ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

Operations in a Retail Store - Value Analysis

Nilofer Hudli hudli.nilofer@gmail.com Allana Institute of Management Sciences, Pune 1. Introduction
The retail store is the place where customers take a decision on the purchase of the products offered by the retailer. The store is also influences the perceptions that customers form in their minds about the store, the products, services and staff. From the management's point of view, operations of the store are a major element of the cost. As a consequence, the store itself becomes a critical asset of the retail business and it is imperative that the operations are managed well to achieve and sustain customer satisfaction and be cost effective. Managing store operations for a retail business of any size or complexity, from the neighborhood grocer to the national retail chain, is a challenging task. It requires integration among various functions within the store. When all functions are performed in an integrated manner, the store operations run smooth.

2. Elements / Components of Retail Operation

In order to ensure a smooth flow of operations at the store level, it is necessary that the management defines processes and has the people and the resources to important them. The tasks to be performed and the processes are usually defined in a Store Operations Manual. This document lists the tasks which need to be carried out at the store level; it states the responsibility and the time period in which these tasks need to be performed. A wellprepared operations manual or blue print is the starting point of efficient store operations. Typically in a retail store, the following tasks need to be performed: Store Administration and Management of the premises; Managing inventory and display; Managing Receipts; Customer service and Managing Promotions, Events, Alliances and Partnership Store Administration and Management of the Premises Managing the operations of a retail store starts by determining how the tasks pertaining to the premises are to be performed. Firstly, the duration of the hours for business need to be determined. It is also necessary to specify with whom the responsibility of opening and closing the store lies with. Some consideration which need to be taken into account while determining the business hours are: the target audience for the store and the kind of products which are to be retailed. For example, a supermarket selling groceries will need to have early opening hours as compared to a lifestyle store, which may open a little late in the day and remain open for longer hours in the evening. The second factor which affects the working hour of a retail store is the store location. A free standing store can operate at hours that it chooses to, while a store which is a part of a shopping center or mall will need to follow the hours decided upon by the management of the mall. Security of the store premises and of the merchandise in the store is equally important. The size of retail store and the level of operations determine the level of security required. A small independent retailer may not really need security for his premises, but a large department store may consider it necessary. Security of the premises is necessary in order to ensure that miscreants do not spoil the retail. Store security of merchandise is needed to ensure that pilferage of merchandise or shrinkage as it is commonly termed is minimal. Inventory shrinkage may arise due to theft to buy employees, customers or by error on the part of store at the time of receiving merchandise. A large numbers of retailers across the world use specially designed tags, which are attached to products. These tags are sensed by the electronic devices specially designed to detect them and are usually placed at the store entrances and exists. If an attempt is made to take the product out of the store without removing these tags, an alarm goes off, thus alerting the store personnel. The other device used for monitoring the movement of customers and staff; so that they can be checked each time they leave and enter the store premises. Store Administrations Store administration deals with various aspects like the cleanliness of the store premises, maintenance of the store facade and the display windows, etc. Administration is also being responsible for utilizing the store personnel effectively. Time-keeping for the store staff is important. It is also necessary to keep track of holidays and the shifts that the staff may be required to work for. 712

