It’s time to declutter.
Spring is as good as any season to roll up the sleeves and tidy things up in the produce aisle. Though I’m a proponent of keeping all things neat and organized on an ongoing basis, occasionally it’s a good idea to reexamine the effort and get a good, deep spring-cleaning project done.
Even the idea of the spring cleanup has a host of sources, many originating centuries ago. My favorite one is from the 1800s. According to The Washington Post, “the biggest annual housecleaning took place in the spring because the winter left homes coated with a layer of soot and grime in every room. Lamps of the time were lit with whale oil or kerosene, and [homes] had to be heated with coal or wood.”
Every room, huh? Yikes.
Fortunately, conditions in today’s produce departments are a bit more forgiving. My idea of a good spring cleanup for produce would probably encompass the better part of several weeks, when every day we’d tackle one area at a time, one fixture at a time and so on until all table surfaces and fixtures were accounted for and the refrigerated cases also got a good scrubbing — all so that we could confidently head into the summer months with a clean slate.
As the TV informercials shout, “But wait, there’s more!”
In milling around a Midwest grocer this past week, I noticed that the produce department was mostly dialed in: well stocked, rotated and staffed appropriately. When I looked through the department, however, what I saw was clutter.
Clutter, as in numerous posters hanging from the ceiling, many of them crooked, faded and clearly touting outdated programs. I saw sagging mylar balloons, torn and stained display signs, broken or missing bag dispensers, abandoned coffee cups and other debris atop the wet rack. Minor, yes, but visible.
Related: More insight from Armand Lobato
The unpolished chrome sections and streaks in the mirror were a turnoff and gave everything a dull effect. The overhead décor, once vibrant and timely many months ago, was now a mishmash of mostly forgotten messages.
Do customers care much about the unkempt décor and dangling past reminders, banners, charts and slogans? Personally, I kind of doubt it.
In fact, it reminds me of when a friend once came to my house and commented on the clock on our fireplace mantel. “What clock?” I answered. It was there for so long that I hadn’t thought about it in years.
Your customers will notice your department’s tidiness, however, if you take the time to go through everything, repair, replace and clean up all that dangling, fading and dated décor (or as many refer to clutter as “whatnot”). Yeah, give the produce department this facelift, which really shouldn’t take more than an early morning effort while dragging the ladder around.
Customers may not be able to put a finger on what has happened in your produce department, but like noticing the clock on the mantel, they’ll just know.
And when you combine that uncluttered, neat, clean and organized produce department with the basics of being well stocked, rotated, merchandised to the seasons and staffed with knowledgeable and friendly employees, that will be all it takes to send the message that your store is the place to shop for fresh produce, hands down.
All of which, of course, translates into optimum sales, strong gross profit, low shrink, safe and productive employees who take pride in their work, and happy customers.
That’s what I’d call really cleaning up.
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.
