Retail Workload Planning: Is Your Store Ready For The Customer?

November 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Dwight Hill, managing director, The Retail Advisory

An intricate workload planning program can help your labor force fulfill your needs as well as the needs of the customer.

The best laid plans of retailers and their customers can often go awry.

You’re a busy retail executive. You’ve developed a store design that is innovative and stands out in the marketplace. The merchants are flowing merchandise into the stores to drive sales, and the pricing team is working hard to ensure prices are competitive, yet fulfill margin goals. Your sales staff is trained and knowledgeable and the schedules are written to ensure proper coverage. The financial and operational plans at headquarters are culminating in an ideal customer experience that will help ensure your primary goal is achieved — make the sales plan. Sounds like the ideal scenario, right?