cheat sheet!

Employee Handbook

 

Service Standards:

1. Greet every customer, say your name, and say let me know if you have any questions. I expect everyone to greet customers when they come in the store, especially since we still get people who have never heard of us before. **ASK EVERYONE WHO COMES IN IF THEY HAVE BEEN IN SHOP BEFORE.** Explain the layout of the store, point out any sales. Say you’re free to help if they have questions. 
2. Be cheerful. Seriously, it matters. If you’re sad, be sad, we're all sad, but wait until the customer leaves.
3. Only store employees are allowed behind the counter or in back rooms.
4. Never leave boxes out where customers can see - when you’re done unpacking a box, put it in the back
5. Don't eat in front of customers.
6. No scrolling on phone etc when customers are present. If a customer is in the store, don’t be on your phone unless you are working on posting something on Instagram for the shop.
7. Wrap up the person’s order before asking for payment. In the business this is called “the selling ceremony.” It’s a reminder to customers that the money is only part of the point. Just nice to do.

Daily duties:

1. Put the sign out
2. Feed Parsnip, but dont leave food out for her or ants will come
3. Ensure that all displays are clean and well-organized.
4. Check that the front of the store, including window and door, is clean and inviting.
5. Straighten items all damn day
6. Swiffer/dust
7. Vacuum up any bugs/crap/etc - check windowsill and front window too
8. Each employee must post something on Instagram stories every shift. Text me for the login info if you forget. If you want to bounce an idea for a post off of me before you put it up, please feel free to text it—I don’t mind at all. The only guidelines I ask you to stay within is that the photo and language be inclusive and positive. If you think something will be funny but worry it might be controversial, etc., just ask. If you take a really cute pic put it on the grid!
9. Take out trash
10. Before closing, do a final walk-through to ensure that all trash is picked up, all items are tidy, piles are straight, etc

Important things to do:

1. Check quantities in store with what the backend in Shopify is showing. When quantities are off, it messes things up for online customers. When it’s slow pick a category to go through and correct - a brand of pen, or cards, candles, etc.
2. Take gorgeous photos for social if you’re good at that kind of thing. Send cute pics to me!
3. Straighten items all damn day
4. Brush up on product knowledge. Look at the things we sell. If you don’t know what they are, ask or google it. Notice what’s new - I’ll try to do a better job informing you. You can also see this on our website under “new." Same goes for the website/shopify backend - poke around so you understand how stuff works, what we have, what it looks like, how to tell when things are out of stock, what's selling well, etc.
5. Note what we are low on/out of and let me know so I can restock.

What else:

1. My pet peeve is coming in in the morning or at night after close and things are disheveled. Just straighten things out omg. Never leave anything messy.
2. Play upbeat music only. No slow sad acoustic shit, no men singing about heartbreak on their guitar, nothing sleepy, etc 
3. Learn a single part of your job really well. Figure out what your "thing" is.
4. If you have a creative idea or an idea of how something could be better or more fun, please tell me or just go ahead and do it! 
5. Sometimes people come in cold selling stuff. NEVER say yes. Say “I don’t have the authority to make buying decisions, but I can give you my boss’s email.” fivenineshop @ gmail or shopceremonyomaha @ gmail
6. We don’t process enough cash sales to make it worth it for us to have a cash till (yet). Make change from the money jar that we keep in the back. I take big bills out of it for deposit at the bank a few times per week.
7. When someone pays with cash, hit the button on the point of sale to mark it as 100% off and then process the cash sale yourself. If we don’t have exact change round in favor of the customer. If we’re too far off and don't have the right change just ask if they can pay with Venmo, PayPal, or credit card.
8. In terms of employee discounts, let me know what you want and I’ll give you the best price I can. If you don’t want to go through all that, just do 30% off.
9. If it’s slow, clean and organize. You can even get into the back rooms.

Shipping:

1. Whenever we get a new order online, it needs to be pulled from the floor ASAP. This makes sure nothing gets oversold and that everything is ready for the person shipping.
2. You can see when something sells on the shopify dashboard - it'll say near the middle of the screen under "things to do next." "X orders to fulfill" or whatever. Click on that to see the online sales.
3. Generate a shipping label in Shopify - we have a scale if you need to weight the items. Over time you’ll get to know how much stuff basically weighs.
4. Print the label with a packing slip on the thermal printer. If it doesn’t work (why wouldn’t it?), the big conventional printer is fine too, with label paper.
5. Pack items tightly and securely with nothing rattling around. Put the packing slip inside with a handwritten note on one of our postcards.
6. If anything is out of stock, refund the customer and make a note to them when you write their note. Apologize, thank them.
7. I don’t have any firm guidelines for packaging, as long as it is cute and something that *you* would be happy to receive on your doorstep if you were the customer.
8. Take the package down the street to the post office if it's slow, or leave it in the back room, or drop it off in front of my garage in the post office basket.
9. If you've never shipped before and are afraid to start, don't worry about this stuff. But I know you can all figure it out.

Ceremony Things:

1. Tell customers who try on clothing that they can leave whatever doesn’t work inside the fitting rooms. This helps keep inventory correct on the floor.
2. People can help themselves to try on shoes but please be mindful if they seem like they need help. You can get the shoes out of the boxes for them. BE SURE TO PUT THEM BACK IN THE BOX NICELY.
3. Wrap/bag purchases nicely before asking for payment. 
4. In clothing stores a lot of lint/dust collects because of the fabric/fibers. Making a pass with the swiffer/vaccuum every day is a good idea.
5. Rack Checks
1. Rack checks help us combat our own oversights/damage caused by customers. Pick a rack to get into absolutely pristine perfection. Go through every item on the rack and check:
1. Is this item in the right place, or did it get put here by mistake?
2. Do we have one in each size available on the floor?
3. Are the items in size order?
4. Does anything need a tag?
5. Is everything on the hanger properly? Are the hangers facing the right way and finger-spaced?
6. Does anything need steamed? Are there any makeup or deodorant stains? Are there any threads hanging off it?
7. Are the zippers zipped and buttons buttoned and ties tied?
8. Should this item move? Has it been in the sunlight too long? (It could fade!) Is there a cuter place to put it? Should it be on a mannequin? Should YOU try it on?

 

Love you guys, free Palestine, best team ever, thank you for everything!