I was jotting down a few notes when Russ T. Blade peeked around my legal pad. “Rusty,” as regular readers know, is the imaginary miniature produce manager who lives in my desk and appears occasionally to talk shop.
Rusty: Anything of note, in your um, notes?
Me: I just like being prepared. I have some meetings set up for next week and am putting some thoughts together.
Rusty: Good move. Everyone’s time is valuable. You never want to go into a meeting flatfooted. You may not be well-received if what you have is perceived as unnecessary, or old news.
Me: Gotta think things through all right.
Rusty: I’ve been working with my assistant produce manager lately and store meeting readiness is one of my training topics.
Me: You mean you just don’t rush in with pen and pad, a doughnut and cup of coffee?
Rusty: I’ve worked with her so that when we go to the Monday morning store meeting, we’ve done our management homework.
Me: Consisting of, let me guess, all your pertinent figures.
Rusty: Partly. I’ve trained my assistant so when she covers for me (or we attend together) and it’s our turn to contribute to the meeting, she’s prepared. We’re ready to recite our latest sales, cases moved and specifically how sales compare to last week or to the same period last year.
Me: I always liked to reflect on percent of store sales, too. Produce sales in traditional banners range from 6 to 12% of total store sales. I also liked to track what kind of trend that represents.
Rusty: Naturally. We also use the few minutes that we have the floor to talk about gross profit dollars and of course, gross percentage. This is important as produce’s profits contribute greatly to the store’s net profits. As the produce department goes, so goes the store’s profitability.
Me: If you don’t remind the boss of the produce department’s impact, nobody will.
Rusty: In those few minutes that we have the store manager’s attention, I’ve trained the assistant that this is a good time to list what has been going on in the produce department. Calling attention to any special promotions we’ve run, how well the ad items have performed, and how we’ve managed the labor plan.
Me: That is being prepared.
Rusty: But wait, there’s more! To wrap up the meeting it’s wise to offer a forecast on what’s ahead: A special ad or local feature, and our merchandising plan to capture more sales. You know, just try to impart some of our excitement to the store manager. And of course, lobby for a few extra hours.
Me: A lot to get across in a few minutes. You’re just the guy to do it, too.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.
