LAST IMPRESSIONS LAST! (Part II)

This is a continuation of Part I published last week. We are relating to the old "axiom" of first impressions when shopping a store are the most important ones and a "contrarian" view that last impressions formed at the check-out counter are at least as important and how to take action to formulate a more favorable last impression!

First, without detail, here are some fundamental, easy to implement steps to lessen the wait time:
>Cross-train all personnel:
enabling them to handle a client from start to finish adding the personal element to the experience by examing your sales per hour and sales per day determining which days require a solely designated cashier or an extra cashier
>If you have multi-checkout areas:
you may want to designate certain areas for check and credit card purchases which traditionally are the most time consuming, limiting the areas for cash that are more expedient
>In “larger box” type stores:
assigning personnel to handle the bagging as well as separation of consumer's purchases will speed up the checkout process
>Examine your training regiment: Some more costly, albeit effective systems to implement are:
adding an additional check out area within your operation,implementing “pre scanning” hardware and software which incorporates a “pre checkout” environment and the cashier personnel simply finalizes the transaction, introducing scheduling software into your POS system which gives you not only sales per hour, but actual transactions enabling logical scheduling changes that will not cost any more payroll dollars, but a shift of dollars to those areas (not only checkout) that need more or less personnel

Constructively, observe the configuration of your checkout area. It is interesting to observe checkout areas which have no area for customers with multiple purchases to layout their merchandise, no consideration for “line control” and no thought to allowing various customers to separate their purchases!

Certainly we all have been brought up with the proven belief that “you only get one chance to make a good first impression” and this old axiom certainly holds a lot of truth! Nonetheless, our world, our customer has changed immensely along with the competitive environment. With that in mind, I contend that the time is now to be aware that “the last impression, the one that is formulated at the checkout, of your store or business is the one that the customer will remember the longest!

In closing, it would be an exercise in futility to have the product desired by the consumer, an environment that is pleasant to shop in, service beyond expectation, only to tarnish the experience due to an inordinate amount of time spent or cumbersome experience at the checkout, creating a bad last impression!
As always, your comments, or further insight is invited. My solutions are ones that I have experience at implementing. If you would like to improve your operation with a collective goal of improved revenue and ultimately improved income.

Randy Snyder is a Specialty retail consultant with over 35 years experience with 4 national chains and two international concerns. His experiences are vast including buying, training, sales, franchising, merchandising and store design to name a few! You may reach him at (p) 828 625 4932 or e mail @ rsnyder921@aol.com.