The real 'Cash Cab' — the produce ride-along

Sometimes, training others means teaching those we also answer to.

Most grocery store upper-management types rise through the ranks, which includes little if any perishable experience. You don’t see many store or district managers who were once meat or produce managers. I’ve known a few, but it just isn’t the norm.

Which is why I’m a strong advocate for produce supervisors and district managers within their territories spending time together. 

“Ride-alongs” is what we called this.

As the term suggests, a ride-along is spending a day visiting stores (unannounced) together, produce supervisor and the district manager. The purpose is not only to walk the produce departments, but also to understand what the district manager sees. Each one learns something about what the other observes when evaluating stores. And there’s always a lot to learn from each other’s perspective.

There is also plenty to teach the district manager, so take advantage of the time.

Many times, a district manager will only see basics such as stock levels, sanitation, signage, general organization, etc., and these are some great points to review. But there’s much more.

For example, a supervisor might point out that while a particular store appears all right on the surface, the produce manager may need direction with, say, inventory control, for example. Walking through the cooler, a supervisor can point out if there’s evidence of proper product rotation, or if a store is carrying a full complement of product lines. 

A supervisor can show the district manager if a labor schedule is written to best meet the daily business needs, staggering shifts with adequate evening and weekend coverage – or if the schedule is written otherwise, with insufficient coverage when it’s most needed.

A thorough department walk-through can reveal if a produce manager is doing a great job merchandising or if they need additional direction — or perhaps even a reset — to get back on track. Many times, a department walk-through is prefaced by reviewing a produce operation’s recent sales, profitability and shrink figures. 

Good sales and gross profit performance usually mean the supervisor has praise in store for the produce manager. Slipping performance means the supervisor is on the lookout for what’s amiss.

Of course, this leads to pragmatic follow-up from everyone: the supervisor, the district and store manager, and, naturally, the produce manager. The goals are simple: Encourage doing what’s working, and work on continuing improvement.

Just as important is the “travelogue” — hours spent talking during the supervisor-district manager ride-along. This is a valuable teaching opportunity. It also strengthens the relationships so that in future dealings, one can call the other with improved knowledge and confidence.

It’s all about improving standards, profitability, and trust. 

Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years’ experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.