Merchandising for $ale$, Too Damian Skretta Manager Packaging & Merchandising

YOU are very important to our goals!  Sell more SKILCRAFT/AbilityOne merchandise  Increase factory production  Increase the number of jobs for people who are blind  You are the last contact with our customers!

You, Too, Can Merchandise Your BSC For Maximum Sales Results.  Everything you do is Retail Merchandising  Learn from your customers daily  Now that we have attractive commercial-type product packaging, take advantage of it with full, bulk displays

We will cover:  Retail Product Merchandising:  Techniques for success  Analyze to produce sales  Inventory & buying – have what your base customers want  Basic stock is crucial – Core merchandise

We will cover:  Store Layouts & Displays  Counter flow  Proper adjacencies  Counter display sections  Number One Goal – Maximum sales/sq.ft.

Retail Product Merchandising  Inventory management –  Assortment – identify top 50 selling items  No Out of Stocks of these Core items  Min-Max calculated for these items  Be prepared for repeat high quantity item sales

Retail Product Merchandising  Inventory Management (Cont.)  Reorder “Outs” daily – Do Not Wait!  Treat with urgency  Everyday you are out = Lost sales and unhappy customers  20% of items produce 80% of your sales

Out of Stocks  Out of Stocks cause our customers the four DIS’s:  Disappointed  Dismayed  Disgusted  Disappear

Min-Max  Min-Max calculations  Sell 10/week  Reorder/restock timeframe = 4 weeks  40 is safety stock to replenish = minimum  50 is maximum  Stay in stock – allow for timing.  Do Not use Zero-Base inventory!

Store Layouts & Displays  Category flow – adjacencies  Easy to shop  All like products together - categorize  Paper  Binders  Paper Fastening  Writing – pens/pencils/markers

Store Layouts & Displays  Best sellers at eye level – easy to buy  Blister carded items pegged above boxed items on shelves  No pegboard should be showing – use shams on peghooks  Trying to sell products – Not pegboard

Store Layouts & Displays  Display by selling merit, i.e. more of the best sellers on display  Increases sales – eliminates missed sales  Controls inventory  Saves labor costs  Proper space for high unit sellers  Constant restocking program

Store Layouts & Displays  Large items on the base  Proper use of shelving  Be cautious of high ticket, slow selling items that take up a lot of display space – e.g. toner cartridges  Full Counters – faced

Store Layouts & Displays  Rotate stock – old to the front  Categories displayed vertically  Well Displayed is Half-Sold!  Know what is in the stockroom

Promotions Produce Paybacks  Endcaps – Prime Space  Never empty  No permanent displays  Feature new items  Top sellers featured – tailored to your base and store  Cross selling related items  Themed promotions

Promotions Produce Paybacks  Quarterly promotions  Feature SKILCRAFT/AbilityOne items to support our producing agencies and products  No ETS items!  Easier to make a good items better than a slower seller good

Promotions Produce Paybacks  Cater to your customers – they came to your store to buy!  Consider the total sales dollars that can be generated for the endcap  Signing Sells –  Ends  Side counters  Wall Banners

Create Impulse Sales  Clipstrips – extra display space  Free standing racks  Pallet-type bulk displays  In-store passouts – feature new items  Work with the producing agencies  Print a shopping list for your top customers

Create Impulse Sales  Purchase spinner racks for checkout counter area- e.g. flash drives  Power wings  Give your customers a new look

 Information  New items  Display information  Success stories  Robert Pope’s banner and sign program for transition to AbilityOne

$ale$ Increases  In-stock on best sellers  Displayed properly  Customer specific  Constant analysis and planning  Open minded  Try new things  Keep your people informed  Work together

Merchandising for $ale$ -Too  Questions  Comments Damian Skretta Ph: