Home » Staff Training » Page 34

Category: Staff Training

One Thousand Dollars Back!

Do you know any retailers who would like $1000? (Better yet, do you know any that wouldn’t?)

The Jackson Retail Success Academy (JRSA) is looking for retailers who want to earn $1000 by taking ten three-hour classes to make their stores better, stronger and more successful

JRSA is looking for retailers willing to learn tips and practices that will help them better manage their inventory, their finances and their cash flow, making them more profitable.

JRSA is looking for retailers willing to learn marketing tips, practices and ideas that will drive the right kind of traffic into their stores and increase their fan base.

JRSA is looking for retailers willing to learn about solid hiring practices and training tips to raise their customer service to a level that creates raving fans that talk about their store to everyone they know.

Do you know a retailer who wants to improve in marketing, customer service and profitability?

Yes, it will take some work – 30 hours to be exact – ten Mondays from 6 to 9 pm. Yes, it will cost some money – $750 to be exact – payable prior to the first class.

But look at the bennies…

First, there is 30 hours of top-level classroom instruction on topics like financial statements, inventory management, cash flow, marketing & advertising, hiring & training, customer service and a whole lot more. This alone is worth $6000 (top level consultants earn $200/hour or more).

Plus, there are actual cash-back benefits.

JRSA Graduates get:

  • $250 in reimbursements for joining a trade organization or attending an industry trade show
  • $400 in reimbursements for advertising expenses
  • A one-year membership in the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce ($300 value)
  • A one-year membership in the Midtown Association of Jackson ($50 value)

Add it up and it’s $1000 back to any retailer who signs up and attends the Jackson Retail Success Academy.

Oh yeah, and a pretty good chance you’ll learn something new to make you a whole lot more money on top of that.

The next class starts Monday, March 16th.

Tell your retail friends about this offer and have them contact Susan Franck (susan@gjcc.org) at the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce (517) 782-8221 to sign up.

-Phil

PS JRSA is a collaboration of Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Jackson Local First, Midtown Association of Jackson, The Enterprise Group, The Small Business Technology Development Center, and the Jackson DDA

Overpaid Stock Boy?

This is a fun time of year. Lots of customers, lots of smiling faces, lots of full shopping carts, lots of empty shelves that need to be filled with more product.

I used to laugh at my dad every Christmas saying he was the highest paid stock boy in town. Now it’s my turn.

Now I get to make multiple trips to the warehouse in search of more products to fill the spaces emptied by customers finding just the right toy or game. It’s both a challenge and a sense of accomplishment when I can take an aisle decimated by shoppers and turn it into a fully-stocked, well-merchandised display.

More importantly, I understand the necessity of making sure the job is done quickly and done well. Our product is our lifeblood. And the way we merchandise it goes a long way towards the success we have as a business. Since most of our toys don’t have a movie or TV license, or a heavy ad campaign, customers aren’t coming through the door asking for them. It isn’t until they see the toys on the shelf that many people even know they exist.

Without merchandising, they might never see the product. And if they don’t see it, they don’t buy it. Merchandising is one of the most important elements of any successful retailer.

Yet, the stock boy is always perceived as the low man on the totem pole, the dish dog of retail, the private in the sales force army. Tell someone you’re a stock boy and hear them apologize for your plight in life as they fill you with encouragement for bigger and grander things to come.

But with the importance that merchandising plays in our success, the shelves should not be left to the lowliest, least-trained, least experienced of the staff.

I finally see what my dad knew all those years. The shelves are our silent salesmen. The shelves are where many decisions are made on which toy, game or puzzle to buy. The shelves make or break our season.

Merchandising is not just a job, it’s an art form. My dad was one of the best. He didn’t need a planogram. He could look at the product, look at the shelf and instantly see in his mind exactly how it should go.

Me? I’m getting better at it. I’m not to the grand master merchandising level of my dad yet, but getting close. More importantly, I’m trying to put all I’ve learned into our staff training so that we all become master merchandisers. It’s not just enough to make the shelves look full. They have to be enticing and inviting.

I believe it was George Whalin who said, “advertising brings products to the customer, but merchandising brings customers to the product.” Yes, merchandising is one of the most important aspects of retailing. It’s not an afterthought or a minimum-wage job.

And for the holiday season, the shelves are my domain. I love the challenge. Not only do I get to know the products better, (hey, it’s hard to keep track of 32,000 different items) I get to be out on the floor meeting and greeting all the happy customers.

So if you see me pushing around a cart full of toys, it may look like I’m busy, but really I’m just having fun. And I’m always available to answer a question or too.

Merry Christmas!

-Phil