FAU Students Explore Merchandising On-site: Office Depot, Trader Joe’s and Total Wine

After nearly a decade, the Contemporary Merchandising course reemerged in Florida Atlantic’s Marketing electives in spring 2025 with a reimagined curriculum designed to reflect the rapidly evolving retail landscape.

As the instructor, I was thrilled to welcome 39 students into a class focused on the dynamic intersection of traditional brick-and-mortar merchandising and e-commerce strategy. The course had not been offered since 2016. In its redesigned format, students received an immersive real-world experience and hands-on learning moments to bring textbook concepts to life through actual business challenges.

Office Depot sponsored this semester’s course, tasking students with creating a campaign to promote the company’s new furniture line to Gen Z consumers using detailed customer personas. Twelve student teams conducted research, developed strategies, and presented final proposals to a panel of 15 Office Depot professionals from the merchandising, marketing and human resources departments. The winning team, recognized for its creativity and strategic execution, included students Alyssa Beckford, Kim Do, Valerie Gonzales and Nicholas Kadian

Experiential learning extended beyond the classroom. Students were able to tour Office Depot’s global headquarters for one-on-one sessions with merchandising professionals and a deep dive into the company’s retail simulation store, which was an invaluable experience as students prepared their final presentations.

The class also visited Trader Joe’s in Boca Raton for a behind-the-scenes tour to explore the company’s distinctive merchandising philosophy. On another site visit to Total Wine & More, students learned how in-store merchandising, experiential marketing and employee expertise shape the customer experience. The course also offers a valuable foundation for students’ professional goals

“I took Professor Eileen Acello’s Consumer Behavior class and had such a great experience that I immediately enrolled in her Contemporary Merchandising course, which was incredibly hands-on and included field trips, guest speakers, and a final project presented to a real company. Every assignment built meaningfully toward our final campaign, and I gained valuable experience in collaboration, real-world marketing strategy, and career exploration. I’m now seeking an internship where I can apply the skills and insights I’ve learned.”                                                                                 

~Kim Do (marketing major)

Industry partners also praised the students’ work and engagement.

"Our team at Office Depot had a fantastic experience serving as judges for the FAU merchandising class. It was inspiring to see the creativity and strategic thinking the students brought to developing a robust marketing plan for our brand. We truly enjoyed collaborating with Eileen and the entire class, and we look forward to future opportunities to work together and support emerging talent."

~Ashley Morris, Office Depot Director of Marketing & E-commerce

This type of interactive learning is at the heart of this course as it is for all my courses—Advertising, Retail Management, and Consumer Behavior. It begins with weaving a “client” who challenges the students with a marketing issue into the curriculum giving students an opportunity to apply what they are learning in the textbook to a real-world scenario. Guest speakers also enhanced the curriculum, including Anton Fuderer, Senior High-risk Authenticator at The RealReal, and Megan McCawley, Produce Category Manager for Giant Food, who discussed trends in sustainability and technology integration within the merchandising field.

Contemporary Merchandising wasn’t just a course—it was a launchpad for future leaders in retail.

Florida Atlantic marketing students in Professor Acello’s classes have worked with a variety of brands, including the following:

Liquid Death  l  Islamorada Brewery & Distillery  l  E&J Gallo Wines/Barefoot Wine   l  Carmela Coffee & Toast Café   l   PepsiCo/Starbucks Cold & Crafted On-Tap  l PepsiCo’s Starry Lemon Lime Soda  l  New Amsterdam Vodka/Pink Whitney   l   Scrub Daddy   l  E&J Gallo Wines/High Noon Vodka Seltzers   l   Newell Brands/Mr. Coffee   l   Wawa, Inc. Convenience Stores  l   Robinson Fresh   l   Campbell Soup Company/Pacific Foods   l  Hormel Foods/Skippy Peanut butter   l   NOAA National Seafood Grant   l  Barnes & Noble’s Nook Reading Device  l   FitCrunch Protein Bars (Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine)

Interested in being the next company/brand to work with Professor Acello's students? Please contact: eacello@fau.edu

-FAU-