Many people have asked me what I do for a living. How often I wasn’t quite sure how to answer their question… A few years ago, I would tell others my title as a Point-of-Sale Merchandising Coordinator and list off some of my duties. I might have said I was a kind of furniture expert, product knowledge specialist, even furniture romance copywriter. Although these latter descriptions seemed more impressive, I still felt as though I was hiding all the action behind the scenes! I make a difference in my workplace; most of my tasks are engaging, inventive and highly creative. Everyday, I could research newly-designed furniture, indulge in a little graphic design, make-up catchy marketing phrases, learn about different furniture styles and the historical significances, challenge myself to improve the quality of my presentations, etc. Whatever I need to better illustrate to others the furniture and options available with products at Decorium, I will create. To describe what I do, nowadays I simply say, “My job is to make furniture shopping easier for everyone!” I hope you just giggled. Honestly though, my job is about actively making things easier, for anyone who looks at my work as a reference. It doesn’t matter whether my audience is sales staff or customers. I treat them the same. Every moment in my workday, I need to be as resourceful, creative and mindful as I can. I need to organize and consider how my work will be thought of and used by others. I have to have access to all details available at all times. I must be precise. I am, afterall, responsible for making sure sales people know what they’re actually selling and customers see exactly what will be coming through their doorway on delivery day. The pictures, catalogue details and romance are what breathe life into the products. Furniture is about expressing lifestyle choices! Yes, I get the benefit of looking at beautifully-designed furniture all day long. However I also have to teach myself all the custom options available with any restrictions on every piece in the store. I may not be responsible for buying the products, but I do have to know all about them, so I can create practical displays others can refer to quickly. With every keystroke, my spelling, pricing, product descriptions, names, absolutely everything has to be perfect. Even something as simple as a typo in the original model number can mean a customer receives a chair instead of a bed. I imagine seeing the happy customer, getting exactly what they wanted! To keep an open mind and heart, I love and respect every collection for their similarities and differences. I believe, if this is what someone is looking for, I should want to help make their dreams a reality. If a customer wants to design their dream bed, mix and match styles, get that deep leather couch they always dreamed of, I want to help make it happen by providing all the custom options available. I recognize my efforts are intended to create a positive difference in their lives. Whatever a customer’s desires may be, I try my utmost to make shopping for that favourite piece of furniture as easy as possible. With so many different styles and products on the markets these days, helping to make that hard-earned decision a little less stressful is really worthwhile. With the two Decorium stores, there is so much variety on display all the time, I’m confident almost anyone can find what they’re looking for. It’s the wide appeal that draws me here and the number of products that certainly keeps my eyes wide awake all day! By Nicole Sutherland, Decorium