I'm mostly an observer. That doesn't mean an "alert" observer, since I don't always get the whole story and find out what's goin' on behind the scenes. So caveat emptor.
I went to my favorite Marketplace Staples yesterday to return a 901 unopened ink cartridge for an HP All-in-one J6580 printer, my Mom's. Out of ink. Should'a been a simple replacement right? I had bought a 901 2-weeks earlier, and after an hour of tryin', could not set it in properly. Wrong cartridge? So back to Staples, checked the catalog carefully, and bought another 901. Got to Mom's but didn't open it. Thought I'd try with the opened one, one more time. And Voila! discovered I'd been tryin' to seat it in the wrong slot. Got it right, and worked perfectly!
So here I am returning the 17 buck unopened one. Wait my turn observing very efficient and personable cashier handlin' sales ahead of me. Nice lookin' young man, black hair, standing behind her. Before keying quickly, she says to him out of the corner of her mouth, "OK this button first, for Sale, then scan the item and hit . . . " and so on. Straightforward. Excellent training technique if your trainee has eidetic memory - total recall. But we don't except a tiny few of us like Marilu Henner from Taxi, now an author on the subject.
No cheat sheet for the guy. He wasn't takin' notes. How many times must he watch this process before he gets it down cold? Plenty I'd guess. So I get up there and hand in my unopened cartridge and credit card receipt. Same process, but she says "This is like a sale, only we pay the customer." and pauses now and again to show him what keys to kit. But she's quick, one because she doesn't want to hold any customer up and get them aggravated, and two, it slows her down. I said she was very efficient.
So to all retailers, why don't you do this better? Save time, and make your trainee's tasks much easier.
1. Three month probation period, mainly testing if they're reliable and how suitable they are. Maybe a $.25 raise if successful.
2. Have a cheet sheet, at the cash register at all times, for "Sale", "Refund," "Exchange," etc. Very helpful instead of callin' a manager away from the important work they're doin'.
3. Have an employee manual, that each new employee reads, and is tested on, like homework. Not just employment rules, but how things are done, how you want them done. How hard are these are number 2 and 3? Easy. Your cashiers and clerks perform these transactions 100's of times a day, just in this store. They could even write the stuff for you, with manager's final approval. Done.
4. Be systematic. One month just on the cash register til down pat. Next month, half register and half stocking and getting familiar with all store product placements.
5. Third month, half registers and half up-selling and sales. Learning about high end cash cows like furniture, computers and printers. (And thank you Staples for displayin' and sellin' these items. Circuit City's gone, CompUSA is gone too. It's tough with just always crowded Apple stores.)
6. From then on you'll have a relible talended employee. Every retailer wants that, right?
by Rodney Richards. New book Episodes, A poetic memoir, out in 3-weeks (held up by formatting and publishing issues - but book's DONE)
Email me at 1950ablia@gmail.com for more info
Like you, I've had many ups and downs, and quite a few sideways experiences. I firmly believe everyone should write theirs and share them, whether just for themselves or their kids. Here are some from my memoirs, observations and thoughts.
