About Madison Toth
My name is Madison Toth, and I am a senior Fashion Merchandising and Management student with minors in Business Administration and Functional Wearable Design, set to graduate in May 2026. I am from Bangor, PA, a small town north of Philadelphia. Growing up, it was always my dream to be a part of the fashion industry. As President of Runway of Dreams Club, I am passionate about innovative dressing solutions for those with different dressing needs. In the Winter of 2026, I will be participating in the UD FASH Study Abroad Program in Paris. Throughout my time at UD, I also had the opportunity to attend the NRF Student Program in NYC, which ultimately helped me to land my summer internship with Kohl’s as an Assistant Buyer Intern at their headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In summer 2025, I worked directly on the Nine West team with a focus on bottoms and dresses. The internship consisted of tasks, projects, and meetings that involved detailed analysis of sales data, forecasting, pricing, and assortment & allocation plans. The internship gave me a first-hand look at what the entire buying process looks like from start to finish.
Question 1: As an Assistant Buyer Intern, what does a typical day or week look like for you? Which part of the internship do you find most exciting? Were there any aspects of the internship that surprised you after you started?
Madison: Within the work week as an assistant buyer intern, the days were filled with classes, tasks, projects, and various meetings. Days were full, and there was always something that I could work on that would leave a genuine impact on the company and the Nine West team. An exciting portion of the internship was the continuous exposure to leadership that all interns had. Having the chance to hear from the entire C-suite of leaders, including the Chief Merchandising Officer and interim CEO of the company, was extremely exciting. Along with that group of leaders, I was given multiple opportunities to communicate with and present in front of leaders within the women’s category, and even outside of the buying world. Interns were encouraged to meet with people outside of their respective roles, which I took advantage of, meeting with a technical designer and the Vice President of Sourcing. I was surprised at the sense of community that the company had overall. All employees were excited to speak with interns, and encouraged us to ask questions during meetings and include our thoughts and opinions on their work. Overall, it was an amazing experience to meet with so many professionals in the fashion industry, who all gave diverse perspectives on the profession and gave inspiring viewpoints.
Question 2: Can you highlight 1-2 specific projects or tasks you worked on during the internship? What skills did they require or help you develop?
Madison: My first project of the internship was a competitive shopping project. This was presented to a plethora of teams in the Women’s category, as well as one of the Divisional Merchandise Managers (DMMs) for the Women’s category. My partner and I visited several competitors, both direct and aspirational, to explore what was currently available in the market. We compared our findings with what Nine West currently has on the floor at Kohl’s for the summer season. While this project changed the way I shopped, it also gave me the critical thinking skills to think beyond the product when I was shopping. I discussed placement and promotion of the product, along with pricing to compare and contrast all differences of the competitors with Nine West.
My next project was an analysis of “Best Sellers.” My first task was to pick a few items from the current assortment, then analyze the sales data for both best and worst sellers, and create an overall theme to convey to other teams and leadership within the Women’s category. This included examining total sell-through season to date, average weekly sell-through, demand sales, % change from last year, and various other metrics. Overall, these two projects were the most influential throughout my internship. They made me think beyond the product, and truly understand the depth and complexities of the buying position.
Question 3: Which topics or skills from FASH330 did you find most relevant or helpful in your internship? Based on your experience, do you have any advice for students currently taking the course?
Madison: Open to Buy (OTB) was a topic learned in FASH330 that I found useful. My team met with leadership to discuss OTB once I got to Kohl’s, and many metrics were used. The Excel sheet seemed as long as a mile, with so many numbers that it was difficult to decipher their actual meaning. In a meeting with my manager, she slowed things down for me, and I was able to connect what I had learned in FASH 330 to Kohl’s OTB process. Without prior knowledge of the topic, I would have been left feeling extremely confused at the process. Along with OTB, I encourage students to pay special attention to all formulas related to sales metrics, including markup, gross margin, markdowns, and the intricacies of “at cost” and “at retail”. Having the knowledge from FASH 330 around these concepts was very beneficial for me throughout the internship.
Question 4: Based on your internship experience, what critical trends or issues in the apparel retail industry do you think are especially important for us to pay attention to, especially in the merchandising area?
Madison: With the current tariff war between the United States and many of its global trading partners, it is a significant shift within the fashion industry. My team at Kohl’s was faced with the difficult decision of whether to raise retail prices, switch vendors, or both. To maintain a specific initial markup% (IMU%), the team was left with difficult decisions on how to combat tariffs. While also always being in many seasons at one time, tariffs added an extra challenge to an already complex role. I encourage students to look into what aspects of the buying role can shift with changes in global affairs.
Question 5: How did you land your internship opportunity, and what did the interview process look like?
Madison: My internship opportunity arose from a career fair at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Student Program in NYC — thanks to the strong industry connections our FASH department has developed. On the second day of the program, students were encouraged to visit recruiters from many different successful retailers. After speaking with a Senior Buyer from Kohl’s that day, I was set up for a formal interview a few weeks later. The questions in that interview were mainly focused on my character, interest in the buying role, and both academic and professional experience. I was then asked back for a second interview, and ultimately landed the job. I recommend attending the NRF Student Program to any students that have the opportunity, it was truly an amazing experience, which led me to a dream internship.
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