Loch Lomond Market Game Plan 2006

2006 will be the year to finalize work in many areas of the store. Following is a breakdown by areas. No effort is being made to order them by importance.

The Physical store

Replace front lobby flooring and take steps to ensure that the water problem is solved.

Address rat and fly problems even more thoroughly.

Re envision front lobby nearest to the doors and complete the work (ie. Shelving where the firewood is, different bookcase, blinds on sides of doors, etc.)

Serious consideration needs to be given to new centrally located doors as well as reconfiguring the produce department and creating an outdoor cafe seating area. If this looks unlikely in 2006 that should be understood.

Put a watering plan in place for established plantings as well as any new ones (outside planters).

Planters should be installed on either side of the doors, these could be utilized in other locations if the doors are moved in the future.

All refrigeration units need to be looked at on a schedule to prevent icing up, clogged drains, etc.

Build a new unit between meat and poultry cases.

Install lights on store sign and possibly on street sign as well (solar?).

The beverage case should be replaced, all others should wait until 2007.

Repair wall in cafè.

Spruce up Meat department, new wall treatment, wood trim, mirrors, etc.

Lighting problems in produce, the freezer aisle, in the freezer, etc., need to be fixed.

Repair the door to the freezer, the handle needs to be repaired and an axe purchased for inside the door.

Complete the aisle signs and install.

Fix the deli sandwich sign.

Replacement units for dough nuts and bagels must be bought and installed.

The Gelato dipping cabinet should be installed and a cover which can be used as a counter made that can cover it when not in use.

Repair refrigeration blinds that have fallen down, (or are about to).

Replacement shelves for bad spots such as the cracker section should be found and the existing ones replaced.

Install a new backing behind the pegboard candy.

The bearings in the roof fan sound as though they are going out.

The upstairs offices need to be thoroughly cleaned out and all unused stuff disposed of, (this may take a dumpster).

Do the same with the upstairs storeroom.

Remove all extraneous things from the back stockroom, (the safe, Woodlands coffee roaster, etc), and establish a back stock/supplies schematic.

The Loch Lomond Market logo should go on to all grocery bags,( paper, plastic, and canvas), coffee cups, deli container lids, produce bags, etc. Further branding can go on plastic coffee cups for sale, tins of chocolate, mints, hats, shirts, and anything else that can be thought of to brand.

Develop a template for in-store fliers which can be updated with weekly specials and also used as a way of communicating with the public.

Investigate and acquire a bag recycling center.

Store protocol

Obtain and edit an employee handbook.

Put a focus on stellar customer service, procedures, and manners in front of customers.

All employees need to be issued name tags and shirts and instructed that it is mandatory to wear them.

Possible additions to the attire would be Loch Lomond Market hats and sweatshirts.

Weekly meetings with department managers should take place, these can be collective or one on one.

Each month there should be a “state of the store” meeting with the owner and management for a two way dialog on everything from store development and advertising, to the future of the store itself.

At least once a year there should be a full store meeting to ensure that everyone is aware of store changes, policies, the future, etc., this could be combined with a gathering of some kind.

Store department analysis

Grocery

Establish methods to make all computer work formulaic. ie. Once daily, all items not in the system should be collected and input into the system from the customer service center, a certain amount of time should be scheduled each week to do item maintenance, tpr's, etc.

Work out bugs in the TPR setup, this has already proven to be a customer draw.

Update all forms and use to their fullest advantage.

Pricing must continue to be a priority, making sure that all items have shelf tags and that margins are on track.

Continue to train vendors on our ways and expectations.

Training on proper stocking is essential as well as proper use of back stock tags.

The store needs to be faced more frequently to keep the set intact.

The back room needs to be maintained more carefully, possibly including a twice yearly pullout of the back room.

Specific duties should to be given to all employees. (This is in effect now but can always be improved).

Make new overtures to vendors contacted in the past such as Alvarado Street and Semifreddi's.

