If it sounds like an old high school wrestling cheer, it’s because it is — something I remember from my short prep wrestling career. The cheer for a possible reverse of positioning on the mat, as I was soundly pinned by my opponent, are faint memories. I wasn’t a very good wrestler.
In fresh produce? Switch it; change it; rearrange it; means entirely something else.
This came to mind this week visiting my sweet, silver-haired mother. Even at 86 she enjoys grocery shopping, albeit from the senior, electric cart. Her favorite place to shop — an aging nearby store built many decades ago — finally got a total remodel. “It’s still not a big store,” she said. “But they really did it nice, they have so many things now!”
I know the store well. I worked for the same chain eons ago, and as a supervisor, coordinated not one but two remodels there. The last one being in early 1990. So yeah, it was due.
The interesting thing about major chain remodels is that they tend to follow a certain pattern: Store fixtures begin to wear down, store does minor patching of things or areas breaking down. Sales lag, then lag further. Five to 10 years pass. Store looks nowhere near like it once did, and nowhere near what the latest stores are featuring in the way of trends, stock selection, appearance and upkeep. Just walking into the aging store there’s a funky odor only found in the oldest of grocery stores.
In short, the location may have the same banner above the door, but it no longer has “it” where it counts.
Enter the remodel plan. Typically, such a store’s remodel has likely been in the works for years. When it finally enters the action phase things really start happening: Trailers brimming with new fixtures are parked in the outskirts of the lot. Construction begins, action plans go from blueprints to execution. People are brought in to coordinate and to work. The store often closes for a short period while the pieces all fit together. Retail specialists, including the store’s produce team, work many days —sometimes overnight shifts — to get everything stocked and the grand opening is a hit. And the cycle begins anew.
As for dear old mom, she thought she drove her electric scooter into a brand-new store. A remodel will do that. She saw products on the shelf that she thought she could only find at the big, nicer store miles away. Now she’s happy. She can find lots of fresh produce that for some reason was never stocked before. Increased SKUs and wider facings means better selection.
Boosted sales translates into Increased inventory turns, which means fresher produce and much-needed added labor hours. I suspect it’s a new produce manager at the helm, and an aggressive produce supervisor behind the project, too.
A strong store manager will insist that strict remodel standards remain in place for months, even years to come.
My sweet, old ma can’t possibly make up for the kind of sales this store has lost over the years due to complacency, oversight and neglect, but you can bet she and others told their friend or neighbor how nice the store is, and those friends and neighbors told a few more, and before you know it, the dreary, aged store has not only had a facelift, but also a lot better reputation. Add it all up, and it only makes sense why chains keep up with ongoing remodel efforts.
The return on the millions of dollars invested are quickly recaptured. Best of all, this keeps the customers happy, and coming back time and time again.
Wrestling or retailing, rearranging is a pretty good move.