Zappos VCC Andrew with Nick Stagge, Global Training Manager for Skullcandy

Z: What was the most fun part about working with Nick?

A: There were a lot of cool things about working with Nick. Mainly it didn’t even feel like I was working with someone I just met. Nick reminded me of a bunch of my friends, so it just felt like we were just kicking it with one of my homies!

Z:  What was your favorite feature he highlighted?
 

A: We learned a lot from him just going over some of the technology.  Mic 1 and Mic 3 tech was cool.  Skullcandy has the new Fix’d headphones coming out and to see him demonstrate how good they stay in the ear was cool. He hung some pretty heavy boxes from his ears. Pretty tight.

Z:  What was the most interesting tip he gave you about presentation?

A: The sense of just being yourself while explaining the headphones.  You start to learn from just seeing the product in your hands after he's explained what the thought process was going into making the certain model headphones.

Z:  Where did you take Nick while he was here?

A. He decided to leave a lasting impression on us by kicking a hole in to the wall. He did make a pretty sweet “Z” shot though. After work we ended up shooting around on the basketball court for a bit while we waited on traffic to die down. After ballin, we headed downtown [Louisville] to eat at Doc Crows. The food was great and the converstations were even better. While everyone got beer and or sodas, I proceeded to get the manliest drink ever--the Shirley Temple.

Here at Zappos, we love our vendors!

The KY Content team was especially lucky when Jose Andrade, Visual Coordinator-America for Vivienne Westwood, stopped by to share some knowledge with the team.  Check out what Zappos Stylist Gar-Ye had to say about her day of Pursuing Growth and Learning with Jose!
 
Z: What was the most fun part about working with the Jose from Vivienne?
G: Typically when shooting inventory I will pair the new item with a non-inventory piece (basics that we have in the bays all the time).  In anticipation of Jose’s visit, we pulled all of our Vivienne Westwood inventory, new and old, to have a special shoot where he demonstrated how he styles the items with other pieces in the collection.  His best advice:  Always pair the pieces with the unexpected.  A top may look really dressy, but it’s meant to be worn with jeans; or, try wearing two different plaids together!

Z: What was your favorite piece he highlighted?
G: I’m partial to dresses, so I really love Vivienne’s Temperance dress.  It is so simple in color, and is simple in design, but the construction/draping of the dress is extremely complicated.  There are so many ways to interpret where the fabric should be tied in a knot or loose and flowing.

Z: What was the most interesting tip he gave you about styling/presentation?
G: Vivienne Westwood pieces tend to have a lot of folds and tucks in them, so often times when pieces come in, it looks like it has flaps all over it.  He showed us a simple way to figure these flaps out.

Z: If you dressed Vivienne Westwood for Halloween, what costume would you put her in?
G: I would dress her up as the Queen of Hearts from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland!  Vivienne Westwood has that awesome red hair and attitude (in terms of spunk) to match.  Or go completely in the opposite direction and make her the quintessential Stepford wife just because it's not her at all.

Z: Where did you take Jose while he was here in Kentucky?
G: We took him to Ramsi’s Café on the World for dinner and drinks.  He had duck mole and a glass of wine!  YUM YUM YUM!

In typical zashion, members of both the Zappos Kentucky and Las Vegas families were on hand on May 12^th to applaud our amazing vendors. In the morning, the visitors had the opportunity to tour the one-of-a-kind Fulfillment Center in Shepherdsville, KY, observing how the Zappos machine works from the inside, out.  Then, just as the sun rose to its peak in the afternoon sky, Zappos turned up the heat!

No trip to Kentucky is complete without a journey to historic Churchill Downs. After loading up the buses, our favorite shoe, apparel, and houseware reps headed to the site of the “best two minutes in sports”.  Never missing a chance to show why Zappos is one of Fortune 100’s Best Places to Work, 10 tables were also reserved for employees who assisted with the 2011 Vendor Fair in the high-class Skye Terrace, complete with a full buffet and open bar.  Tony Heish and company sponsored the sixth race of the day and celebrated up on Millionaires Row and in the Winner’s Circle.

With the Delivering Happiness bus parked out front, the mood in Suite 5 was elated and excited, enjoying time away from packaging and prepping in style. While not everyone won money at the races, the entire afternoon received an awesome review.

The night continued on to Fourth Street Live in Downtown Louisville, where the pubs weren’t the only thing crawling…

Throughout the year our merchandising team works hard to have good relationships with all of our vendors, and the vendors we have are really great to work with. With the Holiday season here, everyone is celebrating and in a giving mood.

This week, Steve P. from Dansko stopped by to thank our comfort team for a great year and all their hard work. He brought them what they call the “booze barrel”, filled with all their favorite alcohol. Thank you Steve, we appreciate all you and Dansko do for us!

This year for our running expo we had several Athletic Performance vendors visit and inform our team members about their new styles for Spring and Summer. Our friends from Brooks Running had a shoe lacing competition where the winner scored free airline tickets! Check out the video for a peek inside what a Zappos Expo is all about.