DATES: May 31 thru June 8, 2008
BUYER: Shyloh C, Buyer – Casual Apparel

May 31, 2008

4:05 AM -Awake at 4am, (barely).
5:30 AM – Packed: CHECK, Laundry: CHECK, Dishes: CHECK, Honey ‘to do list’: CHECK, Children’s caregiver ‘to do list’: CHECK, Hugged and kissed sleeping beauties: CHECK, Loading up car: CHECK
6:31 AM – Inhaled banana BEFORE it was radiated in security. Have a thing about eating
food after it’s gone through X Ray machine.
7:17 AM – About to board when I notice deoderant on my top. Lordy. That’s what happens
when you dress in the dark!! Will have to carry handbag on that side all day!
2:42 PM – Landed in Charlotte. Read some of customer evangelists, and carrot principle and watched the movie 27 dresses (LOVED IT!!)
3:33 PM – Having lunch and catching up on mens sportswear periodicals. Did you know that
Goretex MBT’s are featured in the first pages of GQ for June???
4:32 PM – Sitting in VERY humid airport reading and waiting…......
5:53 PM – Just boarding plane for W Palm Beach. Looking
forward to getting to hotel and seeing the Atlantic!!
8:53 PM – Just landed in W Palm Beach! Wow! It’s green!
9:09 PM – Car service had wrong pickup time, place and person. Finally arrived in hotel
after all was sorted. Starving!!
10:16 PM – Just paid check. Waitress a BIG fan of Zappos. Got her email to send her a
coupon when I get back to the room.
11:00 PM – Forcing myself to go to bed, (8:00 pm West Coast) but doubt it will come easy
after eating the 4 raspberry truffles Lilly Pulitzer left in a basket in my
room!!

June 1, 2008

6:02 AM – 5 hours of sleep is not enough.
7:47 AM – Headed to welcoming breakfast. Of course I purchased.a new Lilly Pulitzer top
from Zappos to wear for the day!! (in photo)
9:39 AM – Just sat through presentation. Owner and President LOVES Tony and referenced his seminars in his Jubilee Launch.
10:50 AM – Lilly is doing a Steinway Piano, Florida Naturals special edition juice box,
new fragrance etc etc!! Good for them!!
11:48 AM – Bought Ponte, square necks, straight legs, wide legs and that darn lurex that won’t
go away and keeps selling!!
12:50 PM – Got them hooked on Twitter. They are coming in for a tour and training. All of
management!!!
2:40 PM – I have never seen so many women in Pink and Green in my life!
3:44 PM – Still entering buy. On 4th cup of coffee -pooped. Jeanne look out. I am going
to beat your record for caffeine (is that possible?)
4:35 PM – STILL writing orders!! On to chocolate now!!
5:51 PM – Finished 5 minutes before driver picked me up for airport. Ran to front door to
catch him.
7:00 PM – Ran to gate. Was too preoccupied with eating and trying to get notes to Andy
for AB class tomorrow!!
9:24 PM – In charlotte -Jumping on next flight. Can’t believe I was at the Breakers in Palm Beach and was never able to stick my feet in the ocean!
11:34 PM – Just landed. Pooped. Will need to catch up on sleep this week as I travel again next weekend for LA market. .

June 2, 2008

12:55 AM – Just got home. Need to authorize payroll but can’t access site. Will get up early to do so!

June 7, 2008

4:00 AM – Up again on a sat at 4:00am. Bad habit
5:00 AM – Loading up on airborne!
6:02 AM – Holding on to hand rail in train while typing into diary. Talent!!
7:06 AM – Just boarded. Nice and quiet. That is the beauty of flying early on a sat morning!!
8:12 AM – Landed in LA at 8:10. Running to the mart downtown for a 9am appt.
9:14 AM – Late for TinT your World thank goodness! Looking at plus lines!!
10:08 AM – Just finished 3 plus lines. A mix of silks, twills, linens and velvets. Looks great!!
11:23 AM – Maternity is into mesh. Looks good! Inhaling lunch before next appt…
2:10 PM – Just worKed Kay celine, Isda and Pure and simple. Animal prints will not give up!!
3:39 PM – Jumping from one to the next. Did lots of burnouts at Allen Allen and now lots
of lace and watercolors at David Cline!!
4:52 PM – Going to do more plus sizes at Vikki Vi!
6:12 PM – Headed in for last appt – maternity. Getting hungry.
8:16 PM – Just finished 4 maternity lines!! Pooped and picked up pizza for dinner.
9:13 PM – Ate, called to say goodnight to kids, and now going to sort through all paperwork and prioritize!