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

The premises of the store need to be maintained as per the standards decided upon by the management. This involves the task of cleaning the store and arranging the merchandise before the first customer can walk into the store. An important task of administration involves ensuring that all the required permissions and licenses to run a retail establishment are procured from the right authorities. Managing Inventory and Display The task of allocating the merchandise to the various stores usually rests with the merchandise management team or the category manager, as the case may be. At the store the store staff managers this inventory. To enable them to work efficiently, complete procedure for the handling of merchandise at store level needs to be documented. Responsibilities with respect to merchandise at the store level involve receiving and inwarding the goods. Once the merchandise is received at the store, the quantity and other details like colors, style and size have to be checked with the document accompanying the goods, to detect any discrepancies. In the case of most large retailer, using a hand held scanner, the merchandise is scanned and the system updated for the stocks received. Merchandise may be received at the store from a Central Warehouse, a Regional Distribution Center, from a supplier or from another store. Proper documentation also needs to be done when returning goods to the various locations as and when required. The procedure to be followed for shop soiled goods and customer returns also needs to be clear. An integral part of managing inventory at the store level is displaying it correctly. The best merchandise may lie unsold if it is not displayed in a manner that is appealing and convenient for the customer. For example, in a supermarket, if 5ltr packs of vegetable oil are placed on the topmost shelf, it may be inconvenient for the customer to pick one up and carry, considering the fact that most of the customers at a supermarket would be women. In case the retailer is running any theme promotion or campaign, the products on offer need to be displayed correctly, and replenished once sold. Customer Services The customer service policy to be adopted by the retailer is decided upon by the top management. This is actually put into practice by every person working within the retail store. Customer service does not have to begin and at the customer service counter in the retail store. Each person on the floor of the retail store can ensure that the customer, who comes in contact with him or her, is comfortable and has a pleasant shopping experience. This is something which has to be imbibed in them, and this has to be a top down approach. An important aspect which affects a customer's perceptions of the retail store is the experience that he has while billing the purchased by him. While a customer may spend hours choosing the product that he likes, he does not like waiting for a long time at the time of payment. Long queues may result in some disgruntled customers. Store operations need to be geared to handle such a situation. Many stores infect -train each member of the staff to handle the cash counter. Many supermarkets and other retailer have also introduced express checkouts for customers who have bought a limited number of products do not have to wait. Retailer needs to be sensitive to the issue of efficiency of billing at times when the number of people buying from the store increases substantially. Specific days of the week may show a trend of increased billing. This may also happen during a discount sale, Easter, Diwali, Ramadan, Christmas, New Year and other such occasions. Mobile cashiering and the concept of fast lanes for billing is a concept yet to be explored by most of the retailer. Managing Promotions, Events, Alliances and Partnership Events and promotions are varying much a part of the retail marketing scene. In order to enable the success of an event or a promotion, it is necessary that the store where the action is to take place be geared for the same. This may require hiring of additional staff, working existing staff in shifts and running short training programms on the features of the promotion, the hours and the specialty of the merchandise. Many a times, a retail store may have tie-up with a local partner to promote certain products or services. This has to be managed at store level. Managing alliances and partnerships with local partners is also an important part of retail store operations. Display of merchandise and point of purchase material has to be managed at the store level. The complexities of managing a retail store also depends on the type of retail store and the products retailed. While the merchandise sold in a department store or a high fashion boutique changes from season to season, the expertise required for the operations of a a supermarket is very different. An integral part of managing a supermarket comprises of understanding fresh produce, its storage needs and replacing it when needed. It also involves understanding the temperatures at which meat needs to be frozen, stored and displayed. Control of perishable and sanitation are two important aspects of the operations of a supermarket. Managing the operations of a retail store is a challenging task. Efficient operations management is necessary to archive the retailer's objectives and long term success. The store is an important aspect of a retail business. Purchase decisions and the perception and image of the store are made here. From the management's point of view, operations of the retail business and it are 713

