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Hi everyone!
Just a quick post to say I've not completely disappeared or forgotten about you all on my fave place on the web, the 'Grapevine'!
I've been mad busy at my new branch for the past 2 weeks (and before that getting everything ready to hand over in my old branch), so am coming in from work tired and needing to relax, hence I've not been online recently very much at all!
The new store I've taken over is twice the turnover, about 1/3 more staff, about 2 1/2 times the floorspace and about 100 times the problems!! The previous manager has taken over my smaller branch, and is already letting it slip (its been in 15th out of 17 in the sales perfprmance since I left, compared with top 3 before I left!)!
The new team have been pretty good so far, they've now been enlightened as to some of the basics (the previous boss didnt even communicate their targets or responsibilities, or bonus potentials, or required standards at all), enthused by a positive attitude, empowered (by being given some basic training and skills plus the responsibility to make their own decisions) and encouraged (by seeing myself and the Deputy Manager leading from the front, serving customers, cleaning, ticket printing and not sitting in the office drinking brews - as happened before I arrived), along with given some praise when they've done something well, and being told 'thankyou' at the end of the day or when they've finished something! The lacklustre staff attitude and apathy to doing anything along with the poor morale from being poorly led seems to have changed virtually overnight!
The branch was absolutely filthy (I dont think its been dusted or cleaned for at least 6 months), had about 4000 products (from a total of 14000 in the branch) without £ labels (and another 3000 or so that are still on the old labels that are the wrong colours), had a rota system that didnt support the customer service at all, had staff paid for 1/2 hr after they closed to tidy up (which wasnt happening, but is now - the 'deal' for the staff is as soon as its tidy and locked up they get to go home, so if they are paid till 830pm and its done for 810pm, then they get out 20 mins early and get paid for those 20 mins too!)
Gapchecking (stock checking) was non existant before I took over, with over 5% of the branch products being out of stock - yet the computer thought they were still there, so we wrote off £11K of stock last week in an attempt to correct it all and get the stock on the shelves, as you cant sell it if you havent got it!
The whole store has been dusted, and over half of the missing labels and wrongly coloured ones have been printed and put out, its already feeling tidier and sharper plus we've started to look at the merchandising to improve it and maximise our display standards and sales!
Performance wise, the new branch has been in 16th place so far this year all year, and was regularly bottom of the area. After 1 week we moved to 2nd place last weekend and finished last week in 4th place with the 4th highest £ turnover aswell, something unheard of in Macclesfield!
The days seem to be flying past, I'm busy all day long, but we seem to be starting to make a turn around, the team are more positive, the Area Manager is amazed and the customners seem happy too, so at the moment although its challenging and hard work I'm thoroughly enjoying myself! The plans are to have the basics all sorted and standards in place before Easter, then to dig a bit deeper after that and put into place more efficient ways of working to maximise staff time and minimise workload!
Travelling wise its saving me a tankfull of petrol a month, but taking me about 1 1/4 hr in rush hour (35 mins if the roads are clear) as I've 3 bottlenecks to negotiate, but overall its fun, and with a small payrise (and the chances of further payrises to come as the salary banding is much higher in this branch compared to my old one), then its been a good move!
Hopefully when we've got it all sorted at Easter, then I'll be able to return to more regular postings on the vine! In the meantime I'm sure Mr D will keep you all appraised of whats happening on our plots!
Just a quick post to say I've not completely disappeared or forgotten about you all on my fave place on the web, the 'Grapevine'!
I've been mad busy at my new branch for the past 2 weeks (and before that getting everything ready to hand over in my old branch), so am coming in from work tired and needing to relax, hence I've not been online recently very much at all!
The new store I've taken over is twice the turnover, about 1/3 more staff, about 2 1/2 times the floorspace and about 100 times the problems!! The previous manager has taken over my smaller branch, and is already letting it slip (its been in 15th out of 17 in the sales perfprmance since I left, compared with top 3 before I left!)!
The new team have been pretty good so far, they've now been enlightened as to some of the basics (the previous boss didnt even communicate their targets or responsibilities, or bonus potentials, or required standards at all), enthused by a positive attitude, empowered (by being given some basic training and skills plus the responsibility to make their own decisions) and encouraged (by seeing myself and the Deputy Manager leading from the front, serving customers, cleaning, ticket printing and not sitting in the office drinking brews - as happened before I arrived), along with given some praise when they've done something well, and being told 'thankyou' at the end of the day or when they've finished something! The lacklustre staff attitude and apathy to doing anything along with the poor morale from being poorly led seems to have changed virtually overnight!
The branch was absolutely filthy (I dont think its been dusted or cleaned for at least 6 months), had about 4000 products (from a total of 14000 in the branch) without £ labels (and another 3000 or so that are still on the old labels that are the wrong colours), had a rota system that didnt support the customer service at all, had staff paid for 1/2 hr after they closed to tidy up (which wasnt happening, but is now - the 'deal' for the staff is as soon as its tidy and locked up they get to go home, so if they are paid till 830pm and its done for 810pm, then they get out 20 mins early and get paid for those 20 mins too!)
Gapchecking (stock checking) was non existant before I took over, with over 5% of the branch products being out of stock - yet the computer thought they were still there, so we wrote off £11K of stock last week in an attempt to correct it all and get the stock on the shelves, as you cant sell it if you havent got it!
The whole store has been dusted, and over half of the missing labels and wrongly coloured ones have been printed and put out, its already feeling tidier and sharper plus we've started to look at the merchandising to improve it and maximise our display standards and sales!
Performance wise, the new branch has been in 16th place so far this year all year, and was regularly bottom of the area. After 1 week we moved to 2nd place last weekend and finished last week in 4th place with the 4th highest £ turnover aswell, something unheard of in Macclesfield!
The days seem to be flying past, I'm busy all day long, but we seem to be starting to make a turn around, the team are more positive, the Area Manager is amazed and the customners seem happy too, so at the moment although its challenging and hard work I'm thoroughly enjoying myself! The plans are to have the basics all sorted and standards in place before Easter, then to dig a bit deeper after that and put into place more efficient ways of working to maximise staff time and minimise workload!
Travelling wise its saving me a tankfull of petrol a month, but taking me about 1 1/4 hr in rush hour (35 mins if the roads are clear) as I've 3 bottlenecks to negotiate, but overall its fun, and with a small payrise (and the chances of further payrises to come as the salary banding is much higher in this branch compared to my old one), then its been a good move!
Hopefully when we've got it all sorted at Easter, then I'll be able to return to more regular postings on the vine! In the meantime I'm sure Mr D will keep you all appraised of whats happening on our plots!
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