School Assignment

1. Winn-Dixie Project
CORY HARVEY
6/27/15

2. Overview
 My project includes ways to increase productivity at Winn-Dixie.

3. Introduction
 My name is Cory Harvey, and I am currently employed at Winn-
Dixie. Currently, at least at my store, there is a small problem that
effects the efficiency of the store.

4. The Situation
 In order to get the best deals and the fuel perks at Winn-Dixie, a
customer must present a Winn-Dixie card. The problem is that many
customers want the deals without having to actually get a card. In
that situation, the cashier must go and find a manager and use their
store card, which effectively halts the checkout line and slows
productivity.

5. Success Factors
 The key success factors of Winn-Dixie is its excellent customer service
and its (usually) fast checkout times. Having to run to get a manager
every time someone does not want to get a card can make the
other customers irate, while lowering their opinion of Winn-Dixie’s
service. This, in turn, can lead to less business on our end.

6. Alternatives
 There are several alternatives to this current structure. Each register
could be issued its own card to scan, like the manager store card,
whenever a customer does not want their own card. This way, the
cashier could decrease their checkout times.
 Another, simpler way could be for the cashier to be allowed to have
a regular Winn-Dixie card to scan for customers who do not wish to
get their own card, then just throw that card away at the end of the
day.

7. What’s the Best Option
 In my opinion, the most strategic option for Winn-Dixie would be to
allow each cashier to have a designated Winn-Dixie card that they
could throw away at the end of the day.

8. Benefits of this Option
 There are several benefits to this option. Implementing a card like
the manager has at every register would require a whole new
system most likely. With this option, it saves Winn-Dixie money, and it
drastically cuts down on checkout times. Cashiers also do not have
to distract the managers nearly as much, so they can focus on the
task at hand. “Checkout is critical to service – people get mad
when they have to wait," said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of
Davidowitz & Associates, a New York consulting firm for the retail
industry. “(Coolidge, 2013).

9. Risks of this Option
 The risks for this option are minimal, but there are a couple. Cashiers
could misplace their designated card very easily. Cashiers would
not want to use too many cards, because they would be pre-
loaded with reward points before they even got to the customer. It
also would be a slight waste of Winn-Dixie cards, but I think the cost
of the cards would be low compared to the faster checkout times.

10. Final Recommendation
 At the end of the day, the best option would be to tell each cashier
that they are allowed to keep one Winn-Dixie card on the side to
use for customers who want deals but not their own cards. With this
system, managers do not have to be constantly bothered by
cashiers, cashiers can check out customers much faster, and the
other customers do not have to wait in line as long. This option
would save Winn-Dixie time and money, since it can take an
upwards of 3 to 5 minutes to get a manager’s attention based on
how busy that manager is.

11. References
 Coolidge, A.C. (2013). USA Today. Retrieved 27 June, 2015, from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/06/20/new-
technology-helps-kroger-speed-up-checkout-times/2443975/

12. Slideshare Link
 http://www.slideshare.net/CoryHarvey1/winn-dixie-project