How can you run a store with only one staff member?
The answer is badly.
I visited a store one Sunday this April during a school holiday period and it was closed. The town was busy. A sign in the door said the store was closed due to staff shortages. I went back the next day and it was open. I spoke to the manager and she was also closing on Wednesday as she was the only staff member and could not work 7 days a week. Several stores in this company had only one member of staff. One company store with two floors had only one staff member on duty on some days.
Two comments about this. The lost sales is potentially very significant. It could be over 25% of store sales and secondly the customer theft could be high because one person cannot watch two floors or one floor and serve customers at the same time.
Only 3 months ago, I came across a very similar situation in another store in another country, again in a brand with well-designed own label products of good quality. It’s hard to believe the companies can be run this badly. I tempted to bet that the founders were designers who run both companies.
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Posted by Brian Hume
2nd May 2025
