Success in Store
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I once dated a guy who worked at the local drug store
named Timmy.
His shift was after school so he worked
from 4pm until the store closed. I would
wander in when he was working and
buy trifles from the 99-cent displays:
gum, scotch tape, one-size-fits-all
reading glasses. I thought it was a
great way to attract his attention. He
thought I had broken my glasses
and was using gum and scotch tape
to fix them. Anyway, I was as taken
with Timmy as he was with me. We
would keep customers waiting on line
as we chatted and flirted. He would take
frequent breaks to come find me outside blowing bubbles and trying on
my new reading glasses. All of this happened despite the fact that this time
of day was one of the busiest for the store.
Alas, my relationship with Timmy didn’t last very long. And neither did
Timmy’s job at the drug store. In retrospect, I don’t blame the manager for
what he did. The schedule that dictates who is working when at a store is
one of the most important aspects of operating a store. Timmy was not the
right fit for that shift because he was too preoccupied with his social life.
Customers were left waiting and complaints were made. Yet, not all managers are aware of how to use their store’s schedule to their advantage.
Scheduling is too often overlooked and/or mismanaged which creates all
sorts of unmeasured losses.
LET’S REVIEW WHAT WE KNOW
I think we all agree that customer service is crucial. I think we also agree
that delivering on the promises we create through effective marketing is
crucial. I’m pretty sure most of us agree that properly training and empowering our staff is also crucial. So, it is obvious that a substantial amount of
crucial activity is taking place in our stores all the time. So, if that is true,
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why do we so often see stores that are staffed solely by untrained, gum
chewing, indifferent teenagers? We see a staff that obviously has been
given no assignments, motivation, expectations, challenges or supervision.
We visit stores daily that clearly have no one in charge. The Timmy’s of the
world seem to be everywhere. How do we fix this frequent problem?
Let’s establish some ground rules for setting a store’s schedule:
RULE #1
Effective scheduling is a management task. This is a job that is too important to
delegate. The stakes are too high and I believe abdicating control of scheduling is akin to delegating employee performance reviews and wage-related
decisions to the employee’s themselves. The objective is not to please your
employee’s needs but to serve your customer’s needs. Who is working what
shifts should involve a well-thought-out blending of different talents and
personalities, making sure that someone capable, who can handle all
employees and customer issues, is always in charge. A schedule not only
directly impacts revenues and brings tangible results; it also affects
intangibles such as your store’s image.
RULE #2
Use the schedule posting to your advantage. The schedule itself
should be posted in an employee only area (it does not belong in
customer view) and ideally should have space for management
to designate tasks and objectives. It should include training
related tasks as well as merchandising and housekeeping
chores for every shift.
There should be a place on the schedule for reminders such
as “customers are always our priority.” This may seem corny
but catch phrases about customer service are important in
retailing because so many of us often lose sight of the basics.
Most successful stores are built on teamwork and trust.
Those that achieve this often put daily and shift sales-related
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goals and past years figures on the schedule and motivate through shiftrelated team incentives. Make better selling a priority for every shift and
encourage employees to do their best, not just “get through the day.”
RULE #3
Do not allow employees to dictate the schedule. Schedule requests and changes
have become an employee entitlement in some stores. Operating in this
manner is dangerous for any retail business and will negatively impact
both customer service and revenue.
A schedule is made by management for many good reasons (if done right)
and it should be stressed that it is not an employee’s place to do anything
but adhere to it. For some reason many stores do not ask for the same
respect that other businesses expect from their employees such as being at
work when you are told to be there and that management dictates to staff
what work hours are. In many stores, it is considered an employee’s right
to work the hours they want and to change those hours at will.
Another word for stores where employees make their
own schedules is anarchy.
A store should require that its employees give their work high priority.
Of course, when hired retail management and employees agree to spelled
out terms in regards to the schedule such as “nights and weekends only,”
“Saturday or Sunday but not both”, etc., these agreements should be agreed
to and accounted for when schedules are made. But these
terms should not change week to week and schedule to
schedule and these considerations should be given discriminately and only for valid reasons. These terms should be
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part of initial salary and benefit negotiations and should be
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treated as a benefit of value. Schedule changes for employ8 7 6 5 4
ees should not be made for anything but major family
events (weddings, funerals, etc.) and should happen very
infrequently.
Make firm policies in regards to scheduling and require
adherence or you will quickly lose control over your store. Your
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store is not a club. It is a business and, if you run it as one, well-trained and
properly paid employees will respect this and creating a schedule will not
be the emotional, time consuming trauma that it is in the stores that relinquish control of this management function to employees.
1. No one makes any changes to a schedule excep
t
responsible management.
2. Last minute requests are not acceptable excep
t for
emergency situations.
3. Not appearing or late arrivals are simply not
allowed
and are handled in a “zero tolerance” manner.
4. Working in the store is treated as a serious
responsibility.
5. Management must post schedules in advan
ce and they
must be diligent in doing so by a regular requi
red
date. Employees must know when schedules will
be
posted and must always be aware of when they
are
required to work. Having employees sign off
on the
schedule is a way to make sure that each perso
n is
aware of their hours for that period.
6. Employees without experience are learning
the proper
way to handle the responsibility of a job. Store
s that
are loose and lenient generally fail while their
employ-
ees learn bad work habits.
Frequently retail employees do not have a lot of work experience and must
be taught professionalism and work standards. As management, it is your
role to set the rules and define the standards. Employees who buy into your
philosophy will help make your store successful. Here are some general
guidelines to follow to help make your scheduling process a positive one:
KEEPING IT KIND
This may all sound very military, structured and serious. Some would say it
is too much to ask of employees and will create an unhappy work environment.
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Possibly. It’s not easy keeping a tight ship but there is a balance that can
result in a truly positive retail work environment.
The key is that management must exchange its own high expectations with
always treating employees equally and fairly. This type of scheduling
philosophy is also incumbent on management giving more to employees when they are asking for more in return. Giving more can include
making work fun through surprises, rewards, contests and bonuses
built into work shifts as frequently as possible. Also, employees
should have specific expectations built into each shift and management must ensure that results are reviewed frequently and in
a manner that is primarily learning and training orientated.
Employees should be held accountable for what happens on
their shifts. Management must constantly address the delicate balance between giving employees trust and authority
and management being involved and aware of all that is
happening in the store.
My point is that too often schedules happen randomly in stores
due to lack of thought by management. If I can get you to
management must exchange its
own high expectations with
think about and act to improve your store in this area, your
always treating employees equally
and fairly.
gains will be significant. It is about realizing it is okay to take
control of your store and allowing yourself to see the benefits
from doing so. This is an approach that is not only positive for you but for
you employees who will learn the types of discipline that will help them to
succeed. In the long run, they will also benefit from a well-run store
because they will have more opportunities to make money and advance.
So turn your employee from a Timmy to a trainee-for-success by shifting your
schedule style and taking control of your store’s success.
Email me at [email protected] with your top three employee complaints
and I will try to offer some suggestions on how to help you address them.
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