First USA World of JLo Shop Opens at Marshall Field's, Chicago

Actress/singer/dancer and now fashion designer Jennifer Lopez opened the first World of JLo Shop in the United States at Marshall Field's on State Street in Chicago in September of 2005. This launch coincided with a charitable fundraiser for Children's Memorial Hospital.

This bit appeared in Fashion Focus Chicago:

FIRST EVER WORLD OF JLO SHOP AND JENNIFER LOPEZ PUBLIC APPEARANCE
Marshall Field's State Street
111 North State Street
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Join Marshall Field’s and the Medical Research Junior Board Foundation for the exclusive Chicago launch of the JLO by Jennifer Lopez and Sweetface collections at a charity fashion show and reception with Jennifer Lopez. Ticket proceeds will benefit pediatric medical research initiatives at Children’s Memorial Hospital. Tickets are $100. To purchase tickets and RSVP, please call (773) 880-4268 by September 21.


JLo made a public appearance at Marshall Field's for the event, welcomed by a throng of enthusiastic fans crowding three floors.



Afterward, a fundraising dinner and fashion show took place on the 9th Floor of the Marshall Field's Flagship Store, 111 N. State Street.

SOURCES: Chicago Fashion Magazine, Factio Magazine, Fashion Focus Chicago, BellaLopez.com

Training Employees How To Offer the Marshall Field's Charge Card

A Marshall Field's charge card of more recent times

[According to various reports, Marshall Field & Company was the first business to offer revolving credit. This may have actually started with independent Chicago businessman Potter Palmer, prior to Palmer's partnership with Marshall Field and Levi Leiter to form Field, Palmer & Leiter, which eventually became Marshall Field & Company.]

New employees of Marshall Field's were given excellent training as regarded offering the Marshall Field's Charge Card to guests who didn't already have one, as well as asking current cardholders if they would like to use their Marshall Field's Charge to pay for their purchases. Because some employees might be shy in asking, they were trained as to all of the benefits which would be extended to the guests as a result, making it much easier to present the offer in a very customer-friendly manner. While the details of such benefits will be covered in a future post, a brief synopsis of the training will be given here.

Pictured below are the pages of a handy fold-out given to employees, with the easily memorable catchphrase, Ask Today Your Way. This approach took into account the fact that each employee had his/her own distinct personality, conversational style, and unique relationship with the guest(s). Employees could "be themselves" and remain personable using this more natural and preferable method rather than resort to using robotic, mechanical, and impersonal hard-sell tactics.