Legalese. We’ve all watched the courtroom dramas, when the attorney bravely stands and says, “If it pleases the court …”
This respectful address to the judge is usually followed by the counselor revealing some important information that could somehow benefit their client, right? In the drama of grocery store planning, I’ve always wished that a fresh produce representative was present to press for, of all things, space.
Space — as in wisely allocated, sufficient square footage. Produce by nature is a bulk business after all.
Follow any produce truck to the retail destination, and that driver could be bringing anywhere from six pallets of product up to 20 fully loaded pallets if the truck is jammed full. And so many trailers of produce delivered are indeed loaded from front to back with fresh product.
The all-too-common and troubling issue? Stores that are poorly designed to accommodate the volume.
I remember looking over a blueprint of such a proposed new store location. While the display space was generous and the placement was great — front and center where the customer practically walks right into the produce aisle — the receiving area resembled not much more than a broom closet. At least to me.
“Uh, aren’t we forgetting something here?” I remember saying to the judge, err, vice president, who beamed at how wonderful he thought the proposed layout looked.
When I mentioned the tight receiving space, an awkward and narrow backroom hallway (complete “dead” space), tight prep area, undersized cooler and little backroom space, he just shrugged. “You’ll have to make do,” he said. “Construction’s already under way.”
Swell.
Related: More insight from Armand Lobato
I understood the veep’s logic, to a degree. Store space is squeezed when adding new concepts or trending features. Other times space reduction is by design to keep backstock inventory to a minimum. Smaller backrooms force produce managers to order extra-tight, to follow the “truck to shelf” philosophy and keep the flow of produce fresh. Nobody believes in that more than this old produce scribe.
However, produce departments still need an advocate in the planning stage.
And according to Vocabulary.com, an advocate is, “A person who represents another’s interests, like a lawyer. In fact, the word comes from the courtroom … from Latin advocare, to ‘add’ a voice … to the cause.”
That may seem a bit dramatic, but the seasoned produce director advocate must weigh in when an organization is in the process of designing a new store — during the planning stage, when it costs little for the architect to make a few changes.
A produce advocate with deep produce experience can examine proposed space and make suggestions. These interjections, if taken into consideration may help — scratch that — will help tremendously in the life span of the store, regarding how efficiently a produce department will operate. Or not.
Produce departments don’t necessarily need an overabundance of space, but they need enough room to properly and safely receive, stage, break down and prep at least a full load of product at once.
Sometimes having reserve racking helps, other times not so much. An efficient produce department design should have enough cooler space for at least nearly a full trailer, space to organize and rotate product, as well as enough backroom space to store extra fixtures, for signage, pallets and supplies without having to share much space with other departments.
All this — and enough front-end display space too, with wide aisles and ample room for multiple configurations. Ideally, that’s along with lobby and outdoor space for seasonal displays. That is, if your organization is serious about building and maintaining an efficient produce operation, capable of generating robust sales and gross profit to expand upon for years to come.
Produce advocates, take heed. If it pleases the court, that is.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.