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Time & Motion
Few retailers would consider studying the time and motion aspects of their work. There is however a surprising amount that can be gained by an elementary application of time and motion principles. Let me explain. To save time, reduce motion. Every movement of people or materials takes time, so reducing these movements will reduce the time taken. To make this a practical lesson, I will talk about my own experience, and give you a feeling for just how much time can be saved.
We took over our first shop in 1987. It was only 300 sq ft and the takings were way below previous accounts had shown. We were surprised at how much work it was to collect stock from the Cash & Carry, unload the van, price the goods, fill the shelves, and put the rest in the stock room. One person was working from when we got back from Cash & Carry at 10am until 7pm. We thought we had quite an efficient system. We had a house door on the same wall as the shop front, so we brought all the stock through that way and stacked it in the hallway. We would then take cases, one at a time into the back room, where they would be priced. from there, the shop shelves would be filled, and the surplus taken to the stock room in the cellar.
Experience made us faster, reducing the time to some four hours. Changes were made over the years, reducing it further still, but I want to jump forward to 2002 and a different shop. This had a better layout. The stock room was at the back of the shop, and we had a forecourt where we could park the van. The shop was always run by one person (another storey) The counter was close to the shop door.. We had scanning, so stock did not have to be priced. The procedure was to drive the van onto the forecourt and bring in the cigarettes immediately for security. We would then bring in all perishables and frozen food. Each case or pack would be scanned by the person at the counter (using the delivery screen) and then the van driver would put the items into the fridge or freezer.
These were followed by the remaining stock, one case at a time. Taken to the counter, scanned in, then taken to the right shelf location and put on the floor there. If a new shelf label was required, it would be printed and put on top of the case. Any new packs were put aside, behind the counter. At the same time, customers were served, although this was not a busy time of day. When the van was unloaded, it was removed from the forecourt, and parked.
The driver then stopped working, while the person behind the counter would first do the cigarettes, and then unpack the cases on the floor, fill the shelves, and take any remaining items to the stock room. When all this was done, in between serving, the unrecognised stock would be processed.
The driver would be finished within half an hour of returning, and all stock would be dealt with within two hours. The piles of stock on the shop floor would be dealt with within thirty minutes. I would not suggest that this pattern would be appropriate for all shops, as you might well be a lot busier than we ever were, and layouts are different. But carefully consider how much walking is involved. From the back door of the van to the counter was just a three meter walk. Little had to be carried to the stock room, because of the minimalist stock ordering of ProffittCenter.
So, think about your own shop, and if you are finding that there are not enough hours in the day, then start thinking Time & Motion.
Dave
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Thursday, 6 September, 2007