Reflecting on my First Internship

When I began my education as a fashion merchandising major at Belmont University, the last category I envisioned myself working in towards the end of my college experience was truck, tool, and hardware. In fact, I was completely opposed to the idea of straying from the fashion industry right up until the time I applied for my first internship at Tractor Supply Company. My junior year, I enrolled in a class dedicated to professional development, and at the time my goal, similarly to other fashion students, was to work in luxury in a big city. Once I began the job search for my first internship, I realized that I had my work cut out for me to find any internship at all. I was discouraged by the lack of opportunity in the industry, and my professor provided me with advice I’ll never forget: sometimes the best experiences come from embracing unexpected opportunities. Shortly after that class, I attended the National Retail Federation’s Student Foundation Career Fair, met with a TSC recruiter, and the rest is history.  

I had no idea what to expect approaching my first internship, but I knew one thing for sure- TSC's warm, welcoming, and encouraging culture was present to me well before my first day. My program point of contact has been an inspirational and uplifting leader from the day I received my offer letter to the end of my journey. On my first day as an intern, I met with my incredible manager for the first time and was instantly inspired by the level of experience present within the SSC walls. Over my time as an intern, I have been able to attend numerous professional development workshops, such as DISC, EQ, Personal Branding, Financial Development, and Linkedin training. I have attended meet and greets, hearing from inspiring executives. I’ve inducted cross collaborative informational interviews learning about positions from every department. I’ve witnessed firsthand the attention to detail across the entire supply chain through field trips from Distribution Centers, to the Merchandise Innovation Center, to our very own stores across state lines. I’ve been entrusted with personal projects each week, and I’ve been able to grasp a real understanding of the behind the scenes of corporate merchandising by attending daily meetings across a variety of departments. I’ve been able to live the Life Out Here lifestyle through various volunteer opportunities. I was even able to complete a Microsoft 365 Skillsoft training course.  

One of the main projects I worked on this summer was my contribution to increasing manufacturing operations in the USA.  Some smaller stand out projects I completed were adjusting prices of live SKUs in response to changing economic climates and running promotional sales, identifying top suggested brands by real trade workers and suggesting new product offerings in accordance with the suggestions provided across each of the trades, identifying new technological advancement and brand engagement within the tool space specifically, and assisting in creating a gas can planogram that will go into effect in stores next year.  

One of my goals this summer was to develop a growth mindset, and in turn do one thing that makes me uncomfortable each day to grow more comfortable in unknown spaces. I am proud to have dedicated myself to this goal by overcoming various challenges. From my first day, when I couldn't find my way back to my desk from a connecting building, to now, where I have been able to say yes to incredibly intimidating (and rewarding) opportunities such as getting coffee with the VP of Merchandising and volunteering at Saddle Up!, I am happy to say that I have grown personally and professionally at least a tiny bit each day.  

As far as technical skills are concerned, I’ve been able to grow very comfortable with using Excel and Power BI software, and have learned how to adapt to workplace culture, habits, and verbiage. Most importantly, I’ve learned so much about myself professionally that I will take with me for the rest of my career. I know that merchandising was the right choice for me, I loved being able to see my work come to life in a way that is tangibly meaningful to the company, and most surprisingly, I discovered that I absolutely love visual merchandising and space planning most out of any other role I was able to shadow (and I was able to shadow a lot of roles, lol).  

The most memorable moment for me was having the opportunity to get to know some of the incredible people at TSC. The company’s commitment to a consistent effort aligning with established mission and values (that we see on our name tags every day) is unheard of. Mission and values are at the forefront of every decision, big or small, and it is so incredibly evident from day one as a new hire at TSC that the customer and the team are the absolute most important things to every employee. My incredible intern cohort was also particularly memorable, as these people inspired me every day.  

If I were to start over and complete my first internship again, I wish I would have believed more strongly that everything truly does happen for a reason. The recruiting process for internship season may have been the most stressful time in my life, and for a moment it felt as though I would end up without an internship at all. For me, everything fell into place exactly as it was intended, and it was so rewarding to be able to recognize that there was nowhere else I should have been but at TSC this summer. Another thing I wish I could've held onto is that no one else knows what they're doing either and saying hi and asking other interns to spend time outside of work, (although it may be terrifying to people like me), can go an incredibly long way. I am a firm believer that if you get just one person in your corner, you can handle anything, and coming into a new office by myself, finding a friend was an incredibly important part of my experience. Another thing I wish I knew, although this may be a hot take, is that if a question were to arise, writing it down, trying to find out the answer on my own, and then asking it after determining that I won't be able to figure it out myself is the best way to learn.  

So, what's next? Well, another highlight during my internship experience was being selected as a semifinalist of NRF’s Next Generation Scholarship, so most of my time nowadays is dedicated towards nailing the next round of applications. Aside from that piece, this internship confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in merchandising, specifically on the visual side, but also allowed me to discover new interests, such as marketing and data analysis. I’m not exactly sure what comes next for me, but if it’s anything like my experience at TSC, I know I'll be okay.