Question over here, please!
During a recent home project, I hired a contractor and his team to run an underground water-supply line from our house to a distant point of our yard. The freezeproof Iowa-type hydrant will come in handy to water our garden, for the chicken coop, and perhaps for a future horse. (That last one is an expensive consideration, but we’ll see how things unfold.)
The contractor did all the work. I supervised. You wouldn’t think it necessary, but there were some rapid-fire questions at times from the crew, requests for specific tools, etc. I’m glad I was hanging around.
It reminded me a little of the hectic pace of setting up a produce department for a remodel or new store. As details pop up, no matter how prepared a team is, you can count on a lot of questions.
How do these acrylic inserts fit — this way or that way? The sign kit is set up, but I don’t see the grand opening signs. Where can I find them? We’re missing two ad items. The refrigeration guy is in the cooler, he needs you. The truck just showed up; who do you want to direct traffic back there? Joe’s sick today. Who can cover his duties? The deli manager says she’s expecting three cases of teardrop tomatoes. Are these on today’s load or tomorrows? The warehouse just called; they have a second trailer ready. Can we receive it now? On this specialty set, it says tomatillos, but I think it’s supposed to be tamarillos — OK to stock these instead?
Hundreds of products. A dozen produce clerks weaving in and out of the scene. Crunch time. Controlled chaos.
The produce supervisor/specialist is the go-to person — the produce setup choreographer. It’s rare when the supervisor can escape for a breather, much less an actual break or a moment to walk the produce manager through during the pre- and post-grand opening madness.
The simplest solution to dealing with these rapid-fire decisions? Have a second supervisor or specialist on-site. Most chains staff at least a few. I’ve managed grand openings as the lead supervisor and as the supporting one, and I’ve managed them solo as well. Things go much smoother with a tandem.
Related: More insight from Armand Lobato
Produce supervisors tend to think similarly, especially when they have worked together for any length of time. This makes it easier to divide the duties for the remodel.
Further, it helps to enlist four or so area produce managers — a set team of sorts to help with the grand opening set. Most chains have their all-star group, and it’s very beneficial to enlist them to help set up, to help train and direct the existing crew, and to support the existing produce manager.
And beyond the remodel and grand opening, scheduling the experienced managers for the first couple of weeks in early, middle, and even closing shifts helps ensure that nothing goes sideways, while providing enough help so that everyone can still take their regular days off. Muy importante.
In the produce aisle, there’s no substitute for experience.
I believe in planning your work, then working your plan. However, fresh produce is fraught with nuances, unexpected situations or problems that demand on-the-fly adjustments, and a grand opening is no time to pinch pennies, laborwise.
A grand opening multiplies everything tenfold, be it with orders, display adjustments or schedule changes. If you can imagine it, it can and does happen.
Loading up with a secondary supervisor and experienced produce managers to help on the front end and following a clear action plan can be the difference between a successful opening and one that struggles to maintain standards.
As one store manager asked as we reviewed plans for her remodel, “Load me up with plenty of ‘whiskers’ (experienced people).”
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.