Summary of Interview with Paul, Supervisor, Portland OR Store Paul is the supervisor for the
Portland store, and his duties are similar to supervisor duties at all the stores. Being supervisor is
only a part-time responsibility. Most of the time, Paul is just another employee at the Portland
store, buying flowers, preparing flowers for delivery to customers, making deliveries, etc.
Customers call to place orders for future flowers delveries. Usually, they order about one week in
advance. One order can (and typically does) involve several types of flowers. The store
employees know most of the customers by name and the types of flowers they prefer. They also
know what types of flowers may not be available, so they try to steer the orders to other flowers.
They record customer orders in our Excel-based order log. Around 4:30 AM each morning. Paul
reviews the log to determine what they need to purchase for the day. Store employees then use
YNF trucks to pick up flowers from the local growers. They carefully select the freshest flowers,
load the truck, and return to the store. They usually give the grower a purchase document that
identifies the purchase number (sequential), the grower number, the purchasing employee, the
truck VIN (to track mileage), the type of flowers, the quantity purchased, and the purchase price.
The price can fluctuate depending on the time of year and demand for that particular type of
flower. On occasion, one purchase can involve multiple types of flowers, although typically one
purchase is for one type of flowers. Occasionally, the employees forget to take the purchase
documents with them. In that case, they mail the document to the flower vendor after they retum to
the store. When the truck(s) retums to the store, there is a flurry of activity. Paul collects the
purchase documents to check them for any errors. Then, he scans them and emails them to Eli for
payment. While he does that, an employee unloads the truck, inspect the flowers, cull out the less
desirable flowers, and package them for delivery to customers in the afternoon. Paul then
prepares the delivery documents. Those documents list the customers' originat order number, the
order date, the dellvery (sale) date, the truck VIN used to deliver the flowers (to track mileage), the
types and quantities of flowers to be delivered, and the sale price. YNF sets flower prices for all
stores. Those prices are updated periodically based on expected purchase prices. Sometimes,
because of weather or other factors, the wholesale prices spike, and Forrest does not get
information in time to raise prices. Paul did not come out and say it, but he Y Not Flowers Project
seemed a little frustrated. When Forrest was not avallable, it was sometimes hard to check policy
and get a quick decision. Nevertheless, Paul was happy working for YNF. After the flowers are
packaged, employees load them into the tnuck(s) for delivery, normally early each afternoon.
Customers receive the flowers.
Summary of Interview with Paul Supervisor Portland OR Stor.pdf
1. Summary of Interview with Paul, Supervisor, Portland OR Store Paul is the supervisor for the
Portland store, and his duties are similar to supervisor duties at all the stores. Being supervisor is
only a part-time responsibility. Most of the time, Paul is just another employee at the Portland
store, buying flowers, preparing flowers for delivery to customers, making deliveries, etc.
Customers call to place orders for future flowers delveries. Usually, they order about one week in
advance. One order can (and typically does) involve several types of flowers. The store
employees know most of the customers by name and the types of flowers they prefer. They also
know what types of flowers may not be available, so they try to steer the orders to other flowers.
They record customer orders in our Excel-based order log. Around 4:30 AM each morning. Paul
reviews the log to determine what they need to purchase for the day. Store employees then use
YNF trucks to pick up flowers from the local growers. They carefully select the freshest flowers,
load the truck, and return to the store. They usually give the grower a purchase document that
identifies the purchase number (sequential), the grower number, the purchasing employee, the
truck VIN (to track mileage), the type of flowers, the quantity purchased, and the purchase price.
The price can fluctuate depending on the time of year and demand for that particular type of
flower. On occasion, one purchase can involve multiple types of flowers, although typically one
purchase is for one type of flowers. Occasionally, the employees forget to take the purchase
documents with them. In that case, they mail the document to the flower vendor after they retum to
the store. When the truck(s) retums to the store, there is a flurry of activity. Paul collects the
purchase documents to check them for any errors. Then, he scans them and emails them to Eli for
payment. While he does that, an employee unloads the truck, inspect the flowers, cull out the less
desirable flowers, and package them for delivery to customers in the afternoon. Paul then
prepares the delivery documents. Those documents list the customers' originat order number, the
order date, the dellvery (sale) date, the truck VIN used to deliver the flowers (to track mileage), the
types and quantities of flowers to be delivered, and the sale price. YNF sets flower prices for all
stores. Those prices are updated periodically based on expected purchase prices. Sometimes,
because of weather or other factors, the wholesale prices spike, and Forrest does not get
information in time to raise prices. Paul did not come out and say it, but he Y Not Flowers Project
seemed a little frustrated. When Forrest was not avallable, it was sometimes hard to check policy
and get a quick decision. Nevertheless, Paul was happy working for YNF. After the flowers are
packaged, employees load them into the tnuck(s) for delivery, normally early each afternoon.
Customers receive the flowers and the corresponding delivery document. Customers pay for all
their deliveries at the end of the month, sending payments to the address listed on the delivery
document (currently the address of the San Diego store). After delivery, Paul updates the order log
with the delivery information. Then each week, he emails copies of the updated order log to Mia.
For routine administrative purchases, Paul places orders over the phone. Then, the vendor
supplies the products or services and sends an invoice for a monthly bill in the case of utility
charges). Paul stamps the invoice as received, scans the document, and emails it to Eli. YNF is
considering getting some business credit cards for the store supervisors. That might allow them
more flexibility in purchasing minor items. Paul thinks that would be a great improvement.