How to keep those produce labor hours

The produce aisle is but one department in the grocery business. And, by all appearances, when a customer navigates through a store, it’s a peaceful place.

Except we know better. Behind the scenes is the store’s conference room where store managers too often do their own brand of trimming: that of produce labor hours. 

I’m a positive produce scribe. But if there’s one pet peeve I have, this is it.

Wikipedia says a pet peeve is “a minor annoyance that an individual finds particularly irritating to them, to a greater degree than would be expected based on the experience of others.” That’s putting it mildly.

I was speaking to a young produce manager recently. Kelly mentioned that the store she’s managed for years is facing even deeper labor cuts.

“Isn’t your chain the market leader?” I asked. “If anything, I imagine your department needs to be adding hours in midsummer. Not cutting back!”

“My store manager doesn’t see it that way,” Kelly said. 

“Her background is dry grocery and she doesn’t seem to appreciate what we do each day in produce to set and maintain standards.”

I can’t imagine a chain leader having this kind of philosophy, this type of disregard for the one department that really defines a store’s quality reputation. I had to dig deeper.

“Do you know your store manager’s biggest pet peeve?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” Kelly answered. “Keeping out-of-stocks to a minimum, I suppose.”

“Well, suppose you use that in your battle to keep, or even add labor hours?” I suggested. “For example, I recall as an assistant years ago, sitting with my produce manager Dave in a meeting. Our store manager Mike was in rare form, dictating hour cuts to department heads around the table: 25 hours less per week to dairy, 15 less for the deli, 28 less for produce…”

“Some things don’t change, huh?” Kelly said. “You can’t fight the system.”
“My produce manager had other ideas,” I said. “He knew our store manager’s pet peeve was sanitation. He demanded a squeaky-clean store. Dave looked down when Mike axed his hours and shook his head. The store manager cleared his throat. “Dave, uh — you have a problem with the cuts?”

“Oh no,” replied. Dave. And in a quiet but audible voice said, “There goes sanitation.”

Later that morning Dave walked around the corner, hiding a smirk. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“We didn’t lose any hours,” Dave said. “Mike knows we use our hours wisely. Produce drives sales, delivers steady gross profits – and we keep this produce department as clean as a whistle.” 

“You might give it a try,” I suggested to Kelly. “Hours are worth fighting for. Discover the manager’s pet peeves, the hot buttons, and push them for all they’re worth.”  

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