Alyx – The Intern: February 2, 2012
On Tuesday I was given the opportunity to accompany Cynthia to Neiman Marcus’ downtown store where she interviewed Burt Tansky, former group CEO. Mr. Tansky worked as a shoe salesman as a young boy and continued his career in the fashion and merchandising world until his retirement in October 2010. As an aspiring shoe designer I was intrigued to hear what he had to say about why women’s shoes are such a successful market and gain tips on what I can do in the future. Surrounded by tables of beautiful (drool worthy) shoes by Prada, Chanel and my personal icon Manolo Blahnik, just to name a few; I listened as Mr. Tansky spoke about a woman’s “need” to buy shoes. We could have hundreds, even thousands of shoes in our closets and yet we still “need” a new pair, this is because of the effect our shoes have on us. Whether it makes a woman feel sexy, confident, comfortable or revamps an that old little black dress, we use our shoes as (in my opinion) the ultimate accessory. He mentioned the attitude woman have when they’re shopping, then the change that occurs as they step onto a shoe salon floor. As I watched I noticed he was correct; women who walked through had their back a little straighter, held a slower pace and a hint of a smile. Though how could you not smile when seeing Lanvin’s bright colored table or YSL’s sky high stilettos, I know I had moments where I’m convinced time simply stopped. Relying on the designers latest line is what helps drive sales for even the greatest shoe salesman. If the customer doesn’t see anything they like, they’ll just walk on by, but a woman who walks through a shoe floor hopes to find something she “needs.” I’ve stored Mr. Tansky’s thoughts and opinions into my always accepting mind for ideas, knowledge, experience and inspiration, to be used for my future in hopes that one day my shoes will stop time for a shoe-aholic such as myself.
