Buying and Merchandising Placement Review

This Placement Scheme is a great way to start your career in the retail industry. As it is a combined Merchandising and Buying placement it means that you get full exposure of how the company works and provides you will amazing skills for the rest of your career.

At TJX Europe everyone is approachable, there is no hierarchy defining each persons importance - this was on of the things that surprised me the most when I started as I could have conversations with anyone in the company and feel like my opinions were really heard and taken on board. Everybody especially values new ideas and so coming in as a placement is regarded as a real asset for the teams.

Throughout my placement I had weekly 1 to 1 catch ups with my line manager which meant that we could talk about my progress and any areas I felt I needed to improve on and would need help on. This was really beneficial as it meant that my performance was continually tracked and I knew exactly what I needed to work on. Feedback is really appreciated at TJX, you will constantly be given feedback and asked to give feedback. This is so important as it means that everyone is confident about what they are really good at and that others notice this and also highlights those areas that you may need to improve on.

The workload was really good throughout my placement. When I first started we were going straight into Christmas peak time and so the first few months were intense, but it meant that I was able to pick up and learn really quickly. You are always working in your team though and they will always be willing to help out if you ever feel overwhelmed by your workload. There's always someone to help!

From day 1 on your department you are given ownership of your responsibilities and workload which is great as the beat way to learn is doing it, and making mistakes along the way will make you even better at your job! Before we were put onto our departments we had 8 weeks of training which was amazing and meant that we were already confident when we were put onto our departments full time.

I have just started my final year at university and already I can tell how much knowledge I have developed. It is great for group work as we have all had different experiences and so we are all bringing together ideas from our placements.

Everyone is very friendly and there is an open door policy which ensures everyone feels confident to talk to anyone, which is great as a new starter. There is always room for a little bit of fun and everyone is very chatty, which helps you get through Mondays!

The organisation was great. You are first given 8 weeks of training, which is the exact same as the Graduate Scheme. Then you go on to work on your department within Merchandising for 6 months and then Buying for the remainder of the time.

As mentioned, there is an 8 week training programme in which the trainers always ensure you are getting on well and understand what's going on, if there are any problems then you can set up to work with other people around the business or anyone on your department to ensure you fully understand all aspects of your role.

The development and growth opportunities at TJX are great. I am currently working for them part time and I am retuning to Merchandising after I finish my degree.

As part of the placement scheme you are invited to placement socials which are always fun! There are 3 throughout the year.

I decided to live in South London and commute daily.

Never experienced it myself, there are a few clubs and plenty of bars.

There is a weekly running club that you can join. Around Christmas and Comic Relief there are tonnes of activities that you can get involved in.