Well it is another Christmas and you know that as the store manager it is the time of the season that you are "allowed" to work as many hours as you want. Sales are so important this time of the year! The inventory has to come into line with the Company expectations. The schedules have to be taken care of, to insure great customer service.
You know you will have to keep on top of the counter maintenance, and especially the customer service issue! The check-out staffing has to be a priority, for customer service. The "Customer Service Counter " has to be manned with the top of line help to insure everyone is taken care of as expediently as possible why? Customer Service!
Are you getting the message? Yes this time of the year almost everything you do is going to be important to getting and keeping a great "Customer Service" reputation. For many years I worked hardest at Christmas and the time immediately following because when you have this many customers you want them to leave your place of business with, the thought of how well they were treated.
This is the time of the year a manager is in the position to improve his business by staying on top of the of the operation in his store. It is to your benefit to insure your store is operating at its peak in all departments. This is the tangible part of being a great manager that brings great reward for for little cost, other than your attention to detail. You can't do it all yourself, you have to depend on the training and inspiration you have given your team to reap the profit that an excellent reputation brings you the entire year.
It would do well for the manager to remember all eyes are on you. Believe me when I say the customers learn to recognize the manager. The team-members watch to see how you react and the management staff takes their ques from you. If you respond to the situation that come up in a calm, efficient, proactive manner they will follow your lead and respond that way as well. Remember I said you can't do it all yourself, you need to have a plan of attack mapped out weeks prior to this season. Smart managers have a plan book for each season. If you take the time to plan ahead and then you record what works and what didn't you can face each season without panic.
The smartest managers don't necessarily work the hardest, but they do the things that make their job easier to do. You are the manager of your store, you need to understand, your boss doesn't care how hard you work, he or she just wants the job done. If you do things through the year, plan books with good notes about staffing, schedules, counter maintenance, and customer service issues, it becomes easier and less stressful when you get to these peak seasons. Why don't you take just a minute now and make those notes to yourself and put them in a file in your desk. Your life will be better for that little effort now, when Christmas comes again next year!
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