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Retail Managers: Achieve Store Employee Nirvana

Posted by Heather Brautman | Mon, Nov 04, 2013 @ 05:00 PM

retail employee theftWant ways to give your retail staffers more on-the-job satisfaction? It’s called employee buy-in, and it has nothing to do with the money they spend on products from your store! 

Buy-in is the idea of creating enjoyment, investment, and a sense of personal satisfaction from the job, and it doesn’t cost much. Here are some of our best ideas. Let them be experts. Remember the little recommendation cards in video rental stores? (Wait, do you even remember video rental stores?) It was a way for employees to show a little flair, a little expertise, and recommend items to customers. Bring it back to your store. Sell clothing? Let one employee a week put together an entire outfit on a mannequin. Dealing in electronics? Ask for tips and suggestions on what your workers themselves prefer and display them by the merchandise. Have your workers become the masters of a product in the store, letting them become the go-to in-store specialists.

Be sell-outs. Inspire a little competition among those on your roster for the day by picking a sluggish item and seeing who can sell the most of it. Make it a lower-priced, impulse buy item and stock a pile by your registers, or have employees tote them around. It’s up to you whether you want to offer an incentive (a store gift card, a longer lunch break) or just bragging rights.

Dress it up. Whether your store “uniform” consists of khakis and polos or something more formal, give employees a little leeway to show their personal flair. Have theme days, color schemes, and encourage dressing for the season and holiday, where permissible. Even something like a colored tie, patterned store apron, or a couple of decorative pins can liven up what your workers sport every day.

Treat them to treats. Treats aren’t just for Halloween, and there should be nothing tricky about it. Reward employees and keep them revved up for their workdays by nourishing their stomachs, along with their souls. Stock your break room with healthy (free) fuel, such as granola bars, individual boxes of protein-rich cereal, fruit, and tea. Employees working hard during your holiday rush will especially appreciate a quick grab-and-go. You don’t have to go broke with these items, as warehouse stores and mass merchandisers such as Target will let you feed your masses without much cashes. Don't forget to claim the expenses on your taxes!

Make register ringing easier. Congratulations to you if you make check payments an option to your customers, who we’re sure appreciate it. But the old style of typing in all of the information, rolling it through the register multiple times, and waiting, waiting, waiting can cause line backups and disgruntled customers who then take it out on your employees. By adopting check verification, you can use your own equipment to run checks within seconds. Employees earn a boost in their efficiency and customers are through your lines faster. 

One type of employee on-the-job behavior you want to stop in its tracks? Theft. It’s a sad fact of life that retail managers have to deal with every day. To help you fight this devastating practice, we’ve put together a free eBook with 30 tips to prevent employee theft. Download it here:

 

employee theft prevention

Topics: Retail

Written by Heather Brautman