Exactly What Should Your Shop's Policy Guidebook Incorporate?

| Tuesday, October 25, 2011
By Rufus Pendergast


Numerous modest retail firms run without having a retail store policy manual. Creating one is frequently regarded as a low-priority task, a chore that is placed on hold indefinitely. Unfortunately, shops that function without a outlined set of procedures risk making expensive mistakes and frustrating clients through sporadic judgements. They function at a disadvantage. Creating a policy guidebook is another step to ensure you don't find yourself going out of business.

Creating a policy manual for your retail store should be considered a top priority. It may be as simple as a 3-ring binder which allows new pages to be added whenever necessary. The vital thing is to develop one. We'll describe some of the principal areas your manual ought to take care of below. Based on your retail business, there could be many additional items to incorporate.

Pricing Strategy

Pricing is more sophisticated than a lot of newbie retailers recognize. To start, you'll need to choose a technique to price your assortments. This might involve a dollar or percentage markup on cost, or a formula that features a particular revenue margin.

Pricing additionally involves procedures for marking down merchandise that's hardly selling. Markdowns are usually implemented in stages as the season progresses. You should additionally determine whether your staff will have the ability to purchase products for a cheap price. Additionally, you might want to offer a discount to clients who order products in large quantities.

Payment Processes

Consider how you will accept customer payments. Presuming you plan to take charge cards, choose which ones you'll accept; Visa and MasterCard are apt to be your very first choices. May you additionally accept Discover and American Express? Bear in mind that the processing fees may be greater.

Include whether you will take checks in your store. An expanding number of retail firms are refusing to take them as a result of a risk of potential loss. If you choose to take checks for payment, how would you and your personnel deal with the ones that come back?

It is additionally a good idea to identify how much cash will be allowed to stay in the cash register. This may minimize the loss in the event your shop is broken into.

Store Exchange Policy

Exchanges and returns are unavoidable. It is essential to detail procedures for handling them in your store's policy guide book so as to sustain uniformity among your staff. Determine a time period limit (e.g. 30 days) past which returns are refused in spite of their condition. Furthermore, clarify whether or not a product must be in perfect condition before your store honors a refund. If a product is taken back or exchanged, will you demand any information from the customer?

Methods For Dealing With Thiefs

Policies concerning theft ought to be included in your procedures guide book as well as distributed to each and every employee. Your employees should comprehend that using force to apprehend a thief who has departed your store is not allowed and reasons for termination. The reason is because doing this jeopardizes your employees' security, and exposes your retail firm to possible litigation.

Detail the steps you count on your personnel to take when they notice a shoplifter. This may consist of approaching the person, and offering to "ring up" a concealed product; or, you may prefer that your staff just call law enforcement. Additionally, specify whether all cases of shoplifting may be prosecuted, or just those over a particular dollar amount. The more detailed your procedures manual is on this topic, the simpler it will be to tackle troubles.

Additional Shop Topics To Tackle

Your policy guide book ought to furthermore detail what your staff members should do in the instance your store loses electricity. Not only will this deny your shop of lighting, but it may furthermore cut off the cash registers and interrupt your point-of-sale system.

Additionally, generate a list of things you expect your workers to do when customers enter your shop. Might they greet them upon entering, approach them and offer help, and bid them goodbye whenever they leave? These methods motivate clients to return. Including them in the guide book makes clear your expectations for your employees.

Stipulate how to deal with bystanders asking for handouts; note how to address products which are defective; and document whether or not your employees should keep items for clients who promise to return to your shop to buy them; including these procedures in your policy guide book will encourage regularity among your personnel, and help your retail firm run more smoothly.




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