June 8, 2008

7:00 AM – Wake up – shower. Fell asleep at 10:30 with lights on and paperwork all over bed. Oops.
8:00 AM – Call kids and try to do payroll – oops – can’t bc can’t get on wifi without paying
$9.95.
9:00 AM – Shuttled to la mart and had tea. Headed into Jag Jeans appt.
10:00 AM – Looking at new plus tops line – going to wait until late Fall for it. Need to prioritize other lines.
11:00 AM – Bernadette Conte lifestyle looks amazing!! Liquid – metallics- Need more money!!
12:00 PM – Magaschoni – we are going to have shawls, pashminas, and novelty cashmere in
the portfolio this year in yummy colors! Yeah!!
1:00 PM – At xcvi gobbling up super wide legs. Can’t keep them in stock!!
2:00 PM – Reviewing holiday at Scanty pj’s. Dancing reindeer and christmas trees out of
peace signs are adorable!
3:00 PM – Just saw Lindsay Lohans new legging line. Looks a lot like Lindsay Lohan!
4:00 PM – Going to LAX
5:00 PM – Finished organizing all paperwork for Patricia. Will drop off after I land as I
will be flying out in the morning to Dallas.
6:00 PM – Dying for a vanilla soy latte from SB.
7:00 PM- Just about to take off! Guess I should turn my phone off
8:00 PM – Just landed and getting my car. Need to go to Zappos.
9:00 PM – Finished dropping off paperwork for Patricia to work on and headed home.
9:30 PM – Home. Doing a few things on computer than going to bed. Flight to Dallas at 6:00am tomorrow.

Attention! Attention! Read all about it! Zappos is being invaded by robots!

Okay, well maybe we’re not being invaded but we still have them, which is cool nonetheless. If you haven’t heard, Zappos.com is now running the new KIVA system. We are one of the first few companies in the United States to have them in our facility. For those who don’t know what KIVA is exactly, they are multiple robot units that actually bring storage shelves to a team member’s station to be filled with product. They also bring the shelves to a team member who needs to pick a product to be shipped to a customer. Based on the information you enter into the computer about the sizes and type of product you need to put away or pick, the robots bring you the appropriate shelves. Right now there are only a few employees working with them in order to make sure everything runs properly and smoothly. After about a week or so of working with the KIVA system, this is what a couple employees had to say about it:

“Our first day in KIVA was really exciting. We learned what does and doesn’t belong in the pods and which pods to use for specific items. The pods have certain areas for small and large purses/wallets, small shoes, and even designated spots for watches and hats. It makes everything so much more organized and easier to not only put away but also to pick.” – -Suzanne B.

“KIVA definitely makes my job easier. It gets really hot in the warehouse and after a full day of walking back and forth between floors and pushing a cart, you’re ready to fall over. I love the KIVA robots because they do all the work. It not only helps me keep my energy, it lets me keep my same fast pace throughout the whole night.” – Beth W.

Based on the feedback from the employees and the progress of the KIVA system itself, it is believed that our receiving and shipping processes have broke new grounds in getting new products and pleasing the customers. Looks like we even deliver WOW to ourselves. This is just a glimpse of what the future will hold for us at Zappos.com. Keep checking back for more updates about the KIVA system and all the little critters.

All ready to go!

Our very own Chris M. checking out the Picking process.

The beautiful overlook of the robot village.

DATES: June 1 to June 6 ,2008
SHOW: FFANY
LOCATION: New York, NY
BUYER: *Amber R., Assistant Buyer, * Comfort

June 1, 2008

2:20 AM – Waiting to fall asleep. First night in NY. Tomorrow I will get some work done with W Hotel wireless and shop the market.

June 2, 2008

8:00 AM – At the “make sure everyone is alive” breakfast we always have during the week of shows. Eating at the Blue Fin restaurant downstairs of the W Hotel. Here with Galen, Graham, Kathy, Nicole.

10:33 AM – I am in hotel room hooked up to wireless getting a few things done, before I head out this afternoon to “shop the market”. I must admit it is pretty nice working from the 36th floor with a view of Manhattan.

1:54 PM – At Macy’s in NY. This is overwhelming. I had never been in here before. It’s huge, with many endless floors!

