Friday, December 5, 2008

Why is the register in the back of the store?

Fun day. I worked my first full shift. The regional manager and someone she was training were in today as well. They made the store manager nervous by just talking amongst themselves and pointing all day. They did help during a ten minute period when we were extremely backed up but the rest of the time they just whispered and pointed. I understood that The RM wanted to show the guy what to look for and point out. Since she was in the store yesterday and already told the SM what she needed, she didn't need to repeat it today. I just wish that they hadn't stayed for so long. I stay up front to great the guests and make sure that the merchandise stays inside the store until it is paid for. The SM worked the back of the store including the registers.
Now, why are the registers in the back of the store? Doesn't that invite theft? When my grandfather moved the registers from the back to the front of the store, he lowered shrink in his store by over 50%. That is very significant. I wonder if it is just an aesthetic thing. If it is, they need to change. It could be to force customers to go through the store and admire the clothes before they do a return but honestly, the amount of theft vs convincing a customer to buy one item is just not enough in my opinion. Of course, I don't have any hard numbers with which to compare the theft vs returns gained. Oh well. I'm just an assistant manager anyways. What do I know.

1 comment:

Amber said...

Well, Kohls makes you pay up front, but if you have to return something you have to walk to Timbucktu to return it - they should be able to do returns at the registers, but hey, I just walk all the freaking way to the back of the store and return my stuff.

But at the stores where the registers are in the back, they tend to usually have someone up front, and/or have a pretty clear view of the exit.