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

imperative that the operations are managed well to achieve and sustain customer satisfaction and be cost effective. Processes, people and tasks need to be defined by the management to ensure the smooth flow of operations. The Store Operations Manual is a document that lists the tasks, the responsibilities and the time period in which these tasks need to be performed. A well-prepared operations manual or blue print is the starting point of efficient store operations. The chief aspects of store operations include store administration and management of the premises, managing inventory, display and receipts. Customer service and managing promotions, events, alliances and partnership are also integral to operations. Cashering Process in Retailing Individual accounting includes the concept that transaction amounts processed by each individual, including each check handling and depositing processes. Therefore, if the stamp that is used to restrictively endorse the back of a check is not unique to the cashier, for example, when a cashier either shares an endorsement stamp with other or uses a generic endorsement stamp, it is preferable that the cashier initial the back of the check. Several campus units have two people who share cashiering duties and use the same cash drawer. In this situation, individual accountability does not exit. Therefore, the unit manager needs to track the daily deposit reconciliation so if shortages occur frequently, additional controls are put in place. When cash, checks and other negotiable instruments are transferred from one person to another, there should always be a document signed by both individuals that identifies each amount transferred by category, i.e. currency, coin check or any other negotiable instrument. The two signatures on the transfer form indicate that each person has counted and totaled the amounts and both parties agree that the amount listed on the form is the amount actually transferred at every step in the process.

3. Review of Literature
Retailing includes all activities involved in selling goods or services directly to final consumers for personal, non-business use. A retailer or retail store is any business enterprise whose sales volume comes primarily from retailing. Retailers are at the end of the supply chain. Types of Retail Outlets Although most retailing is done in retail stores, in recent years non-store retailing -- selling by mail, telephone (telemarketing), door-to-door contact, vending machines, and numerous electronic means -- has grown tremendously. Retail stores come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and new retail types keep emerging. They include: Specialty stores carry a narrow product line with a deep assortment within that line. Examples include stores selling sporting goods, books, furniture, electronics, flowers, or toys. Today, specialty stores are flourishing, due to the increasing use of market segmentation, market targeting, and product specialization. Department store carries a wide variety of product lines. Each line is operated as a separate department managed by specialist buyers and merchandisers. Supermarkets are large, low-cost, low-margin, high-volume, self-service stores that carry a wide variety of food, laundry, and household products. Most US supermarket stores are owned by large chains such as Safeway, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Jewel, and Tops. Chains account for almost 70% of all supermarket sales. Convenience stores are small stores that carry a limited line of high-turnover convenience goods. Examples include 7-Eleven, Circle K, Wilson's Farms, and Starvin' Marvin. These stores located near residential areas and remain open long hours, seven days a week. Convenience stores must charge high prices to make up for higher operating costs and lower sales volume, but they satisfy an important consumer need. Superstores are almost twice the size of regular supermarkets. Many leading chains are moving toward superstores because their wider assortment allows prices to be 5-6% higher than conventional supermarkets. Hypermarkets are even bigger than combination stores, perhaps as large as six football fields. Hypermarkets combine discount, supermarket, and warehouse retailing, and operate like a warehouse they usually give discounts to customers who carry their own heavy appliances and furniture out of the store.

4. Retail Scenario
Retailing today occupies a key role in the world economy. This is evidenced by the fact that the largest firm is not A manufacturing organization, rather it is a retail firm i.e. Wal-mart. According to fortune 500 of July 2007 714

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

Wal-mart stores had revenue of $219.812 million and employed about 1.4 million people. Today the retail industry is estimated at $6.6 trillion. In India too we have been witnessing a retailing revolution since 1991, when the first organized and contemporary organized retail store chain Shoppers Stop was opened in Mumbai. Today, India has 12 million retail outlets, but organized retailing for only 4% of the business. Retailing today is a fun filled experience for the entire family. No more now the dust and heat in which Indian consumers shop. Faced with competition from modern retail outlets, the conventional kirana store or retailer has also changed colors. They organize their merchandise, display new products, run localized promotion, offer loyalty bonus to frequent shoppers, even take orders on phone and deliver at the customers home at no additional cost, use bar codes, accept credit and debit cards etc. The change is not only restricted to metros. It has entered rural India also. ITC, a tobacco giant is revolutionizing shopping experience in rural India through e-choupals. Thus, retailing is today heading for a boom.

