Carolyn Neumann fell in love with fashion in high school. She knew she wanted to do something in that field, but wasn’t quite sure what track she wanted to go into–whether it would be management, business or marketing. “I was thinking ‘I do not want a desk job,’” said Carolyn. “I love to move around on my feet all day and I have a high energy level.” While attending Southern Illinois University, Carolyn convinced the university bookstore to hire her to do visual displays for their store to boost sales. It was a great success and Carolyn worked there for two years. “I did many window displays and I even had people volunteer to do live displays in the windows. It was hilarious and fun!”
Carolyn graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and began to work at Pier One in Chicago doing the visual displays, stocking and working as a cashier. “I stayed there for two years,” said Carolyn. “Then I decided to quit visual display and go into marketing.” Carolyn worked for four years as a supervisor at the Prism Marketing firm.
In 1996, Carolyn became a Visual Display Specialist for Kohl’s department stores where she is employed today. “I change all of the mannequins on a weekly basis to keep the merchandise flowing and to help it sell faster,” Carolyn explained. “I also have to make sure each department has their floor plan set each month with the new merchandise we receive. We get an average of two truck deliveries each week. All the walls and floor racks get changed each month.”
Carolyn travels to other local Kohl’s stores to assist the other Visual Display Specialists when needed. Whenever a new Kohl’s store opens up in the Chicago area, Carolyn helps them prepare for their openings. “I traveled to California a few years ago to help them open their stores when they entered the Kohl’s market for the first time.”
Since she cannot hear the overhead intercom, Carolyn carries a pager that her coworkers use to text her when she’s out on the floor working.
When dealing directly with customers, Carolyn occasionally has difficulty understanding what is said and will seek out another sales associate to be of assistance. “Most of the time, I can understand the customer and help them find what they are looking for. I have had some customer complaints saying that I am stuck up,” Carolyn chuckles. “They do not realize that I am deaf.”
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2 responses to “Carolyn Neumann, Visual Display Specialist”
Carolyn…would you like an Assistant to help out from time to time????? Would love to work with you..visual displays sound wonderful. My background is Interior Design
I would like to get in touch with Carolyn Neumann. I too am deaf/hard of hearing and have a retail background with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Please send me an e-mail.