The Key to Line Reduction at Grocery Stores, Research Proposal Example

One of the most challenging things associated with shopping at the grocery store is the wait. Customers enter the store with their list of necessities and hurry down the aisles only to be met with lines that are long and slow moving. Although there have been numerous efforts put forth to rectify the issue, few businesses have managed to make the shopping experience more pleasant at checkout. Hence is why I propose a number of ideas that, when joined together, reduce the lines that plague a would-be good buying adventure.

First, I propose more lines open during busier hours, which would require more research on the behalf of management. On average, shoppers are more inclined to visit the grocery store on the weekends and after 5:00 p.m., during the week. Midday is also a time when consumers make their way to various grocery chains for the purpose of buying lunch. It is at these times that more cashiers should be on-hand to assist customers during checkout. Even one additional checker could decrease the wait time by a number of minutes.

Hiring more staff is also an option. Perhaps a large influx of customers are coming to checkout at the same time because there are not enough courtesy clerks on the floor to assist with guest needs. Consumers are, therefore, left to fend for themselves in searching for items, which keeps them in the store for longer periods of time. Upon locating the items they are searching for, customers are met with long lines that may have not been present ten minutes prior to them walking around the store twice. It is my view that more staff on the floor, and at the registers, will get customers in and out of the store.

Of course, with every possibility for improvement comes the “what if” aspect of progress. What if, for instance, the quality of the checkout experience declines as a result of management’s attempts to increase the quantity of checkouts? What if so much attention is placed on the end of the purchase that other aspects, such as having a clean and fully stocked store, are neglected? There is also the issue of cash flow that comes with hiring new staff. What if the amount of money taken in is not enough to pay the salaries of new employees? All of these challenges can be resolved with a bit of planning.

New employees, for instance do not have to be brought on full time. They can, instead, be part time partners with limited benefits. More time can be attributed to other aspects of the store when more workers are onboard, and the possibility of quality going down can be avoided with formal training. In all, it is plausible to reduce grocery store lines by adding more staff and opening more checkout stands during the busiest times of day.

References

Lawless, Michael (2014). ‘Checking Out: A Qualitative Study of Supermarket Cashiers’ Emotional Response to Customer Mistreatment.’ University of South Florida. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6254&context=etd

Zeytinoglu, Isik; Lillevik, Waheeda; Seaton, Bianca; Moruz, Josefina (2013). ‘Part-time and Casual Work in Retail Trade.’ Erudit.