5. Issues and Challenges Faced by Retail Industry in India

The industry is facing a shortage of middle management level professionals. Major retailers are hiring aggressively from the similar and smaller organizations by offering better packages. They are creating various levels of management and hiring on a spree. Some of the areas such as technology, supply chain, distribution, logistics, marketing, product development and research are becoming very critical for the success of the organizations. All of these would lead to the recruitment of highly professional people who specialize in these fields. There is also a trend for hiring hotel management graduates, though now many retail schools are coming up, and Pantaloon has set up links with major business schools from where it would be selecting the right candidates. Supply Chain Management The sector is likely to produce 2 million jobs in the coming 3 years. There also exists a possibility that the retail sector would become a poaching ground once a number of domestic and international players enter the industry. The retail scenario is characterized by logistical challenges, constant changes in consumer preferences and evolution of new retail formats. All this increases the challenges faced by the industry. Various strategies are to be implemented to improve core business processes, such as logistics, innovation, transparency, distribution and inventory, management of point sale (POS) data. Retail majors are under serious pressure to improve their supply chain systems and distribution channels and reach the levels of quality and service desired by the consumers. Frauds It is one of the primary challenges the companies would have to face. Frauds, including vendor frauds, thefts, shoplifting and inaccuracy in supervision and administration are the challenges that are difficult to handle. This is so even after the use of security techniques, such as CCTVs and POS systems. As the size of the sector would increase this would increase the number of thefts, frauds and discrepancies in the system. Infrastructure The lack of proper infrastructure and distribution channels in the country results in inefficient processes. This is a major hindrance for retailers as a non-efficient distribution channel is very difficult to handle and can result in huge losses. Infrastructure does not have a strong base in India. Urbanization and globalization are compelling companies to develop infrastructure facilities. Transportation, including railway systems, has to be more efficient. Highways have to meet global standards. Airport capacities and power supply have to be enhanced. Warehouse facilities and timely distribution are other areas of challenge. To fully utilize India's potential in retail sector, these major obstacles have to be removed.

6. Value Analysis of a Retail Store

Store Layout The store should have a Grid-type layout. This is the schematic layout of the store: A Grid-type of layout is mostly used by food-retail stores as it provides convenience to customers as well as the retailer. The GridLayout is very convenient for a supermarket. This type of layout provides convenience for customers to have a look at all the products. The daily-necessity products are the products which attract the customers to the store, so these products are kept far away from the clear vision of the customers. So customer has to look at all the products while going to the daily-necessity department. This helps in impelling the buying decision of the customer.

