subject: A Disorganized Dollar Store Stock Room Costs you Money [print this page] Author: Bob B Hamilton Author: Bob B Hamilton
One of the secrets everyone undertaking a dollar store start up should know is associated with their dollar store stock room. It is associated with how you actually manage your stock room and the dollar store merchandise that is allowed to go into back stock. The secret is simple establish operation guidelines and practices to minimize the amount of merchandise stored in a back room area. Building your practices around this guideline may mean more frequent orders, but it also means higher inventory turns. It can even contribute to achieving dollar store profits more quickly since less money is tied up in excess inventory. Do not knowingly order excess dollar store merchandise. Know the exceptions. They include great buys on core products that will quickly sell out. Adding some back stock to help guarantee you never run out of these items can help build extra dollar store profits around these important items. Non-core items should be allowed to run down to almost zero before replenishment merchandise comes into your store. Never automatically place dollar store merchandise into your stock room. Look for opportunities to use excess inventory for bulk displays, end caps and other large displays. Not only does the higher quantity of merchandise impress shoppers, it also helps add to sales and dollar store profits. If your gondola fixtures are 60 inches or higher add a top shelf and use that shelf for small quantities of excess inventory. Then simply pull items off the top shelf to restock the items below as they sell down. Even though your stock room will be almost empty during the year, include routine maintenance and upkeep duties into stock clerk and material handler duties. Establish good practices prior to your dollar store start up. Keep those practices in place. They should include routinely sweeping the floor, straightening the merchandise that is kept in back stock, periodically dusting and wiping down shelves, and checking for items that can go onto the sales floor. Never allow a cluttered and disorganized dollar store stock room to hide dollar store merchandise that is out of stock on the sales floor. These items cannot sell from the stock room. You are losing sales and dollar store profits when items cannot be seen and placed onto the sales floor as soon as they are needed. If your dollar store stock room is used for both incoming merchandise receiving and storage of excess merchandise, be sure you have laid out shelving and receiving tables or desks to accommodate the flow of merchandise. This should be done prior to your dollar store start up. Not only will a sound layout contribute to easier inventory management, but it will also make reordering easier to handle. To your success during your dollar store start up!About the Author:
