Job Description - Lululemon

Selling Leggings – A Glimpse into the World of a Lululemon Educator

While living abroad in Australia, I found work at perhaps the most unlikely place for a nerdy jazz pianist. Amazingly, I was hired as an Educator (corporate jargon for sales associate) at Lululemon, a luxury active lifestyle brand with global cult status. Women account for 80% of Lulu’s clientele and yoga wear is the most popular department. Unfortunately, I am not a woman and I do not do yoga. 

At first, I felt quite intimidated by my teammates and guests, most in amazing shape and many popular influencers, personal trainers, or both. But soon I realized that the key to being a good educator is not perfectly fitting the brand image, but working efficiently, knowing about the products, and connecting with guests. Admittedly, the learning curve was steep but once I learned the fundamentals, I found the job to be rewarding and entertaining. 

As mentioned above, the following are my three pillars of success in being a great educator (in order of importance):

• Guest Connection

• Product Knowledge

• Working Efficiently

Guest Connection

By a long shot, the most important aspect of my job was establishing a strong connection with guests. We aren’t selling candy bars or soft drinks (unless you include $50 stainless steel bottles), but rather products that usually cost upwards of $100. While some guests know exactly what they want already and will happily part ways with $500 without speaking to a soul, the majority come in curious, but skeptical and are more reluctant to spend their hard-earned money. Our job is to make our guests feel comfortable in the store and encourage them to see for themselves why our product is great. 

First and foremost, we greet every guest with a smile and let them know that we are here to help. Some guests prefer to be left alone and giving these guests space is important. Often, they will eventually have a question and approach us on their terms. Others enjoy the attention of having a personal shopper and we are always eager to help them find a product that they will love. And of course, we have recurring “fans” who come in to be among others who love the brand and seek out our latest products. 

Sometimes, my interactions are down to business and very related to the product. And other times, I have found myself having conversations about our favorite restaurants in NYC or how annoying the traffic is in Sydney. In all these situations, acting genuine and friendly is most important, and we follow the guests’ journey from entering the store to leaving with something they love.

Product Knowledge

While related to guest connection, holding extensive knowledge of the products we sell is imperative to maintaining Lululemon’s brand image and maintaining a professional environment. If guests are spending $120 on a pair of leggings, we must ensure that we are connecting them with the right match for their needs. 

For example, if a guest runs marathons, a pair of yoga tights may feel soft and comfy in the changing room. But as soon as they break a sweat, their legs will be unsupported, and unable to breathe. Instead, we point them in the direction of running tights that will wick sweat and have a hidden pocket for their phone that keeps it out of the way.

Working Efficiently

While connecting with guests and holding product knowledge are most important for the guest experience, running a high-volume store requires great efficiency behind the scenes. For example, I may have to balance working with multiple guests at once while keeping the changing rooms and sales racks neat. Doing this at a leisurely pace means almost certain failure. Guests will lose interest and leave if they wait for too long, and our store will look unorganized. 

The key to working efficiently is not moving frantically but rather strategizing priorities, knowing the layout of the store, and keeping a calm head. Always, we prioritize the needs of guests, especially if we’re busy, but we still periodically clean out the fitting rooms and clean up eyesores on the floor when we get a spare moment. Knowing the store layout well is important, since finding a product’s home can sometimes take precious minutes if I do not know its place. Keeping a calm head is essential since stress leads to panic and panic leads to mistakes.