Credit: Courtesy of Anna Busi
College is designed to prepare students to be successful in the real world, and one of those success stories now plays a large role at one of the biggest retail and department store companies in the U.S.
Anna Busi, a 2015 graduate of Ohio State, is working her way up in the retail world as an allocations analyst for TJX Companies, Inc, a top American apparel and home goods company. Busi, who works in the Marshalls ladies footwear department, said that although the position is at entry level, it requires a lot of responsibility because of how big the company is and what it does.
“They are a really well-known company in the industry,” she said. “They have a lot of power and buying power.”
Busi, who has been working as an inventory monitor for six months, said that she was most surprised by how influential she was within her department and the company overall.
“It’s humbling, actually, how TJX just throws you into a company and how I have a huge impact on our business and our sales,” she said.
Although she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in fashion retail studies, Busi originally wanted to study international business in Spanish to be a translator. However, after attending a meeting with OSU’s Fashion Production Association, she found her true passion.
“I walked out of that meeting so giddy,” she said. “I just had butterflies, I was literally just so excited … I was like, ‘Well if I am so excited about a student organization, maybe this should be a bigger part of my life.’”
Busi said that she dedicated much of her time to the organization but that she never regretted her decision to switch majors, adding that FPA became her creative outlet. Although she started as a designer, Busi worked her way up through the organization, eventually becoming the president of FPA.
Tiana Ahmed, a current member of FPA, said that Busi was well liked within the organization.
“She was a really good leader in the sense that everyone got along, but she was still willing to put down rules,” said Ahmed, a third-year in marketing.
FPA, which lets students spend time learning about fashion and retail both in a design and business sense, helps its members tap into the real world of fashion. The club seemed to prove helpful for Busi and her resume while applying for jobs.
Garments Busi made while in FPA. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Rudd Photography
“She was our president for two years … obviously that shows great leadership skills, which I’m sure any company would have loved to have her,” Ahmed said.
Busi said working through FPA allowed her to network and gain connections with the many retailers that reside in Columbus. Additionally, she spent her summer internships in Las Vegas working for a company called Zappos and in Boston working for TJX.
“They are two very different companies, but I’m really glad I had both experiences,” Busi said.
When graduation was approaching, Busi said she spent time weighing all her options, and while Columbus had an abundance of retail and fashion opportunities, Busi said that it wasn’t what she wanted in life.
“That’s not quite my personality … I needed to move forward in my life,” she said.
Although Busi said she enjoyed her four years in Columbus, she said she knew her next step in life was Boston and ultimately decided on TJX, stating that the company had everything she wanted.
“They are very loyal to their employees,” she said. “They have a great culture.”
A month after graduation, Busi packed up and permanently moved to Boston to start her new job at TJX. The Cleveland native said that the move was very bittersweet, but she is happy with her choice.
Now Busi’s weeks are spent dealing with millions of dollars in product and merchandise within the company.
“We talk in millions; we don’t talk in hundreds, we don’t talk in thousands, we talk in millions,” Busi said.
Busi said that although there might be good days and bad days, passion is bigger than all of that and is required to fulfil your dreams. While she’s trying to do that, Busi said she hopes to take in and learn everything she can, but in the meantime she’s happy with what she’s doing.
“I find it very cool and humbling and bizarre that I do this,” she said.
