In the Trenches: Comfort and convenience are no longer routine
In the Trenches: Comfort and convenience are no longer routine
Consumer demands are reshaping the old shopping routines. Antiquated, dysfunctional practices are difficult to shed, but companies must get rid of resistance to change. So, what will happen if these practices continue to be in operation?
A produce manager named Melvin went to work at a supermarket every single day with the same routine. He stopped at the corner donut shop for his usual cup of coffee, drove the same route before arriving at his grocery store.
When Melvin entered the store, he turned the lights on in the backroom, hung up his jacket and opened the delivery door to the newly arrived produce load. His work schedule was from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week. He had to have the produce department completely set up for business by 9 a.m., which was the company policy.
Melvin assigned the same duties to his assistant and two part-time produce clerks — day in and day out. He checked over the delivery order item for item and always set up the vegetable wall case afterward. The others also performed the same daily duties. Everything was repeated on Melvin’s daily routine.
Then one day, the store manager called a meeting for all department managers.
The manager informed them that the company was introducing a new auto-ordering system that would require some changes in the delivery schedules. This would also force the current work schedules to be altered accordingly.
Melvin didn’t like this at all. He was accustomed to his daily routine — why change course now?
Some people fear their normal routine will be changed. They are unaware of what lies ahead. Change is consistently happening in today’s world. If you’re in the food industry, especially produce, it can be overwhelming. When a change occurs, certain individuals usually feel pressure and develop a fear of what lies ahead similar to the detour road that takes a person off their routine.
A supermarket vice president recently told me, “You wouldn’t believe the grumbling from a number of employees on our staff after we introduced a new advertising and signage campaign program. You would have thought it was the end of the world. Many of them began shooting it down before giving it a chance to get off the ground. They simply don’t like when we make changes.”
A grower-shipper once told me, “We expanded our growing fields by adding broccoli and cauliflower to the line. You should have heard all the crying by our sales staff. It’s amazing how two additional items could cause so much complaining and resistance.”
Regardless of the changes of modification, there are always that small number of those who will simply resist it. They are stuck in their own bubble world with a comfortable convenient routine that they believe will always stay the same. Unfortunately, we do not live in a fantasy world with time at a standstill, especially in this fast-paced produce business.
In the case of the grower-shipper, the sales staff just didn’t want their normal duties disrupted.
Taking on two more items would mean more work and that could change habits to which they are currently attached. Perhaps the sales staff reached the fear factor of disrupting their routine.
Times have changed and the workplace has changed. Like it or not, everyone is responsible to take their company to the next level. We should always be refocusing on new ways to accomplish success.
Change is the only thing that offers opportunity. Not the same old comfort and convenient routine.
Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775-843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].
