Saturday, September 10, 2011

MANAGING A RETAIL BUSINESS IS LIKE DRIVING A BUS



What Makes a good retail organization?

Retail Store managementWhen everything is working properly, you have a well oiled machine that doesn’t break down.

Each division , such as Home Office, Field Personnel , District Managers, Store Managers, right down to the stock clerk, have their place in getting the bus (business) to its finial destinations. Every year the destination is the same, making a profit.

It is the Bus Depots (Upper Managements) job to make sure they hire the right driver (Managers) for the job. They should train him/her how to drive for both safety and performance. The driver should know how each parts of the bus works and how to fuel and maintain it. Should the bus run out of gas it might not reach its destination on time.

The Depot may have many buses out there each driving a route all the same goal of reaching the final destination. Its important to have GPS to keep track of each driver so they don’t get lost.

It is the depots job to make sure the driver keeps to his schedule and understands the route they must take.

It is the drivers job to inspect the bus daily and make sure each part is working properly. If just one part (employee) stops working the whole bus could slow down or come to a screeching halt.

Its important to rotate your tires from time to time to make sure they ware down evenly. You wouldn’t want to a have a blow out and be stuck on the side of the road waiting for a replacement part (new employee), because you didn’t have a spare ready to go.

The Driver is in charge of steering the bus along its daily course. Picking up passengers (customers) along the way.
If the Driver falls asleep at the wheel or makes a wrong turn, the passengers might go a different route and bus next time.

Some times Drivers think they can take a short cut . Steer the bus down the wrong path, you could find yourself on a bumpy road with more detours than it’s worth. Staying on right path is usually best to reach the final destination on time or even ahead of schedule.

The depot should not assume the driver knows where he is going and isn’t wondering aimlessly while passengers are yelling at him.

Bad drivers are surprised when the bus crashes. If they had stayed on course, worn their seat belts and not gone down a bumpy road, they wouldn’t have been thrown under the bus.

During the yearly inspection are the inspectors looking for everything they should. A lot of things are overlooked as long as the bus gets to is destination.

Just because the bus is still running doesn’t mean it will keep working for much longer. Many inspectors miss the duct tape and rubber bands holding parts in place. They are surprised when parts start to fall off because no one thought to take care of them. The bus falls behind schedule and has a hard time catching up. If the bus breaks down for any reason the passengers will be stranded, they might find a different more reliable bus company next time.

1 comment:

  1. i agree. my country i am also retail consultant and i learn from your site. Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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