It’s Tuesday morning 8:00 AM and you’ve just arrived at work. You are the store manager of one of Zara’s most important doors in the NYC. Today is a really important day, because the area manager,...

It’s Tuesday morning 8:00 AM and you’ve just arrived at work. You are the store manager of one of Zara’s most important doors in the NYC.

Today is a really important day, because the area manager, district manager and the VP of Northeastern stores are visiting your store. They are scheduled to arrive at 11:30 AM, and they will be in the store for about an hour. You must be with them for the entire visit. You are expected to show them the store and discuss your store’s business with them in a meaningful manner.

You have been preparing for this visit for the last few days, and the stockroom and back office is in good shape. You run a really clean and organized business, but this Monday evening you were short-staffed and the store was really busy. For this visit, you want the selling floor to look neat, organized and it must be properly staffed. The fitting rooms must be cleared of merchandise and the stockrooms should be well organized. The register area must be clean and well-supplied with bags, boxes, tissue paper, etc.

The store opens at 10 AM and closes at 9 PM. Your assistant manager is working from 11AM-7PM. The 'Keyholder', who can close the store is scheduled to work 2:30-9:30 PM. Four full-time and four part-time sales associates are scheduled to work 10AM-6PM, and an additional seven part-time employees are scheduled to work 11AM-7. Another six part-time sales associates are scheduled to work 1-9PM. Your senior stock associate and three other stock associates are scheduled to work 9AM-5PM. There are three additional part-time stock associates due at 2:30-9:30 PM and one full-time sales associate schedule to work2:30-9: 30 PM. In addition, there is security coverage from 8:30AM-9: 30 PM. Note that you need this extra half-hour to close out the registers and make the necessary deposits.

As you enter and walk through the store, you notice that the fitting room on the street level is not cleared of merchandise from Monday evening. The senior stock associate hadtexted you late Monday evening and said she had to leave early because of a ‘family emergency’. She will be here today at 9 AM. Two sales associates called in sick with the flu.

This week’s staffing schedule will need to be revised and absentee reports need to be submitted to Human Resources and Payroll by 5 PM. In addition, you need to produce next week’s staff schedule and distribute it to all associates. The schedule is computer generated and automatically distributed, but you do need to review it.

The sales and stock associates vacation schedule is due to Human Resources at 5 PM. You have 10 full-time associates and 20 part-time associates. All your employees have given you their requests but the schedule must be done based on seniority. You need to discuss potential scheduling conflicts with two employees. This schedule is not computer-generated, but once it is completed is automatically distributed to the staff, Human Resources and Payroll.

While you worked Monday 8AM- 6PM, in the store, you spent Monday eveningreviewing your store’s business. The store’s business has been excellent and is 5% ahead of plan. However, before the ‘visit’ you would like to review some additional financial information before the 'visit".

You’re scheduled to interview an assistant manager candidate at 10:00 AMbecause your current assistant manager is being promoted and will be leaving in two weeks. This interview should take about 45 minutes. The time slot can’t be changed. New merchandise is scheduled to arrive bytruck at 9AM. Itwill take your stock associates about an hour to check in the merchandise and put it on the floor or in the stockroom, as needed.

You need to talk to your senior stock associate. While her performance generally has been good, this is the third time she has left early during the weekend for a ‘family emergency’.

Lastly, you have a 3PM Webex conference call with the regional Distribution Manager. All the other regional store managers will be on this call.

Wow! It’s a busy day!! You need to get organized…

Let's review the tasks that need to be accomplishedtoday:

1. Revise your staff schedule for this week to accommodate the two employees who are going to be out for the next few days.


2. Call in additional sales associates to cover for the employees who are out sick.


3. Plan sales associate schedule for next week.


4. Process ‘sick day’ reports for the sales associatethat called in sick.


5. Make sure the floor is straightened and the fitting rooms are cleared.


6. Check the floor is filled-in with merchandise from back stock, as needed.


7. Check in new merchandise that is arriving at 9:00 AM and add the merchandise to the existing floor sets.


8. Interview the assistant manager candidate.


9. Review additional financial information


10. Do the vacation schedule


11. Participate in the conference call

Review the tasks aboveandprioritize them in the order you need to get them done or assign them to someone one else to get done. You can and should delegate tasks to your assistant manager, stock associates or sales associates. Both sales and stock associates can straighten the floor. Be sure to note the time slots carefully.

Create a ‘To Do”,by the time of day, starting at8:30 AM

Select four tasksthat are absoluteprioritiesand put them inboldface

Original Post:

1. 
   Share your 'To Do List' in your Original Post
   


2. 
   Explain how you set your time schedule and priorities
   

Replies:

1. 
   Review a classmate's Original Post and make appropriate comments or suggestions.
   


2. 
   Consider their Priorities. Are they correct? Explain your comments in detail.
   


3. 
   Be sure to look at time allotted for each task.
   

Note: There is no additional Research required for this Discussion!