3:22 PM – Almost the whole store is on sale. Scary!

5:00 PM – Nicole just called and asked if I wanted to have dinner with her and one of Andrea C.‘s friends who lives in NY and also works as an Apparel rep for Tripp Apparel. We will go out for Sushi at 6:30.

8:00 PM – Sushi was very good and the company was great as well. I am now back at the lounge in the lobby of the W. Hanging out with several Zappos folks from my team, monkey row and Fashion .

June 3, 2008

8:04 AM – I am eating breakfast with the team and Steve Gebhart, before we all head separate ways for our first day of appointments. I have 4 brands today, and they aren’t too far from the W, so minimal walking today. Should be wrapped up by 5:00PM.

9:46 AM – Walking into Warwick Hotel for Aerosoles appt. Galen will be joining me.

11:04 AM – Met with Aerosoles earlier. Line looks good. Looks like huaraches are going to make a comeback next year! We discussed some possible marketing ideas for Aerosoles on 6PM.com.

11:45 PM – Just left Perlina meeting. Such nice people. Can’t wait for the Fall styles to hit. Perlina is doing very well. My senior rep, Yves, hopes someday that Perlina will be the biggest brand on Zappos.

12:45 PM – White Mt. was able to see me 2 hour early and now I have a nice break in schedule to grab some lunch. Met lots of people from White Mt as I was the only account present at the time I was there. Nice group of people, and they all speak very highly of Zappos.

2:35 PM – Organizing folders for my appointments tomorrow and Thursday. I have one appt left today with Duck Head at 4:00.

4:10 PM – Finished up with Duck Head short and sweet. Women’s Spring looks great.They are doing lots with color. I have been way ahead of schedule all day and gotten in and out of appointments early all day. Love when that happens! Tomorrow will be a bit harder to stay on schedule as I’m meeting with some big brands from my portfolio.

9:20 PM – Just finishing up dinner with Born at Mesa Grill. Large group of us including Tom McClaskie. Great food, wine, the best white peach margarita I’ve ever had! We are so blessed to “live the good life”.

June 4, 2008

7:39 AM – Day off to a great start. I have the giggles this morning. I am in the cab with Jeanne and Galen on our way to meet with the Clarks family. Have a big day today. Born, Ugg , Merrell , and Ecco . I will probably skip Merrell and Ecco to go back to hotel and get some work done on laptop.

11:00 AM – Met with Clarks/ Privo / Indigo first thing this morning. Clarks line looks great. They know who their customer is and update in their own ways, while keeping up with current trends.

11:24 AM – About to meet with Born.

1:00 PM – Met with Born and watched fashion show for Interim into Spring 09. Line looks great as usual, and they are trying a few things no one has thought of yet. Love my Born reps. They are awesome! The are using many shoes with a “Carrie Bradshaw” type flower on the top.

9:16 PM – Sushi Samba was some of the best food I’ve ever had! Having a great time in NY. Ate dinner with White Mt. crew. My White Mt rep took her first Sake Bomb, it was awesome and she was a natural champ. Go Marianne! After Sushi Samba, headed over to an Irish Pub style place and saw the Deer Stags rep Danny’s family perform in their band. Lots of fun, but it was ending right as we arrived. Headed back to W to check out the lounge. Late night!

June 5, 2008

7:42 AM – Last night was such a fun time at Sushi Samba with White Mt. Delicious food and great company. Then ended up running into Eric and his Steve Madden reps who we had a few drinks with. This afternoon, I am off to the Piers for my last appt of the show with Eastland. Clarks dinner tonight. Can’t wait!

11:00 AM – Just finished up a revision of my Privo and Timberland Outdoor plan. Thank you Caron for giving us the last chance.

3:55 PM – So I am at the Piers. Finished up with Eastland . Women’s Spring looks great and I can’t wait for the styles to hit the site. Men’s was interesting as they are taking more of an urban approach. The shoes looked good. Very nice distressed leathers. I’m outside Dansko booth, waiting for Jeanne, Dave, and Galen to finish up, so we can share a cab back to W.

5:17 PM – Back at hotel, getting a head start on packing for return flight tomorrow afternoon. Heading to Porterhouse for dinner with Clarks at 7:00.

7:16 PM – At Porterhouse restaurant in Time Warner building. Dave and I took an interesting picture with a statue. I have to give it to Graham for the blog! Also, very humid outside right now. I am not into the humidity!

