Shawn and Adam work together to stock the shelves and store back-stock at Cash & Carry.

The day started in the early morning, before traffic began, with snow still scattered across the ground. The parking lot was full of customers, loading their vehicles with piles of products. I stepped out of my car and took a long, cold breath bracing myself for the new adventure. This was no normal day in the office for me.

Walking up to the store I could see the trolleys lined up against one side of the building, and empty boxes stacked up on the other. I entered to a busy store but was still greeted by the closest cashier. I searched for Adam and found him sipping on coffee looking over a pallet full of boxes. Adam greeted me with a bright smile and we started the tour. He walked me around the back to a long and wide aisle, where the store kept the back stock of products. On the other side were the recycling and compactor as well as more back stock. Adam continued with the tour and we walked through the aisles that Houston’s stocked.

As we finished the tour we came back to the pallet of boxes. This pallet, as he explained, was referred to as a stack. Adam then briefly explained how our merchandisers work to develop relationships with each of the stores. In this instance Shawn, the merchandiser for this store, has built such a great relationship with the staff that they are willing to place the stacks within the store so he does not have to go back and forth to retrieve product. We proceeded to unpack the stack. Adam made a quick strategy so no time is wasted. Many of the merchandisers know their stores inside and out, which helps them make quick sorting decisions. The trolley was loaded perfectly, almost like Tetris, and we began taking product down aisles. While working on stocking a shelf we were also facing out other products that Houston’s stocks, making the product look presentable and accessible.

Challenger Glass is professionally merchandised by Houston’s at Cash & Carry.

The biggest aisle that we worked was the flavored syrup aisle. This is where I learned that our merchandisers do so much more than stock shelves. They must track the sales of the flavors and order accordingly, but this can be a real challenge. One day you can sell out of a Torani flavor and you will order up, but then it will not sell for a month. Not only can this cause the store to have extra inventory, but also it takes up space for products that are moving consistently. While we were stocking the bottles we had many customers come up and ask about different flavors. While I worked with him, Shawn was approached by a customer that who asked about product availability. It was a great experience to see that he had built such great rapport with these customers. As a trio, we were able to finish the flavored syrup aisle in half the time that would normally take. At this point I was somewhat exhausted, because the Torani and Monin cases are heavy.

Once everything was stocked, we came back to where we met and Adam explained another important step. The packing list, the form that came with the stacks, is looked over to ensure that everything came in and there were no discrepancies. The packing list includes each item ordered as well as the quantity. If something were missing then the merchandiser would have to investigate why it did not ship or where the product was. As Adam read the packing list to me, I checked off items. Luckily we were not any missing items.

The main thing I took away from this experience is that our Merchandisers wear many hats on a daily basis. They go into Cash & Carry representing Houston’s, but while on the floor they are also represent the store they are at. In one day, they fill the role of receiving, customer service, purchasing, sales and inventory control. Next time you are at Cash & Carry and happen to run into a merchandiser, let them know they are doing a fine job.

By Evan Castaneda, Inside Sales Rep

The post An Inside [Sales] Look Into Merchandising appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Cross-training provides benefits to both the employer and the employee.

Houston’s strives to provide growth opportunities for our employees and flexibility to internal departments through a process known as cross-training. The benefits of a cross-training program provide a win-win scenario for both employers and their employees:

Top 5 Employee Benefits

1. Learning new professional, technical, and soft skills makes employees feel more confident in their role and helps them understand their value within the organization. Employees are more confident when they understand how the work they do affects other departments and the organization as a whole.
2. With these newfound skills and versatility comes increased employee satisfaction as they experience less boredom or stagnation and more variety within their daily routines.
3. Through the process of cross-training, employees who wouldn’t normally interact are introduced and have the opportunity to build relationships that help with teamwork and give employees a better understanding of “the bigger picture” as they learn about the roles and responsibilities of other employees.
4. Cross-training is a form of employee recognition that goes a long way in increasing employee morale and motivation because its proof that the company is investing time and resources in teaching employees new skills.
5. Through the development of new skills, confidence, employee relations, and increased motivation, cross-training is a growth opportunity that prepares employees for advancement within the organization.

Top 5 Employer Benefits

1. Organizations that cross-train are better prepared to recover or transition quickly and gracefully in the event of an employee absence or departure as other employees can easily step into abandoned roles.
2. Through the cross-training process teams are able to uncover inefficiencies and refine necessary processes to increase productivity. This is also a chance for organizations to identify inefficient, duplicated processes across multiple departments, and encourage departments to share information. Departments or individuals may become aware of helpful information or tools that they didn’t even know existed.
3. As employees gain an understanding of their coworkers’ roles, they will appreciate each other more which will enhance both teamwork and employee morale.
4. In addition to uncovering hidden employee talents as they are trained in different areas and tasks, organizations will also find it easier to identify which employees are up and coming leaders or motivators.
5. Cross-training can also be viewed as a recruitment and cost savings tool. As employee satisfaction increases through the opportunity to learn new skills that enable them to work in additional or different areas, an organization is more likely to attract and keep good employees. Through employee retention and versatility, organizations save on the costs associated with training new-hires.

