Ahh the season is upon us and like most retailers you are readying for the storm of holiday shoppers. Black Friday traditionally kicks off the buying fest that you are counting on! Surely, your decor and door buster sales have been planned. Often the chaos of increased traffic and unusual promos to enter at check out can cause long waits and lost profits. Confusion is not the way you want to describe the day but rather efficient and crazy busy! Over the years I developed a last minute floor planning technique that optimizes the boost in shoppers.
First of all, business as usual with additional people scheduled makes a recipe for disaster.
The only way to handle an uptick in the number of customers is to schedule staff in a different way.
If and hopefully your staff typically assists customers around the shop and through the check out process…stop and re-frame your thinking for events and sales. This strategy does not apply for crowds. Rather, schedule staff for zones and specific tasks.
Zone scheduling is crucial for event sales. Basically, you need to have 3 zones: Door to 10, floor, and register.
- Door to 10 –
Put a sale item close to the door person. - 1 employee posted to greet customers upon entry and not going further than 10 feet from the door is there to point out sales and watch for shoplifting. This person should be prepped with a 30 second commercial to share with shoppers that will highlight your promotions. Often having one major door buster or deal located near the entry and this persons post is a good idea. It gives them something to point out and engage the customer as they enter and an opportunity to keep them in the store as they prepare to exit. A bonus to that employee based upon sales of the specific item they are pushing tends to increase motivation.
- Floor – Choose your best salespeople for this space or as the owner this is your spot! This post should be wearing comfy shoes, be ready to hustle and may not get involved at the register or entrance. Floor staff needs to keep focused on clients buying and not just visiting. It is crucial to discern shoppers from buyers and assist buyers first. For example, if dressing rooms are packed and you have a high maintenance customer requesting sizes and loving everything you need to stop and ask them,”what can I take to the register to start a pile for you?”
- if they have no yes items yet…get away from them! There is no better way to get a customer real than asking them to buy. If the response is, “oh I’m not sure I’m just having fun or the like”, get away from this time eating person and help the quiet lady picking out 8 scarves to actually purchase. She may mention needing 8 sets of earrings as well! Additionally, it will speed check out times to bring items to the register as clients decide on them to allow for the clerk post to prep the items in tissue and ring them up on a held receipt. (Most POS software allows for a customer to be rung up and then have the sale suspended until they are ready to check out.)
- Register – This post is for the most organized and versed on the POS system.
The register person must stay on task to stay ahead! Have them prep sales as a customer decides on items. - The employee here should be getting set-up with additional bags, tissue, give-aways, etc. prior to open and in between customers. Keep one deal or item you want to push at the register as an add on sale and bonus the register person on this items performance. Also, They should be coached to invite the customers to a future sale or event and given a 30 second pitch to repeat to everyone checking out. They are not to leave their post or assist on the floor.
RETAIL PROWESS 