Scroll to the end of the article for a conversation with Armand on the role of a produce buyer.
If you’ve read much of The Packer or PMG, you’re probably familiar with Armand Lobato, our resident seasoned veteran best known for his insightful columns on the role of produce manager. Well, he also spent years as a produce buyer, so we wanted to get his perspective on the key areas of the job and advice for people new to that role.
One of the first topics that comes to mind for many is seasonality — not just the basics, but especially when to enter a deal and when to get out. You can’t be late to the party, but you don’t want to be early either, and you don’t want to stay too long, Lobato said.
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Often retailers compete to be first to market with seasonal items that shoppers anticipate, like cherries or peaches or melons. Winning the sprint to the starting line, however, doesn’t always position stores well for the marathon of the season.
“Being first is not necessarily what you want as a buyer,” Lobato said. “I remember in our chain, in the spring, it was always a big deal to see who would run the first big California strawberry ad, and even though the average consumer probably didn’t notice, in the business, we cared, and so there was a lot of pressure to make sure that as soon as possible, with the quality being acceptable, to get that first strawberry ad out.”
One year, a competitor beat them to the punch, Lobato recalled. He bought some of the berries, which he spotted while out checking pricing, and he brought them back to the office. His company wasn’t scheduled to break with its ad for a couple more weeks.
“I bought a flat from our competitor to take it into our office, and they were awful,” Lobato said. “They were white shoulders, they were small, they just looked terrible, and it was because it was just too early.
“And so I went into the office, I was at the computer putting in pricing and stuff, my boss is right behind me, when our vice president walked in the door and slammed down our competitor’s ad and says, ‘How could you let this happen? Strawberries on ad at our competitors?’” Lobato recalled.
As it turned out, the berries weren’t actually from California. They were from Baja California.
“Mexico has wonderful berries, but not that early,” Lobato said. “It was a good example of somebody pulling the trigger way too early, and this is important because if a customer goes in your store and in their mind they expect to see something and you’re giving them something inferior, that’s a terrible experience and chances are really good they’re not going to buy strawberries from you again ... for some time, whether it’s (a visual disappointment) or in eating experience.”
The same goes for the back end of a deal, Lobato said.
The old expression is that you don’t want to drain the barrel. Customers remember, even from the end of one season to the beginning of the next. You want them to remember the seasonal item at its peak, not at the so-so quality that often persists at the start of a deal and at the tail end.
For more conversation on produce buying, watch the video below. New produce buyers and aspiring produce buyers can find a free resource here on key areas of the role to keep in mind.
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