Anyone that worked in stores that closed last year. What were some signs that it was coming? Besides sales. Was the market manager in more often? Did your managers start finding other jobs and transferring out? Please no nasty comments.
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Yes, stock got lower, weird things went on clearance, jewelry got to be almost non existent. In hindsight, they were getting ready to get rid of everything left. Trucks came less and less. It was obvious if you looked how empty the steel was becoming. But Sam's tried to make it look like we weren't. They even fixed an expensive piece of equipment the day before the announcement. Rely on your gut feeling and speaking with associates who have been there a long time. They know what the "normal" is...
Alot of what the other said. Club about 10 miles away said they hadn't really made a profit in 9 years. Biggest thing was freight slowed way down.
My club did not close, however a club in my market did. (45) I went to help them close. They did not transfer anything out and took a huge loss, and they were making a profit. Still dont know why they chose that club instead of ours to close, actually. But all i can think of, is that they also had two other clubs relatively close to them, geographically.
What about alot of canceled items theoughout the whole club?
...so in our club, I've noticed that the steel in the juice and soda aisles are never full anymore. Is this a sign? They used to be so full that sometimes pallets of soda and juice had to be staged in the grocery aisle's steel.
None of our managers left. But we did notice shipments we're becoming less and less. By around Jan 8th our fresh Dept was so bare it was obvious something was up. We weren't getting any cheese, sliced lunch meat, or all the other foods that come through with the audit. In the coming weeks after Christmas, you will know for sure. DC trucks will only come about 2 times per week. You'll have to be in communication with overnights and receiving. They will see the obvious lack of shipments.
Yes, all of that did happen. Our GM transferred out in Oct of 2017. Lots of visits. Stock seemed lower than usual.No one cared about our #s. I knew something was coming, but not the entire store closing. I wish everyone good luck. You will survive what ever comes your way.