Alex Ayers – Life of an Intern at Karin’s Florist – Blog #4
I was bothered and felt defeated. I never thought work would involve playing hide and seek, but here I was playing all the same, and by the way, I wasn’t winning. I was looking for a box of 4102 gathering vases, and if you’re wondering what they look like, I was a bit confused as well.
I was searching the basement trying to find them. I was looking so I could restock the upstairs shelves that the designers pull vases from when they create arrangements. This is meaningful because it increases efficiency if the vases are organized when the designers try to find them. I went to the basement and back upstairs multiple times. Each time I would come up with a different box of vases. When I checked the vases in the box against the ones still on the shelves they usually didn’t match. Back down I would go and the hunt continued. This went on for some time until I got lucky or just ran out of options to choose from.
What this instilled in me is that organization is crucial when running a business. Having things available, easy to find, and systematized in an orderly fashion makes everyone involved better off. From schedules being up to date to delivery routing and making sure everything put in storage can be found easily later, being organized streamlines a business. It allows employees to focus on doing their best work and saves businesses from excess expenses. It also helps prevent employees from getting frustrated like I did.
When I first started, I didn’t see the organizational methods put in place at Karin’s. I later found that the boxes of vases in the basement are put in place in an orderly fashion; I just had to learn the system. I also began to see the thorough event calendars and the structures put in place to make sure every order gets created on time and reaches its destination if it needs to get delivered.
In the past, when I was asked to stock shelves or put away goods, I thought the work was negligible. Now I know that these tasks help lay the foundation for a successful business. Without stocked shelves or organized storage areas everything is made more difficult. I’ve come to see that these jobs are important, and I’m glad I can continue to help improve the function of Karin’s Florist.
Organization is one business lesson I’ve begun to understand while working at Karin’s, and I’m glad that I have the opportunity to learn from such a well-run company. I’m excited to see what other aspects of Karin’s Florist I can come to understand, and I would like to further discover what tasks at Karin’s are extraordinarily important even if I thought they were ordinary at first.
