“Excuse me sir,” a customer said, approaching the clerk stocking bananas. “Do you know anything about these mangoes? I’ve heard they’re good but I’ve never bought one before. How do you tell when they’re ripe? How do you cut them up?” The clerk, absorbed in his task, half smiled and shrugged his shoulders.“Beats me,” he said. “I’ve never tried them myself.” The shopper winced a little, shook her head, placed the frui...
Even though some produce managers may not be especially keen on the idea of added paperwork, simple training charts can be a useful tool. These charts help managers keep track of employees’ progress, improve training, streamline performance appraisals, and can even reduce department shrink.Here’s a few FAQs on the subject.How long should a produce training period be?This depends on the clerk, the company, and how muc...
MILWAUKIE, Ore. — You wouldn’t think just adding a photo of a mobile phone would make such a drastic difference in participation.But for the Pear Bureau Northwest’s Pear University merchandising training, mobile was essential, says Kathy Stephenson, communications manager.“We added a photograph of a smart phone with the merchandising training on the screen,” she says.That’s it — a photo.The small, seemingly-obvious c...
People have a propensity for pineapples.According to The Packer’s 2016 Fresh Trends, 39% of U.S. consumers purchased pineapple in the past 12 months.Chicago-based IRI Worldwide reports that for the 52 weeks ending June 12, dollar sales for pineapples reached $797 million – an increase of 2.9% over the previous 52-week period.Per capita consumption reached 6.74 pounds in 2013, compared with 4.4 pounds in 2003, accordi...
BERKELEY, Calif.—You can do some push-ups while waiting for your bakery order at the Andronico’s.At the company’s Shattuck Avenue location, foot and hand guides — both adult- and kid-size — adorn the floor and a post near bakery, adjacent to the produce department. They suggest shoppers do some exercise while they wait.I did a few. Why not? It was a fun idea, one of many Andronico’s Community Markets added since CEO...
