Produce is a team sport
There’s something unique about a retail produce crew. Unlike other grocery store departments, produce is different. And the team is fewer in number, ranging from the high end of around 15 people on a produce crew to a low of around six, give or take a few.
However, one thing that all produce departments seem to have in common is a spirit of camaraderie.
The reason, perhaps, is indeed due to smaller sized teams. Or it could be it’s due to working closely together, unloading trucks, setting displays, prepping product and so on. These smaller crews help cultivate teamwork and creativity, in contrast to the noisy cluster of checkstands or the vast aisles of dry groceries.
Author and educator Nancy Kline once said, “Teams are the primary force of organizations. They are worth cultivating at their core. Their core is the mind of each team member.”
I like that. I always knew a store had a solid produce team when they not only took care of the tasks at hand, but also looked out for one another. The “one good turn deserves another” philosophy is evident within such teams, such as when a clerk goes above and beyond what’s expected with their shift, so that they are, in essence, “looking out for the next guy.”
This all comes to mind in the middle (of all the things going on now) of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
I notice that after every game, when the game stars are interviewed, there’s never mention of “I” or “me.” It’s always the opposite. It’s “us” and “we.” It’s “our” efforts, planning, or execution to accomplish whatever is in front of them.
Produce teamwork extends beyond store crews too.
I had the honor of speaking at a chain function a few years back. Afterward, the produce director introduced me to his store set team. The group who routinely reset produce departments in the wee hours of the morning, who endure the daunting, long days of setting up remodeled or new stores. But I could see how tight this group was as they kidded around with each other, yet lavished praise upon one another, saying how one person was the “brains behind the displays” or another was “king of the wet rack.”
Produce departments’ camaraderie is a bit of a mystery to the rest of the grocery business.
Besides driving sales and posting the best net profits in most stores, produce is also the department that tends to have the fewest disciplinary issues, the fewest sick calls, the lowest on-the-job injuries. Produce people enjoy the fast work pace, interact well with customers, appreciate learning about the varying commodity seasons, categories, and product nuances before them.
I think they just like being on a winning team.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years’ experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.
