There’s a lot to be said about simple momentum.
Take for example, my regular workweek. Like many other produce professionals, I have my share of paperwork. One thing I do that I think helps in the process is to type and file the one, easy report that I can practically do in my sleep.
The nice thing about doing this first is it builds a little momentum and helps me progress to my other, more detailed reports. A running start will do that.
The same principle applies in the produce aisle.
I remember ringing the entry bell at my store at 4 a.m., waiting for what seemed an eternity in the freezing cold for the night grocery manager to let me in to get the produce department set up for the day. I looked at the long, empty wet rack, and the numerous, mostly mixed pallets of the just-delivered fresh produce lined up in the cooler. I considered all that had to get prepped, trimmed and stocked in four hours. And then I glanced at my nemesis, the clock on the wall.
Where to start? How best to get it all done?
That’s when good old “Mo” came in handy. A quick trim of five cases of head lettuce was a good start. This helped in two ways: This pretty much got the heart of the rack stocked, and it allowed me some nice, big empty cartons to work with, to trim into on the sales floor, to cull and more.
With that little bit of energy, I pulled out a few cases of everything else I needed for a fresh base. I started by lining out facings of everything on the rack in the facings I thought would suffice: narrower on the items I knew were higher-priced or limited quantities and wider on ad items or stronger, seasonal fare.
Of course, nothing goes perfectly at 4 a.m.
If I was short on space, I backtracked and cut facings. Otherwise, I’d add facings until I liked all the category groupings, the color breaks and holding power. That’s when I’d attack the stocking, from one end to the other. Some items offered the quicker, “Mo” factor – cukes, peppers, packaged items – so I stocked these first. Then I returned and finished the items that I knew took more time or finesse to complete, such as trimming and setting leafy greens, setting the specialty section, reworking older stock, or picking through marginal quality items that ate up precious time – and still allowed for time to wipe down the chrome, the mirrors, ice and water the rack, arrange signing and sweep and mop the floor. All this, before the store opened at 8 a.m.
Using momentum for produce tasks from this point on also applies. It’s a formula: Set your time and list your priorities.
This means as a clerk, produce manager, buyer or supervisor, you know what needs to be done in the time allotted. Further, it’s not only knowing what produce tasks needs to be accomplished, but how it’s best approached.
For me, it was about finding some momentum. Getting a nice, running head start. Coffee helps, too.
