be ready when the time comes. Every day in retail is exciting and different, and by the end of the summer, you will definitely know if retailing is the career choice for your future.
After the summer is over and you’ve finished your internship, there are still more opportunities for you in the retail industry and with the Miller Center. Some students receive permanent job offers at the end of their internship!
Each fall, thousands of dollars in scholarship are awarded to outstanding interns in recognition of a “job well done.” There are also opportunities to get involved at the Miller Center and spread the word about exciting retail internships. All interns are invited to apply for a position on the Miller Center Student Advisory Board. The S.A.B. helps promote careers in retailing based on the great experiences they all had with retail internships. S.A.B. members help improve the program and revise assignments to keep up with the retail industry. There are some great perks to being involved with the S.A.B. – members are also invited to attend the once-a-semester Executive Advisory Board meeting, and meet executives from major retail companies.