Who's Minding the Shop
Resilient Retailing and Processes
"Change almost never fails because it's too early. It almost always fails because it's too late."
Having clearly defined processes for every operational task in your store relieves stress and creates efficiency. At a minimum this should include:
- Opening & Closing Duties
- Merchandise Receiving
- Merchandise Ticketing
- Merchandising Standards
- Markdown Ticketing & System Entry
- Purchase Order Entry
- POS Training
- Scheduling
- Business Recaps
Tips: if you don't have one already, start by making a list of every store process and procedure. Then create a binder with tabs for each area of operational procedures
Opening and Closing Duties
Add Your Heading Text Here
Opening
And Closing Procedures
Consider splitting up your pre & after hours tasks and making an opening and closing tab. Include in these sections.
Specific for each opening and closing
Register cash on-hand policy and bank deposits requirements & on what days.
Defining a time for the vacuuming, cleaning glass and dusting daily of key areas and then each section throughout the week keeps store appearance inviting to your customers.
The level of backstock you have will determine the importance of an isolated restocking period. Many retailers can do this throughout the day. Many execute this before or after opening.
Try a morning meeting each day with your team. It’s a great way to set goals, motivate them, talk about messaging and projects of the day.
Identifying the daily time for these separately from standard floor cleaning typically results in better outcomes.
Try out having your floor on standard before closing each night. It’s great to start your morning off with the floor customer ready. While recovery can be done throughout the day depending on traffic, it’s a good policy to go through the entire store prior to closing for touch-ups.
Recording sales and metrics like DPT and UPT really keep your teams eye on what matters most. Tip: get each to record their’s before leaving each day.
Using A Daily Planner
Both your performance & productivity will sore!
Merchandise
Receiving and ticketing
Consider including in this section
A how to check-in merchandise with a clearly checked off invoice dated and signed for accuracy. Also include a how to receivng merchandise in your POS system. A statement about no product coming to the floor until received. Try createing an expandable day of the month folder for receipt invoices to file checked in receipts by day. Makes timely payments easier.
Include here what type of tickets you want used on what categories of merchandise and where you want the placement of the ticket. Doing so will keep your floor looking sharp and refined.
Identify areas in the stockroom for every category of your business. Typically, associates would have assigned areas to maintain, or, one associate would be in charge of stockroom organization.
Merchandising
Standards
Consider including in this section
Establishing a standard practice for hanging each apparel category can keep your store having a consistent look. Likewise, having a standard fold for each category that is folded will do the same. It prevents double work and gets your team on the same page. As well, define the specific desired presentation for all accessories and hard goods. Include your policy for how often windows and displays are changed in your store. Pictures can go a long way in speading up understanding of expectations in this area.
Markdowns
Consider including in this section
Clearly defining placement of the markown sticker on various tickets throughout your store will maintain a neater and consistent presentation for your customers. One Important consideration is do you want the orginal price to show? The importance of entering the markdowns in the system is two fold. Ease at the cashwrap/ no inaccurate ringing of prices, and accurate inventory reporting.
Purchase
Order Entry
Consider including in this section
A detialed overview of how to enter purchases orders in your POS System. You’ll want to isolate who on your team can do this making cetain multiple team members are trained in this process. Have a commited time for system entry after ordering. Having all placed orders in the system prior to month end insures visibilty in your Open-To-Buy numbers. It’s always helpful to set aside the number of days you’ll need in given months to write orders or go to market.
POS
Training
Consider including in this section
While taking a new hire through POS training it’s also a great time to lead into the conversations by covering the store’s return policy and who can make exceptions. In general it’s ideal to get your associates trained on all the above during non-store hours. Of these POS training during non-customer facing times is important. Making yourself a check off list for ringing various transactions/ sales, sales with discounts, sales with coupons, returns, tax exempt transactions, contributions, reviewing all with the various forms of payment you take is priceless. Practice makes perfect, and just remember the last experience your customer has is at the register.
Scheduling
Consider including in this section
Give yourself a break. Establish a lead time for receiving all requests for additional or specific days off with black out dates for time periods ineligible for any requests off other than standards days off per week. Set a timeframe for how far out associates will receive their schedules and stick to it. Rule of thumb, produce a full month at least three weeks prior to current month end and adjust it as needed. Only post two weeks at a time allowing for an increase up or donw based on need.
Business
Recaps
Consider including in this section
Set aside time to review your business. Schedule yourself or your manager a specific time to review business. Weekly you’d like to know best sellers identifying in potential need for reorders, and as well, Sales, DPT and UPT by associate. At month end take a deeper look and review sales by category by vendor, cash flow and your marketing plan. You’ll want to check these for each location.
In addition to business recaps, allow time on your monthly recapping day to update your cash flow forecast for the upcoming 3 to 6 month period. Need a Cashflow plan try our CashPlanIT tool.
Taking time to organize your policies and procedures into a single binder makes the training of new hires easy, gives your associates a go-to destination to access any procedure they may need to brush up on and can be rewarded by producing a very productive team. Some retailers prefer to keep this digitally when the store has the capacity to access it from the sales floor.
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