Streamline your sales area

By Marcia Miquelon, Outreach Specialist
UW Madison Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project

A poorly laid out sales area wastes time, effort, and can leave a negative impression on your customers. You may be able to make changes in the design of your farm stand which will help improve product shelf-life and quality, eliminate wasted steps, reduce the amount of carrying, lifting and loading you and your workers do, and contribute to customer satisfaction. Here are some considerations for efficient layout:

* Consider the general "flow" of the tasks in your sales area. On paper, diagram the flow of your product from field to checkout. Diagram the path your workers take as they perform tasks, and also the path a customer takes through your sales area. You may wish to have an outsider describe the flow or videotape the sales area in operation to reveal inefficient steps you might have overlooked. Try to create a clear, uncluttered task line for product and workers to follow.
* Is your space large enough for your sales needs?
* Is there plenty of light, especially at the scale and at checkout?
* Is the floor level and smooth enough to allow you to use wheeled carts or hand trucks? A concrete floor is most effective, followed by asphalt and packed roadbase gravel. Dirt or wood chips hold water and are unsanitary.
* Is there enough shade for workers, produce, and customers waiting to check out? Would it help to suspend a tarp? Can you use fans or mosquito netting to improve worker and customer comfort? Is drinking water available? Do you have a hand washing station? If your workers stand for long periods on concrete or gravel, consider using rubber anti-fatigue mats.
* Are supplies such as carriers or berry boxes kept where they are needed? Are other items kept out of the way (perhaps overhead)? Is the scale handy and easy to use?
* Are your workstation heights adjusted to the individual workers? For lightweight items, efficient work height is halfway between wrist and elbow, measured when the arm is hanging at the worker's side. For heavier items it is slightly lower. Could some workers use a stepstool? Could some tasks be done while sitting?
* Are work surfaces easy to sanitize?
* Are you using rollers, wheels, conveyors or carts to their best advantage? For example, you might benefit from a section of roller table installed near the cooler, or adding a pair of wheels to one end of a table so the table can be moved easily for set up or storage.
* Does your cooler size fit the needs of your operation? If a cooler is too small, time and energy may be wasted trying to deal with overcrowding, and produce quality may suffer.
* Does the width of your cooler door fit your loading/unloading system? If you are using a walk-in cooler with a narrow door, you may want to consider adopting a system of narrow pallets and a specialized hand pallet truck. Or you may choose a low platform, 5-wheeled handcart with a center swivel wheel for easier maneuvering in the cooler.
* Are you quickly and effectively communicating with your customers? Is your signage clear and easy to read? Are the letters large enough to be seen from a distance? Is your PYO system logical and easily explained so that first time customers quickly grasp the idea?
* Do you use a memo board or chalkboard in your sales area? They can give you a system for quick communication with your workers, for example as a check-off list for tasks. Chalkboards or memo boards can also provide easy answers to customers' common questions, such as "Today's varieties are Jewel and Honeoye". These messages can lend a welcoming, inclusive feel to the farm experience.
* Is your pricing system easy for workers to use? Would it help them to post "quick reference" cards for commonly sold units?
* Do electrical cords and outlets have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters? They are inexpensive and easy to install and can prevent electrocution.

For more information, contact the Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project at (608)262-1054 or visit their website at http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/.

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