A Day in the Life of an Independent Shop: Y.O.U Oxford
Spring is a super fun time to work in retail, especially when the shop in question is our friendly, feel-good store in the Oxford Covered Market. In this week’s blog, I’m taking you along with me for a day in the life at our independent shop, to offer a sneak peek into what it’s like working for an ethical fashion brand…
A Day in our Sustainable Shop
10AM It’s a short cycle into the city centre, where I’ll park my bike up and head through the Oxford Covered Market to unlock our lovely shop. After turning the lights on, teeing up some tunes, and turning around the sign, it’s time to open!
10:30AM First things first, I’ll make sure our organic cotton underwear is looking neat and tidy on the shop floor. Part of this is checking we’ve got all our sizes out on display, so that a visit to Y.O.U is always an accessible shopping experience for all bodies. We hope that our range of sizes from UK 6-22 reflects our commitment to inclusivity.
SHOP OUR ORGANIC COTTON UNDERWEAR
11AM I’ll then do a little walk around the shop to check if any Marketplace products need restocking. Our Marketplace brands are all carefully chosen, resulting in a curated collection of brands which align with our values and have their own story to tell. Many of these brands are local, and they are all mission focused, passionate about protecting their workers and the environment, and using their business to give back. Here are some of my current favourites…🤫
These lip balms by Neve’s Bees are gorgeous! Made without water and with 100% natural ingredients, these beeswax products are super kind to your skin. What’s more, they’re a local, certified B-Corp, just like us, and donate 10% of their profits to wildflower meadow recovery programmes.
For a spring-time, sustainable craft activity, look no further than these super-cute needle felting kits by the Makerss. They have a wide range of adorable characters to choose from for you to make using premium organic wool.
Elvis & Kresse’s non-leather bags and accessories will always be a firm favourite here at Y.O.U. Another B Corp, Elvis & Kresse’s vegan bags, belts and wallets, are made using repurposed fire hoses, with 50% of their profits going to the UK Firefighters Charity. Check them out!
There’s so many other lovely things to browse, so make sure to pop in to our Oxford Shop to see for yourself!
11:45AM Coffee delivery! ☕️ A passing friend pops in with an oat latte for me from Columbia Coffee (another Covered Market resident) to give me a burst of energy. One of the perks of our central Oxford location, and of having wonderful friends!
12:00 Throughout the day, I get to chat to all our wonderful customers. Our customers are the BEST, and have been such a support over the years, always returning with a kind word to say about the work we’re doing. Positive words and reviews make a massive difference to us as a small business. It not only spreads the word about us, but gives us the motivation to keep up what we’re doing. Without meaning to brag, here are some kind words we’ve received recently:
Show your support by leaving us a Google review. We can’t tell you how much it means.
12:30 Working in underwear is such a privilege. As underwear experts, we are trusted with something that is very personal and intimate to each customer, and we are so lucky to have wonderful, open conversations with customers about body image, and other topics that often get treated as taboo.
One of my favourite interactions was helping a gorgeous mum choose a first bra for her daughter with autism. It was beautiful to watch this woman navigate this sensitive topic with her daughter with such care and kindness. The end result was better than we could’ve hoped for; the young girl left the store smiling with a new bralette, the first one she’d tried that she felt truly comfortable in.
The day is full of other wonderful moments. I help a woman find her perfect fit with our non-wired bra, explaining the sizing options and adjustable nature of our bras, and supporting her through a try-on in our feel-good changing rooms. I also help some people with some last-minute sustainable gift buying, putting together a treaty collection of goodies from our Marketplace. We also had a local firefighter come in to buy some Elvis & Kresse cufflinks!
13:30PM At lunchtime, I grab myself a delicious salad from Alpha Bar next door. The Oxford Covered Market is home to a host of independent food stalls…another reason to visit!
14:00PM After lunch, I have a visit from a customer enquiring about modelling for us. I take their details and add them to our modelling database, who we get in contact with whenever we have a photoshoot, usually over summer! Our shoots are so much fun, and always promise to be an inclusive and empowering experience for everyone. We’re always so grateful when people express their interest in volunteering, helping us to build a brand that showcases REAL bodies in our marketing.
Check out this conversation with one of our amazing models.
15:00PM An exciting delivery arrived mid-afternoon. It always feels like Christmas when we get new products in. This time, it’s a shipment of our new organic cotton undershorts, a new style we released earlier this year in response to customer requests for longer-leg underwear, to wear under dresses and to reduce chafing. Once these are checked in and sorted in the stock room, they’re put out on display for our customers to find!
16:00PM As it gets a little quieter towards the end of the day, we update our displays to refresh them for spring. CEO Sarah takes the lead, climbing into the window display for a bit of rearranging, highlighting pastel shades perfect for this time of year, and some colourful marketplace products.
17:00PM When it gets towards the end of the month, it’s time to count through our donation points to calculate how many bras, pants and period products have been dropped off, as well as the underwear for recycling. We collect lightly-worn bras for Smalls for All, cotton underwear to be recycled with Cotton Lives On, and period products for Oxford charity, Wings. This is just one way we're trying to keep fashion circular.
17:30PM Another pantastic day comes to a close. After a tidy up and final restock, it’s time to lock up and say goodbye to the shop for the evening. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, we now stay open later, absorbing the social buzz of the Covered Market bars and food places.
Thank you for coming along with me for this day in the life! If this glimpse into the business got you excited, come in and say hi, or shop us online, and feel the positive energy of Y.O.U for yourself!
Can't get enough?
Read the story behind our Y.O.U shop
Spend a week with the team behind the scenes
Get to know our C.E.O Sarah through this Q&A
Author: Evie Tucker, Comms and Retail Team, Y.O.U Underwear
Images courtesy of Y.O.U Underwear
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