10:00 PM – Dinner with Clarks tonight was amazing, but the coldest restaurant I have ever been in!

11:53 PM – All packed up and ready to go bag home tomorrow. Having a hard time falling asleep. Don’t know why, considering I haven’t had much sleep at all throughout the week. All in all, the trip was a great success and I look forward to receiving many new styles from my brands when they hit the site late fall and Spring 09!

June 6, 2008

10:18 AM – On my way to JFK for return flight to Vegas. Sharing a cab with Eileen and Graham. Glad the show is over, because it is a bit chilly today and starting to drizzle. All in all, the weather held up great all week. Certainly very muggy though! Makes me appreciate the dry heat we are about to enter for a hot Vegas summer. Busy week next week, from catching up on work after FFANY. Good bye New York, see you in December!

I had the pleasure of interviewing the woman that started it all for us in photo department recently… before a very tearful goodbye as her and her family move to another state to better their lives and leave their loving Zappos family behind. I won’t go on because we are so passionate about her that a few people in our department are writing about her and our hawiian style farewell… but here are some of her final words about her life here at Zappos, how much Zappos has meant to her and her advice to all of us in the future.

Steph, if you are reading, you will be happy to see that I did not include the part about your nasty toe fungus ((wink)) LOVE YOU!! And promise us that you always follow your yellow brick road, for it is only there, that you will find your Emerald City.

****************************************
-How has Zappos changed you as a person?

I’ve grown up at Zappos, from 22 years to now 28. I have been through everything, deaths, marriage, and the birth of my two children. I used to work in health care with elderly terminally ill patients and being here has given me the other side of the spectrum. People here are positive, uplifting and look forward to their futures. Being here has helped me really learn how to communicate with people on their own levels, not just in my own way of communicating. I’ve also learned what it is like to have a really great job. I know now what to expect in a company and what my needs are for myself to be happy.

-What was your most memorable time at Zappos?

Probably life in W1, at the very beginning of my career here. It was my first warehouse job ever and things were very crazy. We didn’t have HR in KY yet and there was very little management. We would go out to lunch every day and had a lot of out of the ordinary fun times.

I will always remember and take with me the constant passion that occurs at Zappos that I call the “Zappos high”. I will take that with me wherever I go.

-What was it like shaving your head 3 years ago for the “bald and blue” tradition, and would you do it again?

It was LIBERATING! And yes I would do it again. I felt like it proved my dedication and love to Zappos.

-I hear you are quite gullible? Tell me about this…

Well, I guess I eavesdrop a little sometimes, I have big ears or something, but I would hear other people’s conversations while I was shooting and sometimes I would jump in the middle of them without being invited. I guess sometimes I wasn’t listening as well as I thought and had confused some of the information, then some of the photographers would joke about what I had thought I heard and really had me going a few times. I even believed a couple of photographers were going to get a house together and all kinds of crazy stuff. I totally believed them!

-What will you miss most about working at Zappos?

The relationships with people I have made here. I want to keep Zappos as a big part of my life somehow for years to come. I will miss the exciting changes and new adventures with new products and company development.

-What is something weird about you that not many people know?

I would always park pretty far away in the parking lot in the mornings so I would have time to self-motivate on the way into work. I would honestly think about the core values and try to make a plan on how to use them that day and leave everything else behind.

And because of how often this has come up in the photo department, I am very aware of how often I blink my eyes. So many people have commented over the years that I seem to stare at them or I weird people out when I talk to them so I try to look around so no one thinks I am trying to burn a hole in their head. /sites/default/files/blogs/emoticons/wink.gif

-Do you have any advice for the newcomers on the team?

Break out of the mold as soon as you step in the door. Be ready to become something new, go with the flow, and HAVE FUN!

****************************************

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts – and KEEP IN TOUCH!!

DATES: June 1 to June 6 ,2008

SHOW: FFANY

*LOCATION: New
York, NY*

BUYER: Jennifer M., Assistant Buyer, Salon

Sunday, June 1, 2008

8:00am – Waking up to finish packing for 11:20am flight to NY, realizing that I can only check ONE bag foran entire week of work, knowing NY is never predictable weather.

10:45am – Arrived at airport, tons of people all hung over going home from a long weekend in
Vegas…love it!

