“You have a good system here,” said many a produce clerk who rotated through some of the stores I helped manage.
I never thought too much about it — a “good system” that is — not until I recalled how utterly chaotic things had been in stores I had worked in throughout my produce career. Many store working conditions were as dysfunctional as anyone might imagine: standing water, dim lighting, floor debris, too much inventory or not enough inventory, needed product buried at the bottom of inaccessible pallets or stored incorrectly, product located in one part of the cooler one day then moved to the opposite side the next — always a guessing game.
All this leads to unsafe work conditions, interrupted productivity, inadequate stock conditions, subpar quality, poor morale, low gross profit margin and excess shrink. It’s a heartrending sight.
So, what does a produce manager do to fix this? Get and stay organized.
It helps to have worked with some very organized produce managers along the way. These managers may have differed in their merchandising styles, but I found they all shared these common daily organizational traits:
Inventory control — Order only what is necessary for sales until your next delivery. Ideally, this means that when your replenishment load arrives, the shelves are rotated, stocked to ideal levels, with no (or few) out-of-stocks and no backstock. It’s hard to do, but that’s the starting point.
Sanitation and safety — Ensure that the backroom and cooler are consolidated, cleared of all empty pallets, with the floor swept and mopped clean prior to and following every delivery. Have everyone on alert to avoid trip hazards and slip-and-falls. Keep the floors clear and immediately mop up any ice or standing water.
Temperature control — Produce is a bulk business that requires backstock space to maintain stock conditions until the next load arrives. Arrange your cooler so that deliveries are put away immediately. Maintain the cold chain by putting away like items in the cooler right away and having ambient-temperature items placed outside the cooler in the dry storage area. Protect your investment from temperature extremes by following your company’s directions.
Organizational tips — Insist that you store product in relatively the same area of the cooler every single day. Store items with identification labels clearly visible, and code-date the cooler so that clerks can quickly find what they need to stock with minimal delay and so they use the oldest stock first. Keep all areas of the cooler or backroom clear so clerks can safely and easily access what they need.
Consider setting up some in-cooler shelving to easily ID and access smaller quantity stock items (e.g., dressings, packaged salads, specialty items). For productivity’s sake, keep assigned areas clear for any like item, whole-pallet quantity items; there is no need to break these down. For all other mixed pallets, break down immediately. After putting away the load, check off the load for accuracy, code-date the cooler, and sweep and mop right away.
Loading a produce cart to restock should only take a few minutes, and should not be an exercise in unsafe conditions, futility or frustration. Efficiency is key.
Your cooler and backroom should get set up in a specific way and remain consistent. This will help your clerks, help you as you write an order, and ensure that your produce department is as fresh as possible for your customers.
The result of all this emphasis on backroom and cooler organization? Maximizing sales, for one, which in turn maximizes gross profits. Clerks take pride in their work environment and tend to work harder and more efficiently, have a stronger, positive attitude with heightened customer service. The best reward is high customer satisfaction. When everything you carry and stock is at the peak of freshness, that ensures you have the highest reason for loyal and happy customers.
Or as one well-organized produce manager once emphasized to his charges in a kind but no-nonsense tone: “This is how we run things here. So, pay attention and get with the program, man!”
Armand Lobato’s more than 50 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions. He has written a weekly retail column for two decades.
