It seems like no sooner than when summer starts, that’s when all the back-to-school sales begin.
For this produce scribe growing up, those ads cast an ominous shadow over what I imagined would be an endless summer break. As a parent many years later, such back-to-school ads forecast that a big dent in my wallet was imminent — stocking up on lunchbox food, clothes and school supplies. (I couldn’t do much about the food or clothes.)
However, before spending tons of cash on supplies, I took inventory.
I dumped out all the “junk” drawers in the house (I’m the only one with junk drawers, right?) when, lo and behold, I was able to find at least half of the needed school supplies on the kids’ lists. Of course, this was a downer for them, as they wanted all new stuff: new notebooks, calculators, colored pencils, paper, folders and pens. The list was endless — and expensive.
However, it brings me to the point of this message — that it pays to take inventory before writing a produce order.
I’ve seen rushed produce managers grab their order guide at the last-minute and, without any thought, write an order so that they might make their cutoff time or deadline — with predictable results. After a day or two, that produce truck arrived with not enough of some items and (more common) too much of other products. Way too much, in fact, which triggers a lot of other problems, such as aging product as well as crowded, mixed up and unrotated product.
That leads to towering, leaning cases that fall and break open. Productivity comes to a standstill as clerks dig for what’s needed or waste time searching for something that’s not even there. It’s heartrending.
All this affects sales, margin, quality and freshness. It creates lots of headaches and, of course, shrink.
Taking inventory is key to avoiding this quagmire. If you think you can write an order in 45 minutes or an hour, plan on adding at least one hour to the equation.
Related: More insight from Armand Lobato
Even if you’re a seasoned manager, walk through the cooler and backroom first. Ensure that everything has been neatly put away from the prior order and that the area is organized, clean and well lit. Then take your inventory, uninterrupted, one commodity at a time, one stack or shelf at a time.
Take a minute to read your company’s daily correspondence regarding what items are new, limited, discontinued or require special consideration.
This is also a good time to study the pull-by dates on packaged items. Are these still OK to sell, or are you counting something short-dated and unsaleable? Pop the lids off anything that you suspect otherwise: Is the quality sound? Is the identification of listed varieties correct? Are you aware of product space allocations and displays on the sales floor, what that quality is like and approximately how much that inventory represents?
Inventory complete? Then, and only then, write your order.
One tip: I found it helpful to highlight the order guide at the beginning of each week so that one color represents the expiring ad, another color represents the current ad items and a third color highlights upcoming ad items for the upcoming week. Order only what is necessary until the next expected delivery — the JIT (Just in Time) system — with only minimal “safety stock” figured, figuring special consideration for ad or other key items. Pay attention to the clues in front of you. Has a stack of something remain unchanged the past few days? Is this due to price or to quality? Is the item even on display?
It may sound like taking inventory takes an extraordinary amount of time. To begin with, it does. However, as the days and weeks go on, your produce department will be far more organized once you get into this good routine.
The time it takes to properly inventory and write subsequent orders will take less time as your orders, which — like that good ol’ No. 2 pencil — will be razor-sharp. It works with school supplies. It works with fresh produce.
As The Undisputed Truth group sang in “Smiling Faces” back in 1971, “Take my advice, I’m only tryin’ to school ya.”
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.