12:30pm – Signing Jonathan’s fashion book, racking my brain for about an hour as to what where and who aboutmy opinions of fashion, fun

7:30pm – We land at JFK and as we wait for our bags… Leemarie’s still isn’t showing it’s face…she starts to panic, can you imagine an entire week of work appointments without any of your clothes, hair products, contact solution!

8:00pm – Looking at the cab line, no way! It’s like a 2 hour wait so we decide to take up this guy on a car service as he promises 15-20 minutes.

9:00pm – finally getting into the car! Haha, 15-20 minutes translated is 45 to 60!

10:00pm – Just pulling up to W Hotel, STARVING! Check in, grab handbag, start searching for food.

10:45pm – Find South African place called XaiXai randomly on 9th and 51st. Very quaint, wine, tapas… a great way to say hello to NY before a crazy week!

12:00am – noticing a man with a stroller passing the restaurant on the opposite side of the street going right with black bag in stroller, left without, right with…weird…

1:00am – Time for bed, long day of trend shopping and appointments tomorrow.

*Monday, June 2, 2008*
8:00am – Wake up, shower, grab banana and hit the streets for some shopping before my appointments in the afternoon!

9:15am – Grabbing a bagel from café next door…ahh NY bagels, can’t beat them!

10:30am – 5th Avenue trend shopping! Saks, Fendi, Gucci, Bergdorf, then off to Barneys! All the while wondering if I’ll ever be lucky enough to live in this crazy vibrant city…comfortably!

1:30pm – Meet Jessica at hotel to grab a cab to Lacoste belts appointment on 35th.

2:00pm – View the holiday and review the fall line with my rep. It looks great! The croc definitely sells!

3:00pm – Finish early so head back to hotel to freshen up and grab next appointment’s business reviews.

3:30pm -Next to Beverly Feldman! We’re going to pick the Zappos Life shoe for holiday drop! Already setting dates for WSA in July…drinks of course!

6:30pm – On our way to Trump tower, we end up at the wrong one! I had no idea how many towers this man owns! Finally get there meeting an old friend at Trump tower on 57th for our
traditional glass of champagne as we overlook central park…I’ve never seen NY in June, amazing! We were so lucky to get a great weather day!!

8:00pm – East village for some awesome French food, had steak tartar and wine – great conversation.

9:30pm – Heading back to the hotel to check emails from today.

2:00am – Finally getting to sleep after finishing emails and reviewing business for appointments starting at 9am.

*Tuesday, June 3, 2008*
8:35am – Walking to Hilton Hotel for first part of the day. After getting our badges we head to the room which Bivel and One of 2 are showing…door closed, tons of workers in hallways still cleaning rooms. Hmmm….ok?

9:15am- Head to next appointment, will come back to closed door…get to Pura Lopez, looks
amazing! Such a gorgeous collection!

10:00am – Headed back to first room, see reps in hallway, they tell me that they were there at 8am! Lesson of the day, knock on the door!

11:30am – Time to eat something. Grabbed a flat bread at a little café on 57th between 5th and 6th called Mangia, killing time checking Blackberry emails before 12:30pm appointment – so loud here with sirens going off every moment!

12:30pm – Icon collection, met new rep.

1:30pm – New line that will launch spring, looks amazing! Also got a chance to catch up with an old friend!

3:00pm – Walking to catch last cab of the day to Hunter Boots appointment and we run into a guy in a pin-striped, short-sleeved silk number with head phones a thick neck and sunglasses
(although it was overcast)! Laugh of the day.

4:00pm – Hunter appointment, which goes great! Met a ton of new people on their end, I love meeting new people!

7:00pm – Drink with Terra and Leemarie at bar in W – the Livingroom!

7:30pm – Had a few with a rep.

11:30pm – Came home, called for 2 wake up calls starting at 5:30am (what was I thinking?!?) And breakfast at 6am.

*Wednesday, June 4, 2008*
5:30am – Wakeup call.

8:30am- Meet everyone for Lacoste Footwear appointment at 9am.

9:30am- Tell Lacoste about a project we’re doing this fall, definitely interested! Oh, and the product looked fantastic! Great colors, right on trend!

11:30am- Camuto group, starting with BCBGMAXAZRIA on to Jessica Simpson, Vince Camuto and then BCBGirls…what a day!!!

3:30pm – Off to Soho! The best part of Manhattan to me, so much character! View the
Coclico line, finally grab lunch at this great French cafe, Gitane, head to Jeffery’s then back to hotel before last minute dinner.