715

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

Space Management The floor area of the store is approximately 19000 Sq. Ft .The floor-space is rented to some sections like music & movies, magazines & newspapers and flowers. Ample of space is used by self-owned sections. The shelves are arranged in such a way that ample of space is available for the customers to move easily in the store. The store space is offered to departments like movie & music, flowers, magazines & newspapers on rental basis. This benefits the store in many 2 ways: The store gets a fixed income per month without any effort .Customers get these products in the store so they do not have to search for these products anywhere else. This indirectly increases customer satisfaction. The space in the aisles is maintained so as to avoid the butt-brush effect. This helps to bring all the products arranged on the shelves within the visibility of the customers. It also avoids the tunnel-effect. Shelf Allocation It was observed that the products which are fast-moving are allocated more faces on the shelf. The height of the shelf is not more than 7 ft. so as to provide convenience to customers while picking a product. The products on the shelves exactly match with the sections sign-boards. The height of the shelves is not more than 7 ft. This provides convenience to customers while picking the products from the shelves. The width of the shelf is 1 ft. This provides enough space to arrange the products. The store also carries joint-promotions with the other brands. These products are allocated the shelves which are at the corners of the aisles in the store. It is observed that these corner-aisles, where the joint promotion is being taken, catch the attention of the customers and impel them to purchase the products. The products in the fruits & vegetable section are stocked more than the capacity of the shelves. It was found that the unavailability of another refrigerator in this section resulted in the loss of fruits, spoiled by wastage. Product Placement The fast-moving products are placed with more faces in the shelf and also stocked in higher quantities. The products are placed in the shelf in such a way that it clearly shows the brand of the product. The products which are to be promoted are placed in the racks which are easily visible to the customers. The products are placed at such positions from where they can be easily picked. A left-to-right zigzag coding pattern is used by the stockers to place and identify the products. The products which are fast-moving are placed close to products which are slow moving. This helps in impelling the customers to purchase the slow-moving products. The store management plays with the arrangement of products in order to promote different brands of products. The brands which are to be promoted are placed on the shelves which are easily visible to the customers. This impels their buying decision. Sections Management Music, Bakery, Fish, Fruits & Vegetables, Butchery, Flowers, Drinks, Oil/Ghee, Preserves, Chips & Nuts, Cereals & Biscuits, Paperware, Greeting Cards, Baby Food & Diapers, Medicines, Japanese/Thai/Mexican/Filipino Food, Household Crockery, Toys/Towels, Toiletries, Chocolates, Dairy Products, Frozen Food, Glassware/Flasks. Every section is allotted a section-head, who is responsible for the activities like stocking, stock-taking and replenishment of products in the respective section. Sometimes the section-head has to clean the shelves, dust the products therein, and arrange the products properly. The section head is responsible to put price tags on the shelves. It was observed that some products did not match with the price tags on the shelves. The section-head is also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the floor in their respective sections. The products in the sections are well placed so as to match with the sign-boards. Most of the times a single section-head has to perform multiple tasks like packing the products, clearing trolleys from the section, delivering the products to the vehicle of the customers. The products in the shelves; sometimes; do not match with the price tags on the shelves. This mismatch comes into notice only when the product is scanned. Most of the time customer is not sensitive towards price so a problem doesnt occur but it is not a good practice to misguide a customer. Most of the sections are clean and tidy; except for the fruits & vegetables section. Sometimes vegetable-waste is fallen on the floor. The customer footfalls are very high in this section. It was observed that 70% of daily sales are from this section. The decision of ordering the products has no mathematical logic. It is completely based on the experience of the section head/shelf-boy. This might lead to loss of products by expiry if they are ordered in abnormally high quantities. A similar loss could occur if the order size is not predicted properly during the festive season. Stores Faade Management The stores faade management includes activities; cleaning the store premises; providing adequate light in the shopping area. Providing appropriate signage on the walls Coloring the walls of the store Maintenance of shelves and trolleys; playing music in the store that is liked by the customer. Above all, providing a good store ambience It was observed that the cleaning of the floor is done in the morning, when the store is opened and in 716

