Intern Update: Alex Van Pelt

Alex Van Pelt

Sport Management, College of Health and Human Services

Kansas City Royals - Authentics Merchandise Sales Intern

 As this internship approaches its end, my reflection of my experience will be nothing short of how I truly feel about the Kansas City Royals and working for Royals Authentics. First off, this internship has been much more than I expected going in. It all begins with my two superiors, Ashley and Sarah. Even though we are all close in age, I look up to them for advice on situations and have learned much more than anticipated. Until recently, I did not realize they have many different jobs going on at the same time all the time and their ability to help me while juggling other tasks has helped me tremendously.

The most important thing I have learned from this internship is team work and communication. My co-intern, Sophie, and were told on the first day that they expect us to work as a team. Not only do we work well, but us four and the game-day workers, all gel well in the store. They are very open-door on being able to ask questions. They give us the tools to tackle challenges on our own and/or make mistakes and then go back and fix them as a learning experience. I have learned that the success of our team in the store is not to know everything, but to delegate to strengths while improving weak areas. I am not the best on register but Sarah and Ashley have made sure I have had ample time on it to get used to it and build confidence using the system. I generally like being on the floor selling and helping people because of my baseball knowledge.

The best thing about interning at Royals Authentics is helping people find what they are looking for. A handful of times I have been able to help customers on their birthday. Finding them a unique gift they will cherish from the game they are at fills me with joy. This “aha” moment feels amazing because you get to leave a smile on someone’s face.