Salvation
Army Inc.
To:
Professor Sherry Smith
From:
Je’Vaughn Osgood, Baler/Dock Maintenance
Re:
Activity Report
Recently,
I proposed a reconstruction and remodeling of the Salvation Army Inc. Thrift
Store. The purpose of my proposal was to remove the clutter of items in a
section of the store called Brick-N-Brack. The proposal was accepted by management
personnel as well as the corporate office. The proposal plan has now been in action
within the course of the last three weeks.
In
the past three weeks, the store has completed several objectives that are in
the proposal plan. All of the objectives are now completed:
Step
One: Make stocking Simple and Efficient
The wooden barriers that sectioned off areas for
brick-n-brack were removed. The isles are now being installed instead of wooden
boxes for store items. Orders have been made for headers over each isle
indicating what particular item goes there. There also been a purchase of the
containers that are clear small, medium, and large containers. The price for
the items was discounted because of the large order. The containers will have certain colors that
match the color of the headers on the isles and will also have a label to
indicate what items go in them. The walk-ways in the brick-n-brack area are no
longer cluttered and the working with better efficiency. There has been extra
hours offered to employees for the holidays and there have been no complaints
of hard labor.
Step
two: Offer Specials and Discounts
We have increased turnover by persuading customers to
purchase more items. We have offer specials and discounts to new and existing
customers. We now have discounts in every section of the store. An addition
offer is the Thrifty Thursday Sale, which has addition mark downs on sale items
and merchandise that is usually full price. Sales have steadily increased and
overstock is slowly starting to decline. We have offer discounts on
brick-n-brack items including fifty percent off of purchases of these items.
There has also been a discount that coincides with the discounts on clothes.
Senior citizens, veterans, and college students now receive the same discount
on brick-N-brack as they get on clothing. The response has been tremendous and
word of mouth publicity has more customers seeking our bargains. Specials now offered exceed the ones we have
had in the past. The projection of buy ten for a dollar is producing a high turnover,
but for certain days will proceed to fifteen for a dollar, then on holidays twenty
for a dollar. There was a sale recently that customers got free brick-n-brack
merchandise with a purchase of two hundred dollars or more.
Step
three: Sale merchandise in Bulk
In the past two weeks the Salvation Army Thrift
store has found bulk buyers from other retail stores. There are several stores
in the area of Hattiesburg, MS that sell home décor and household items. We
have offered them a discount for buying a certain amount of brick-n-brack that
has benefitted ours sales and decrease the overstock in the area. There has
been a freight pick-up every week. There are three customers that buy merchandise
from the Salvation Army Thift Store in bulk. We project that there will be at
least five more customers in the next three months.
Reconstructing the storage
area and revamping turnover has benefited the store greatly. The isles have acquired
save us important time and space. The new
clear, colored containers work hand and hand with the isles. As a result, the
employees on the dock and in the storage area can get things done more
effectively with less effort. There is more fellowship amongst co-workers and
less strain on their work loads. Discounts and special offers for customers
have driven our sales and allow for us to gain more customers from our price
advantages versus our competitors. It has helped the flow of merchandise from
the storage areas.
Sales have increase
more with businesses buying merchandise from our store. There are more
shipments and more stores buying merchandise in bulk. These common products
allow us to have larger customers from many different avenues. We have a price
advantage and the economic strain could increase our business to business
sales. We want to expound on all of our attempts to sale and ship items to
other locations.
The reconstruction and remodeling
project is a total success. The front office was so pleased by the project that
they offered to use the proposal for all of its thrift stores. The plan of
action will be taken first of those Salvation Army Thrift Stores that had the initial
problem of overstock as we did.
Thank you for reviewing this Activity Report. If you
have any questions, please call me at 601 441-2424 or email me at
jevaughn.osgood@gmail.com
