1. Assignment 7_07 “Not All the People, the Best People”
Retailing is a service business. No matter what products are offered, it is a personal
exchange that finalizes the transaction. Opening the doors are not enough, “going it
alone” with your new store is not practical since “Open” hours dictate when product is
available for sale and traditionally retailing hours begin at 9AM and stretch late into the
evening to accommodate the potential for customer’s that also work. Hosting the store
in shared shifts is a necessity, making retail store managers and owners the most
practiced employers in our economy. Becoming an employer is a huge responsibility
and is, rightfully, a daunting process -not a task, a process. Until cloning becomes a
reality and one can reproduce themselves in others, the same skill sets of
communication, trust, patience, appreciation and attention to detail that have made you
a successful seller need to be channeled to the hiring process.
With the first hire you quickly realize the new found
responsibility is mutual. The store is responsible for
providing a safe, respectful and predictable place for the
employee to earn a living and the employee is
responsible for being reliable, respectful, and effective.
Establishing wage is the “balance” between the
employer’s level of predictability and the employee’s
effectiveness with minimum wage being a floor, not the
beginning. Survey similar enterprises in your immediate
location to establish a reasonable beginning wage, be
sure the store can afford it, and have a written policy manual in hand before the first
interview.
When interviewing I like to have the word “amity” written at the top of my interview
notepad and cross off the corresponding trait as it reveals itself in a first time meeting.
“A” for assurance, does this person believe
in themselves and can I expect they can
believe in us? The most important move to
success is ensuring everyone is moving in
the same direction. “M” for motivated, will
this be a hobby or a longterm engagement?
Hiring is an expensive process, without a
passion for what we do, why would you
ever want to do it? “I” for integrity, is their
transportation reliable and can schedules
be respected? Unreliable employees force
stores into developing a deep part-timer list
of associates that dilutes the personality of
your brand. “T” for trust, are we communicating and are your ideas fresh or practiced?
Employees are partners in the store’s customer experience, customers are the sole
income of the store and every experience needs to be positive. Will this new hire
understand the customer may not always be right; but they are the customer? “Y” for

2. why do I like you, where does that spark come from? The workplace should not be a
dull and lifeless environment - let’s love what we do and share that joy with whoever
walks through the doors.
Now you are a team, meticulously walk through expectation and task lists. Comfort
for you both comes form knowing, and accomplishing, milestones each day. Task lists
are the best vehicle for ensuring communication continues shift to shift. Acknowledge
and reward successes and dissect and brainstorm over soft spots, weekly, monthly and
quarterly. Without communication there can be no growth. As a leader, or when
evaluating a leader, “I didn’t know that” is the flag you have not done your job properly
and you must immediately reevaluate management procedures, not the employees.
In retailing, be assured your last hire will never be your “last hire”. As a store owner,
this is your chosen profession and although you may think of it as your life, it is not the
same for employees. Their lives will always begin at the end of the shift and work is a
part of their balance. Families move, degrees are earned and life altering situations
occur changing the needs in those lives. Today’s social media offers a terrific
opportunity to make the process, and pool, of future hires easier. Encourage your
employees to share their experiences in your workplace with others. This enhances
your reputation as a terrific place to work and develops a pool of fans to draw from as
the inevitable future hiring needs arrive. Never turn away a good hire you can afford
now, success is never a solo trip.
Diana J. Dendy