The underappreciated, vital management position
A word about assistant produce managers: This is the introductory management produce position.
This is the direction a produce clerk goes after showing promise, working their way up from part-time to full-time produce clerk. Then, working for years in every shift, learning the ropes. The assistant is often not shown enough respect, some even confiding to me over the years that they did not feel much more than a glorified stocker. They aren’t alone. It’s usually a long road for an assistant to work up to the produce manager level.
Which reminds me of a story conveyed by the late, longtime Republican Senate leader Bob Dole. In his book, “Great Political Wit,” Dole describes the lack of respect felt over the years by U.S. vice presidents. One example given was about the then-Vice President Calvin Coolidge, who resided in a Willard Hotel suite on Pennsylvania Avenue. After a small fire broke out one night, Coolidge was forced outside with other residents in the cold. Not wishing to wait for the all-clear, he tried to head back inside, and the fire warden demanded identification.
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“I am the vice president,” said Coolidge, indignantly. The warden nearly let him pass before a second thought came to mind.
“Vice president of what?” he asked, to which Coolidge responded: “Vice president of the United States.”
“Then get back here,” said the fire warden. “I thought you were the vice president of the hotel.”
And so it is with many that are the often-obscure, second in command. They have the title, and certainly all the responsibilities, especially when things get sticky. Likewise, with the assistant produce manager position, it can be a lot of work, without much reward. It’s not unlike an NFL backup quarterback, who must put in as much work as the starter and must be ready if called upon. However, come game time, they’re usually relegated to the sidelines, holding a clipboard.
A produce assistant must take charge and be proactive so they can be ready when a management spot opens. This means volunteering to regularly write orders and budgets, or writing the labor schedules — tasks that managers are sometimes reluctant to surrender to their produce protege. However, assistants need these repetitions, or “reps,” as they are called in produce-world speak, as much as possible. Also, the assistant must demonstrate a strong interest and positive attitude — in fact, a zeal — for the produce industry, and seek the produce manager’s support to move ahead. This means asking questions about, well, everything, and getting much closer acquainted with key people: the store manager, the produce director, the buyers and supervisors. Several key points should become second nature, knowing all about company programs, processes, product knowledge, training and internal produce terminology. Over time, assistant produce managers must recognize their weaknesses and transform these into strengths.
Merchandising is especially a weaker point for many assistants. Typically, it’s the produce manager that maps out a merchandising weekly ad plan. Thus, the assistant must take advantage of any opportunity to get these merchandising reps under their belts. As an assistant, I couldn’t wait for the produce manager to go on vacation, for example. While they were away, this was my chance to merchandise as I saw fit, to schedule for and put some of my ideas to the test. When an assistant does this, they can confidently say in a management interview what they did, and how it worked out as it related to sales, gross profit and shrink control. It’s an essential part of building confidence.
Being the assistant is a lot like the Coolidge example — a humble steppingstone on the path to wherever you wish to go in the produce industry. But, if you pay attention and pay your dues, it’ll also pay off.
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