Meet Anvitha Makineni, H-E-B Merchandising & Procurement Intern
What were you doing in your role?
This summer, I had the chance to be a merchandising and procurement intern alongside a senior buyer in H-E-B’s school/office team. It provided me with a really unique perspective in understanding how the core general merchandise segments of H-E-B coexist with the grocery side of the business. A typical day for me consisted of anything from sitting in on back-to-school product review meetings, interviewing key suppliers, attending leadership panels, and working on my internship projects. My main project was all about creating greater loyalty among the Texas teacher community. Teachers spend a lot of their own money purchasing classroom school supplies, so my job was to identify unique ways to meet teacher needs while also increasing overall category growth. It was a super fun project to take on!
Aside from this project, I also worked on other projects like recommending everyday journal assortments, identifying new buying opportunities, conducting financial analyses of different merchandising techniques, assessing pricing hierarchies, and improving the overall category marketing strategy.
Biggest lesson you learned, or ways you grew from this internship?
Although cliche, the biggest lesson I learned was truly not being afraid to ask questions. I quickly realized that everyone on my team was so welcoming and supportive and wanted nothing but to help me grow. They were receptive to all of my questions and ideas, and everyone had such great insight and experience to share. I also connected with a lot of H-E-B partners outside my direct team to ask questions, and everyone was so open to meeting with me and sharing their unique journey. I would definitely say to leverage your title as intern and learn from as many people as you can!
What did you like most about the internship?
I really enjoyed being a part of H-E-B’s culture and mission. H-E-B has such a huge “People Matter” mindset. Although I heard a lot about this term as I was recruited, it was a completely different experience actually living it. H-E-B truly prioritizes its partners, and everyone carries so much trust, care, and understanding for one another. They also do so much to strengthen Texas communities. From providing grants to outstanding educators to providing large-scale disaster relief resources, I really admired their heart for people.
Anything else you want to point out to other students about your internship experience?
Learn a lot and have fun! The summer will fly by, so get involved with your projects and take every opportunity to meet new people.