Does your organization have a cross-training program in place?

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1. You don’t know everything and what you don’t know can cause problems. Management should always stay abreast of the latest and greatest ways to control risks, and pass that knowledge on to employees. Consistent training is imperative!
2. A systematic approach to food safety will bring success to your operation. Track performance, and provide ongoing training and feedback to all employees.
3. Don’t fear the dreaded health inspector. His/her objective eye is just what your restaurant needs to stay on top of the game. Learn from the mistakes that have been made. As the comedian Steve Harvey says, “Failure is a great teacher.” Use your mistakes to improve!
4. Cleaning is more than just wiping down the surfaces. Management and employees should understand the chemicals they use, how they work and what will cause them to be ineffective, and should follow the directions precisely, always resisting the temptation to cut corners.
5. Establish standards for cleaning and sanitizing, and then have the tools for each cleaning job readily available to the employees who will use them. Pass the standards on to employees, and ask questions to ensure appropriate use. Management should have a plan in place for taking corrective action when necessary.
6. Stations should be cleaned as employees return to them (from lunch, from break, etc.), and then as often as necessary. This includes knives, cutting boards, other cooking gear, and surfaces. Remember that ice is food; handle it correctly during transport and keep the station clean during storage!
7. Storage is ultra-important! Ready-to-eat food should always sit above raw items. ALL items should be properly wrapped and covered, in food-grade containers, to protect from juices splashing. Cracked containers, or containers with crevices, should be promptly discarded—the blemishes harbor bacteria.
8. It is imperative that management plainly communicate food safety standards to all employees. Storage space should be routinely checked and employees held accountable for their areas.
9. Your walk-in cooler and/or freezer should be a work of art. Show it off! Use accessories and various lid options for organization—think square, rectangular, and clear! Visual appeal aside, the organization will allow employees to see problem areas at a glance.
10. Many factors contribute to cross-contamination, including refrigerator and microwave handles, oven door handles, restroom door knobs… High touch-points are often glossed over, but should be disinfected often. And although cleaning these items is an effective way to reduce cross-contamination, improved hand hygiene is always a best bet.
11. Monitoring food temperature starts at the loading dock and does not stop until the food is served in the dining room. Know the correct temperatures for foods as they are received, being stored, being prepared, being held, as they are cooling, and as they are reheated. Do you know the proper procedures for cooling foods? Learn them and follow them to ensure food safety for your guests.
12. Ask yourself two questions: Does your staff have the correct thermometers available for the job and have they been properly trained to use them? Thermometers can be reliable sources of information but only if used correctly. And what is done with that information matters. Record. Review. Make sure management and employees know what is happening with temperature of product.
13. When taking temperatures, precision is key. Analog thermometers are great, but digital thermometers offer up a higher degree of accuracy (yes, pun intended!) And new technology allows you to log in to a computer to remotely check on temperatures. It’s worth checking out.
14. Record time and temperature. Automate whenever possible, but if this isn’t an option, utilize forms to help you track the data. Crunching the numbers will help you to be more aware of what happens to the temperature of different foods at different time intervals, resulting in higher quality, safer foods for your guests.
15. Personal hygiene. Let me say it again: personal hygiene! Cleanliness and healthiness is all-encompassing and vitally important in any restaurant. Management, set a good example for your employees by practicing thorough hand-washing techniques. Don’t show up to work sick, and don’t allow your employees to work while sick. Unclean habits and illness can and do lead to contaminated food.
16. Did someone say hand washing? This is a crucial factor in food safety, and it cannot be stressed enough. Train employees on proper technique and then audit to ensure compliance. Make certain employees are not touching handles or door knobs after washing hands and before handling food. The use of gloves should not be allowed to give a false sense of security. How are gloves taken off and put back on before handling food? Cross-contamination can occur so make certain employees are trained on proper procedure for putting on and taking off gloves. When all is said and done, common sense should be your guide.
17. And since good hand washing is so important, so, then, are hand sinks. You can’t clean your hands too much when protecting against foodborne illnesses! And even better to clean them with a nail and hand brush. Keep sinks well-placed and well-stocked to ensure they are easy enough to use that there are no excuses for noncompliance.
18. Uniforms should be as clean as the hands. Stress the importance of clean kitchen clothes and clean aprons. How wounds or cuts are dressed is an equally essential. Learn the proper guidelines for covering injuries and then enforce them. And common sense dictates that jewelry not be worn when prepping food, for obvious reasons.
19. Another element of food safety is allergy. Key to preventing food allergies is keeping diners informed about ingredients in each menu item. Sharing information with your guests and staff will build customer confidence in your restaurant. When the front and back of the house teams work together to ensure allergy safety, patrons notice and everyone wins.
20. Finally, utilize color to prevent cross contamination. Purple has been designated the universal color to aid with allergen management. Foods stored and prepared with purple tools used only for allergy-sensitive consumers significantly reduce the risk of cross contamination. Your customers’ confidence in your operation will show by their willingness to return.

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