Rounding the produce bases
I recently had some minor home remodeling done. The electrician was wrapping things up and on final inspection, I noticed how much work remained: Scrap wire trimmings lay everywhere, several outlets and switches had no cover plates, unsecured cables hung down and the sub-panel was missing its cover.
I’m no tradesman, but I know sloppy work when I see it.
Which raises the question: Is this how some produce departments are managed? Of course. I can’t tell you how many times as a supervisor I dropped into a store unannounced, bright and early, and the wet rack (which was supposed to be completely set by store-opening time) was, well, almost done.
“What do you think, boss?” the rack man would say, beaming. “Just in time!”
“I’ll put some coffee on for us while you finish up,” I’d reply with a solemn manner. The setup clerk had a confused look, until I quietly motioned to the puddles of water on the floor, the empty cartons strewn about. That’s when he realized that, oh yeah, some extra effort was needed to get things complete. It was more than just a few things left outstanding. The produce set looked fine, but the chrome on the front of the case needed a good wipe-down, the leftover cases and empty boxes needed to be hauled to the back, the mirrors needed cleaning, bags needed filling, the signs above the produce items needed adjustment and proper placement, and, of course, the floor desperately needed a prompt sweep and mop. Complete it was not.
Related: Produce and the all-important ‘swing’ shift
But clerks, even managers, sometimes argue about being satisfied with the “almost done” point, which I hesitate to say can’t be counted as an accomplishment. Not yet.
Any produce manager worth their knife sheath will attest: Fully complete the task at hand. Meticulous managers are compelled to follow their charges around daily, hounding them until completion becomes second nature. “Who left their trash in the backroom? Who didn’t put the order machine away when they were through with it this morning? Why is the electric jack not plugged into the charger? We’re going to need it in three hours when the truck arrives.” Trifle points in each example? Perhaps. However, small oversights now can add up to added labor spent later, which translates into lost sales, increased shrink and lost gross profit.
So, it goes to the point of making sure everyone knows how important it is to cross the finish line at a full sprint. This should be the goal. To be aware of not only the task at hand, but also asking, “How does the finished effort look?” Are the weekly ad displays and merchandising changes complete, or are there missing details? Many times, it’s the last, but thoughtful, touches that make a difference between a produce department being in tip-top shape, or still rough around, oh, so many edges. Take a hard, critical look at your work, using your “customer” eyes. Is everything stocked, clean, level, culled, signed and appealing? Would you be proud if your own sweet mother shopped there? If so, you’ve covered all the bases.
As the legendary baseball catcher and manager Yogi Berra used to say, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
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