Improve sanitation in all areas.

Store department analysis

Deli/Cafè

Find a Deli counter manager. Once this person is hired, a full rethinking of the department can be undertaken. Food preparation schedules and pars should be established, ordering schedules updated, front end management lists written, and basic protocol put in place.

Completely rethink the Cafè and dining area and cease the mentality that it doesn't exist if not looked at.

Remove all excess clutter from all deli areas such as personal items in the customer's view, mounds of newspapers, plastic counter covers stacked up in the cafè, etc.

Entrèes, salads, croûtons, cookies, etc., should all have pars established to avoid extremes of too much or too little product.

Nightly dinner specials work well and should be given a try, ( Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes with gravy, and Green beans - $9.99, or Salmon Fillet, Rice, and a Tossed Salad - $10.99 for example)

Consider introducing home pizza delivery.

Improve sanitation in all areas.

Store department analysis

Meat

A new Meat department manager must be found and installed in the department as soon as possible. The current manager should be retired so as to give the department the fresh new feel that it needs. It currently looks and feels old and dated and is holding the store back from succeeding to it's fullest. ”A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link”

Meat items that echo and rival all of the stores that we emulate must be introduced and promoted aggressively, ( marinated, stuffed, specialty, etc.)

The chicken warmer should be retired, it conflicts with the Deli, is not efficient, and is flat out ugly. It says “the past”. The rotisserie should be cleaned and utilized by the deli for the chickens served there.

Any and all meat, fish, and poultry that is not optimum for sale should be cataloged and transferred to the Deli while there is plenty of time to use it. The Meat manager should communicate with the chef on a daily basis to inform him of probable items coming over and the chef can inform him as to whether or not he is able to receive those products at the time. Items not usable at that time should be freezer wrapped, labeled, and dated, then frozen in an assigned area for future use. These items can be transferred at a reduced price. Keeping a log of such transfers will go a long way towards seeing which items are not moving or are being over ordered.

No unsellable items should be given away, sold to anyone at a reduced price or consumed by meat department personnel unless approved by management. This product belongs to the store and should be treated as such.

Any and all cooking of food should cease immediately.

Aggressive measures need to be undertaken to determine what the causes are for the unacceptable profit margins and heavy losses attributed for 2005.

As stated in the Physical store analysis, the department needs a face lift.

Install a four foot section of “grab and go” items to the left of the meat department.

Have all meat department employees follow dress protocol as with the rest of the store. White Oxford shirts are the best choice, barring that, white Polo shirts will work.

Improve sanitation in all areas.

Store department analysis

Produce

Every effort must be made by senior management to maintain the highest quality standards in this highly perishable area. Daily walk throughs to make sure everything is fresh, no slip hazards, no out of stocks, bag outages, etc., are essential.

Signage and price integrity must be kept up daily.

Buying from the Produce Market with Food Town when possible, as well as the farmers, increases profitability, freshness, and customer confidence.

The outside produce tables should be expanded, possibly relocated to in front of the store, (certainly, if the doors are relocated), especially in the good weather months.

Weekend Produce specials should be expanded and promoted.

A floor stand board can advertise specials or provide information about products or both.

Keep the majority of produce seasonal, guaranteeing optimum quality and freshness. This helps to promote the farm fresh feel that we are looking for.

Improve sanitation in all areas.

Summary

The above lists are by no means complete, but are a demonstration of the breadth of things to be done in all areas of the store.

Advertising also needs to be aggressively approached, some methods used in the past which proved ineffective may deserve another shot, as well as new approaches such as the bag stuffers.

Events that benefit the local community have proven effective such as the Grgich signing and the Flea Market. Plans are already in the works for a “Chowder Cook off”, and plans should be made to bring in the fire department, police, the formidable Ms. Kuhn, and others for events, festivals or whatever. The sky's the limit.

Richard Williams

2005-12-28T12:27:31

Richard Williams