5:45pm – Freshening up and checking emails before grabbing a bite to eat at Rosa Mexicano, this is where my picture was taken! I was dared half way through dinner to take an entire mini spoonful of jalapenos! So of course I did it!

10:30pm – Dancing at Hudson Hotel! Great scene! 4 rooms, each with a different vibe.

1:30am- Home for last minute review of Thursday’s appointments.

*Thursday, June, 2008*
8:30am – Got a chance to sleep in a bit!

10:00am – First appointment with Cynthia Vincent Footwear, LOVE.

11:30am – Jaime Mascaro, new showroom, looks awesome! Another great view, rep even ordered pizza, first time all week with some NY style pizza, HUGE pieces, so delish!

1:30pm – Off to the Hilton, going to see KorkEase and talk about resort and fall.

2:30pm – Killing time, ran into Sabon, awesome soap place, great bath scrubs! Check it out!

3:30pm – New brand view, then to Bliss to check out some more product.

4:00pm – On way home, stop in Henri Bendel and a couple other shops, tons of people out today, lots of group tours. Decked out in the headphones and all!

5:30pm- On way home called Dad to check in, ended up talking my ear off! Walked right down diamond lane (as I call it!) with people yelling at you to buy some black market jewelry!

7:00pm – Met colleague and his rep for a drink and dinner. We ended up going to a Chinese place because we were starving before we could get in at Freeman (amazing place)!!!

9:00pm – I ordered trout and received the whole fish cooked…eyeball and everything! So tasty!

10:30pm- Rivington Hotel for a new scene.great music!12:00am- Forbidden City in East Village.

2:00am – Grabbed a cab back to hotel, thinking of checking out Whisky Bar/club below the W.

2:45am – Decided to hit the hay! Have to get up early and pack before flight tomorrow!

Friday, June 6, 2008
9:30am – Did not want to get up…started packing.

12:30pm – Caught cab to airport, you never know what the traffic is going to be like! Especially on Friday!

1:20pm – Arrive at Jet Blue terminal, printed boarding pass, headed through security and towards a sports bar.

2:00pm – Had at least 20 minutes before we boarded, ordered, then as food gets here they announce LAST CALL TO BOARD FLIGHT 257 to LAS VEGAS!

5:35pm PST- Ahhh I’m home, and slept almost the whole flight, minus some crazy people all excited to get to Vegas, and some scary meatheads on the plane who decided they were too cool to take off their sunglasses…oh wait, the plane was pretty bright, it could be validated!

6:15pm – Robin, a gem, picks us up from the airport and the end is finally here…time to sleep and catch up from the week away.

Dates: May 27, 2008 to May 28, 2008

Brand: Two Lips

Location: Los Angeles

Buyer: Meghan B. Assistant Buyer, Fashion

May 27, 2008

5:24 AM – Rise and Shine! It is way too early to be awake after
Memorial Day festivities, but no time to press the snooze this morning. I
better make a big cup of coffee to sip on while I watch the news and check
email via Blackberry.

6:30 AM – At the gym. Today is a weight lifting day. I like
weight lifting days because after lifting I get to drink a protein shake, and
they are yummy!

7:36 AM – Chocolate protein shake! Mmmm!!

8:45 AM – Got ready for work and packed for a night in LA in
less than an hour. Hope I didn’t forget anything! I’m going to have to hit up
Starbucks on my way to the office for the caffeine fix I need to really focus
on my emails before heading to the airport. Should be a good day though…
Elisa (one of the Assistant Buyers on my team) and I are going to LA to meet
with one of her brands… We are going to work the line and checkout their
showroom and production facilities. But first, a tall skinny caramel latte with
no foam, please!!

10:30 AM – Still trying to clean out my inbox. Only 170
emails left to answer. In between emails, I’m also working with Elisa on the
search engine terms for her portfolio.

11:30 AM – Process Efficiency Committee meeting! Zappos is
focusing on improving the efficiency of our processes this year and I am on the committee. We gatherideas from the merchandising department and meet once a month to select the
winning idea. The winner is “clocked” with the ‘Do More with Less
Time’ award and receives a $50 prize. One small change that saves 5 minutes a
day adds up to 1825 minutes saved a year… That’s 30 hours per employee and
considering we have about 250 in merchandising, that’s 7,500 hours saved!! It’s
neat to see how the small changes we implement add up to something really
significant.