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

between the operating hours of the store as per requirement. White tube-lights are used for providing light in the store and the transparent glass-doors are also a good source of light during the day-time. Sign-boards are very well put in the store to help customer find the product they are searching for. This helps in guiding the customers properly which in turn increases customer satisfaction. Mostly western music is played in the store. This helps in creating a sense of belongingness in the minds of the customers towards the store. The trolleys in the store were of four types; satisfying the various types of needs of the customers. The overall ambience in the store is satisfactory. Check-out Counter Management The counters are managed in such a way that the waiting-time for billing is reduced. Some products are placed in smaller shelves near the check-out counters; usually chocolates, magazines or cigarettes. During peak-hours, the customers have to wait in a queue at the cash-counter for an average period of 2 minutes. During peak-hours the cashier takes help from some section-head/shelf-boy to pack the products. Sometimes the waiting time of customers for billing is increased due to lack of smaller denominations of money. The counters face problems only during peak-hours, when the customer-footfalls are high. For e.g. lack of smaller denominations of money, heads or arranges the products at the counters. The manager assigns specific tasks to them for their free-time on the floor. The products at the check-out counters lie between the price ranges of 50 to 200. These low priced products can be easily purchased by the customer without much hesitance in spending. The customers waiting at the check-out counters for billing with their kids mostly buy chocolates for their kids. The shelf-boys, who help the cashier for packing during peak-hours sometimes, help the customers to take the trolleys till their cars. During this time the cashier has to manage the scanning and packing of products on her own. This increases the waiting time of customers. According to me there is another way to look at the problem of waiting of customers at the check-out counters. When the customer waits at the counters they tend to buy some products that they had forgotten to buy. This increases the sales of the store. Pricing Strategies The prices of products in this store are high as compared to other retail store. As the customers are not price sensitive the prices doesnt affect the customer footfalls in the store. The products which are imported from western countries are usually highly priced as compared to other competitor stores. The prices are decided by the top-management so the store manager has no choice but to put the prices as per orders. The prices of products which are close to expiry are decided by the manager or the stocker. Customer Relation Management A loyalty-card is provided to customers as an activity to increase their loyalty towards the store. A feedback form is also provided to understand the customers in a better way. Every customer is greeted with a Hello, how do you do Sir/Madam? The person attending the customer bears a smile on his face. The person attending the customer shows his interest in helping the customer by taking him/her to the place where the product is placed or getting the product itself to the customer. Sometimes the stocker also provides the description of the product to the customer. The helping attitude by the employees creates a good impression in the minds of the customer. This helps to improve the relations with the customer. The greetings by the employees to the customer make him/her feel welcomed in the store. This improves customer satisfaction. The loyalty-card provided by the store as proved to be an important tool to hold the loyal customers. The music played in the store makes the customer comfortable while shopping. It also makes shopping an enjoyable experience. This helps to improve the relation with the customer and result into better customer satisfaction .Maintaining good relations with the customers is of utmost importance from the perspective of the store management as this improves the sales graph of the store. The better the relations with the existing customers the better is the sales of the store. It is very obvious that when a good relation is maintained with a customer he is converted into a loyal customer and ultimately a loyal customer improves the business of the store. It was also found that a loyal customer is an unpaid salesman for the store. A loyal customer influences the people who are in his contact. He helps in creating a positive image about the store in the minds of the people who are in constant touch with him. This helps in improving the customer-base of the store and indirectly improving the sales .A feedback form is a very important tool to understand the customers in a better way. Moreover the form also helps in getting the contact addresses of the customers. The feedback form allows the store to know about the customers expectations and demands. A good study of the feedback form helps in maintaining the present customer-base and also in improving it by the yields of the study. Promotional Activities The store carries lot of promotional activities, mostly during festivals. The major successful promotional activities are Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Diwali Reduce-to-clear, Mango Fest, etc. The promotions are carried 717

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

out on seasonal basis. For e.g. Christmas promotion is carried during the Christmas festival. Similarly the promotions in the fresh produce section are carried out during a particular season. For e.g. the mango fest is carried in the summer season. The promotional activities are taken according to the type of customer who shops in the store on regular basis. Many factors like availability of the products, duration of a festival, type of customers, etc are considered while creating a plan for a promotion. H. R Issues The total number of employees in the store Is an important aspect in floor operations. The no of stores Manager, Asst. store manager, section head, shelf boys/girls play an active role administration and management Breaks are also adjusted in specific time-slots so as maintain the floor. Store is well-managed by the combined efforts of all the employees. The employees follow the instruction given to them by the manager or assistant manager. The section heads take care of their own sections and they are assisted by their respective assistants. Brand Image Creation of brand image of the store is not a one night job. The European customers, who frequently shop in the store, get most of the products which are available at their door-step in their own country. Celebration of western festivals creates a sense of belonging for the customers towards the store. The products in the store are costly as compared to the competitors of the store but the customers who regularly buy goods in this store are aware of the good quality products available in the store. They feel that the products available in the store are of genuine quality.