1:00 PM – Headed to the airport. I really could have used
another 10hrs in the office today, but I’m going to miss my flight if I stay
any longer. I will have to continue answering emails from my Phone and
work on my laptop at the airport. Wireless cards ROCK and help me work from
everywhere!!

1:30 PM – Settled in with my laptop at the airport. Flight
was delayed a half hour which is usually annoying, but today I am happy because
it gives me more time with my emails! Sooooo many emails! Elisa just went to
get coffee, but I decided to pass so I can sit still on the plane… I’ve already
had a lot of caffeine today!

1:45 PM – Elisa just suggested we get Zappos tattooed on our
butts while we are in LA! I heart Zappos, but that’s weird! I think someone must
have spiked her coffee while she was gone! Back to email!

2:30 PM – Just boarded the plane. I was hoping to catch up
on my reading during the flight but just realized I took “The Carrot
Principle” out of my handbag and forgot to put it back in! Guess I will
read Footwear News and celebrity trash gossip magazines instead. (Gossip magazines
are great for fashion trends research plus oh so entertaining! BONUS!)

4:00 PM – Just got picked up at the Burbank airport by our reps from Two Lips. Going to go trend shopping for a while this afternoon. I try to always spend time shopping the markets when I travel.

5:00 PM – Traffic too bad so unable to go shopping. At “Gladstones” on the beach in Malibu for appetizers and drinks instead. The ocean is amazing! One thing I miss about living in Vegas is seeing water.

7:08 PM – Just convinced our Two Lips reps to sign up for a twitter account after seeing Skechers president Michael Greenburg with bunny ears via Tony’s (@zappos) twit pic! Off to meet Two Lips president, Chahe, for dinner at an Armenian restaurant. I’ve never eaten Armenian cuisine so I’m very curious.

9:50 PM – Just finished dinner. It was absolutely delicious and the conversation was great. We ate, talked business and smoked a hookah.
Dinner is a fun way to get to know and build relationships with our vendors. Now we are going to check in the hotel. I am so exhausted. I can’t wait to shut myself away in my room, work on some more emails and then go to bed!

May 28, 2008

6:30 AM – Time for my morning ritual of watching the news
and reading emails on my blackberry in bed. Decided to skip the gym portion of
my routine this morning. I’m still sleepy!

9:40 AM – Just got to the factory and we are taking a tour.
It is soo amazing watching all of the samples be constructed by hand and seeing
how all the pieces come together. The craftsmanship involved is incredible.
Shoemaking is certainly a lost art in America… Well, almost everywhere
but here that is!

11:00 AM – Viewing samples from the new Two Lips collection. There are some very exciting things in the works! An upcoming style that I particularly liked was a pair of woven rider boots that we ordered for Zappos for October. Chahe, the owner and president of Two Lips, told me that it takes 11 and 1 /2 feet of leather to make one pair of these boots! Chahe is a very hands-on Owner/President and actually makes all of the initial prototype shoes himself. He travels around the world for inspiration and to source materials and then gets hard to work in his LA studio designing, cutting leather, stitching uppers, gluing soles, etc. You should see the rows and rows of materials; beautiful bright leathers, funky patterned fabrics, rolls of raffia and linen for sandals, jeweled ornamentations, and so much more. It would be very fun to
be turned loose in his factory and let the creative design juices flow!!

12:00 PM – Checking out all the latest trends and upcoming styles is the fun part of our job, but now its time to get down to the nitty gritty of our business. Elisa reviews numbers and selling with our reps and we talk about current business trends. Numbers, numbers, numbers…. More than half of what we do on a regular day is crunch numbers… But it’s a necessary evils and part of what makes days like this so fun!

12:30 PM – Meeting is done and we’ve had a very successful trip. Not only did we get to have a great time and see what’s new, but we accomplished all of our business objectives, wrote boot orders for fall and learned a lot about the art of shoe construction.

1:00 PM – Rushing to the airport so we don’t miss our flight. Lucky for us we are carrying on so don’t have to be at the airport an hour in advance to get our luggage checked in. My fingers are crossed that security is a breeze!

2:00 PM – Just boarded flight back to Vegas. I really
enjoyed the trip, but fun’s over; now its time to focus on the 2009 Q1 plans my inventory analyst emailed over. I downloaded them onto my desktop so hopefully I can finish them
during the flight.

3:20 PM – Just landed back in Vegas. Didn’t get as much work done on the plane as I would have liked because it was super turbulent… So much so that Elisa almost had to use the little white bag! Traveling is fun, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the office and catching up on all of the daily grind.

Welcome to the first posting of a new blog series from Zappos.com and the Merchandising Department. The series, titled: Buyer’s Diary, will give readers a glimpse into the life of a buyer at Zappos.com.

Each buyer profiled has volunteered to jot down exactly what they’re doing and thinking as often as they can throughout the course of a buying trip.

This week, Eric Y., an Assistant Buyer on our Fashion team travels to sunny L.A. to visit Diesel.

Dates: May 19, 2008 to May 20, 2008
Brand: Diesel – Holiday/Pre-Spring Buyer
Location: Los Angeles
Buyer: Eric Y.

May 19, 2008

4:00 AM – Woke Up. Monday’s are usually rough but 4am came way too soon! Heading to L.A. with Scott J. to
meet with Diesel.

5:00 AM – Just arrived at the McCarran Intl. Airport, surprisingly it is extremely crowded. Thankfully, I am carrying my luggage on so all I had to do was print my boarding pass.

6:00 AM – Emergency exit row = more leg room. Flight taking off.

6:50 AM – Just enough time to down a glass of OJ, Landed at LAX.

7:00 AM – In a cab, lap top open and wireless card in.

7:30 AM – Traffic was minimal, checked into Standard Downtown.

8:00 AM – Grabbing a quick breakfast at the Café.

8:30 AM – Sitting through traffic on the way to the Diesel showroom on Robertson.

9:00 AM – Waiting in the Lobby of Diesel, meeting women’s Rep to view Women’s Apparel.

10:00 AM – Deep into Women’s clothing. The Holiday/Pre-Spring line looks amazing! With some bright pieces that will have you craving warm weather.

11:00 AM – Moved onto Women’s Denim and accessories- belts and hats. Drinking a Red Bull.

12:00 PM – Now meeting with the Hand Bag Rep. Viewing the Men’s and Women’s bags and small leather goods.

1:00 PM – Lunch is delivered to the showroom. Take a break to eat and chat.

1:30 PM – Start viewing Resort swimwear for Men.

2:00 PM – More banana hammocks and board shorts…

3:00 PM – Now looking at the sleepwear and men’s underwear.

4:00 PM – Leaving Diesel. Walking down Robertson, checking out trends, trying to catch a cab.

4:50 PM – Arrive back at The Standard.

5:00 PM – Call the office to check in with my Merchandise Assistant, get the 411 on what’s happening in the office, catching up on e-mails in the room on laptop.

6:00 PM – Take a 20 minute power nap.

7:00 PM – Met Mikey (Taryn Rose Rep) – Roof top at the Standard for cocktails before dinner.

8:00 PM – Still at the bar enjoying drinks and great people watching.

9:00 PM –Just got to Little Tokyo for a Sushi Dinner. I think we ordered more Saki then we did Sushi.

10:00 PM – Green Tea Ice Cream- the perfect ending to an amazing dinner.

11:00 PM – Back at the Standard and calling it a night…long day!

May 20, 2008

7:00 AM – Wake Up Call

8:00 AM – Finally woke up, packing, getting ready.

8:30 AM – Crazy traffic today. Trying to hack away at some e-mails on my BlackBerry.

9:00 AM – Arrived at Diesel. Working Men’s Apparel.

10:00 AM – Just sifted through sample’s (majority tops, T-shits, jackets, wovens, hoodies, ect.) now detailing color ways and delivery dates.

11:00 AM – Still detailing men’s.

12:00 PM – Working Men’s Denim. Awesome treatments!

1:00 PM – Working Women’s intimates and resort bathing suits.

2:30 PM – Finished up Diesel Holiday/Pre-Spring Buy.

3:00 PM – Came to Mexican Restaurant to eat prior to our flight.

3:45 PM – On the way to LAX.

4:00 PM – Arrived at the airport, working on laptop before flight.

5:00 PM – Flight taking off – have my own row, am exhausted.

6:00 PM – Landed back in Las Vegas!

Today in C-Life, we interviewed a woman named Melissa. When asked the most facinating thing about her, she explained that she could sing a song with all fifty states. She then agreed to let us film it and post it. Thanks, Melissa for being such a great sport!