7. Conclusion
The loyal customers of the store are not price-sensitive. The store serves the necessities of local customers so the promotions taken in the festivals which are celebrated by these customers yield in higher profit. The products which are easily visible and attractive are picked by the customer who had not planned the shopping of products. The management of the faades of the store is very important for the success of retail of the store as it is enhances the shopping experience of the customer. Customer satisfaction is directly proportional to customer acceleration in the store.

8. Suggestions
The staff should be well trained and made aware about the importance of customer satisfaction and services to be provided to them. All the stores use in-store media to announce promotions. Use of only in-store media would restrict the announcement only to those who walk into the store. Due to this it can be assumed that only loyal or frequent visitor would know about the offers; whereas there is no chance that the non-visitors for this store to know about the offers in the store. Evaluation of Promotional Activity The evaluation of a promotional activity is of extreme importance in the retail industry. Evaluation helps the retailer to measure the performance of the activity as well as the costs incurred on these promotions. So a solid system should be designed to measure the increase in the sales after a promotion. The polythene bags / trolleys / uniforms of employees / sign-boards / on stores should be used as tools to create a brand-identity. The feedback form gives the details of the customers contact address. This address can be used to communicate with the customers the discount/promotional offers. For e.g. SMS can be sent to customers giving them discounts on purchase of products. So store administration should give prime importance to make the customers fill the feedback forms. The Fruits & Vegetable sections which share 40% of total sales in the store should be managed well in terms of cleaning and visual merchandising. The supply of whole meat/chicken should be according to the demand from the customers. The stationery and the electrical/lighting equipment section should have a proper signage. The product replenishment method should have a proper scientific base instead of relying on the experience of the shelf boy/section head. The stock taking should be done more frequently so as to know the position of the business. This also results in keeping an eye on the efficiency of the store manager. The problem of the employees who skip their duties for getting tip from customers can be solved if the store manager assigns equal number of hours in a day to handle the luggage of the customers. Health & Safety training to employees but the training does not take into account the on-the-job problems faced by the employees. The employees problems must be taken into consideration in the training or these problems should be solved immediately after the training.

718

ICOQM-10

June 28-30, 2011

Management-Employee meetings to be held to ensure better communication between the two. If this is not possible then at least there should be a proper method for communication of employees with the management. For e.g. Employees can send mails or write letters to the top-management. The mood of the store can be set by playing music in the store. The music in the morning and the evening should be set in such a way that the customers and employees should feel enthusiastic in the store. It was observed that fast music accelerates the actions of human beings so it can be played to add enthusiasm to the employees and the customers simultaneously. In the novelty section the glasses are in cardboard packs. These packs are not very attractive. This can be one of the reasons for the slow movement of these products. So instead of arranging this pack they can be opened and arranged in a decorative manner without the cardboard box. The stationery section doesnt have a signage. So the customer doesnt get to know about this section unless and until he comes near the section. So to eradicate this problem there should be a proper signage for clearly depicting this section. The tray in the refrigerator containing ice-cream packs is a little smaller in size as compared to the refrigerator capacity. Due to this the total space of the refrigerator is not used. Moreover there is a gap in between the tray and the side of the fridge where some of the packs fall and get stuck. This results in the loss for the store. The fresh fruits & vegetable stock arrives in the store by 11am. Then these vegetables are cleaned, cut and packed into smaller units so as to serve the varied needs of the customers. Several employees are allotted for this section to perform all these tasks on the whole stock that is present in the store. This results in a situation where the stock for display exceeds the shelf capacity further resulting in untidy display of these products. This problem can be solved by regulating the duties of the employees.

9. References
1. 2. 3. 4. Retail Management. By Chetan Bajaj, Rajnish Tuli, Oxford University Press, 2005 Pg No. 26, 27, 402-447, 471-502. Marketing Management. Rajan Sexsena, Tata Mc Graw Hill, 2006 Pg No. 601-611, 333-342. Big Ideas for small retailers by John Castel, A Jaico Book, 2007s Pg No. 65-69, 22-25. www.google.com

719