Generations come and go—each reflecting upon how industrious they once were.
In my own childhood, examples abounded: Hand-me-down clothes, flea-market goods and decades-old used cars (complete with retread tires) were the norm. Eight kids, blue-collar income. You get the drift.
“We’re not poor,” my folks insisted. “We’re thrifty.”
Being raised amid such frugality was apt preparation for what followed. Years later as a produce manager, our organization’s resources were so tight that the motto could have easily been: “The only way we turn loose of a nickel is to get a better grip!” Although the company led in market share, it was the early 1980s, and the economy was in a recession. The latest merchandising tools—new fixtures, sleek cases—simply weren’t in the budget.
Sound familiar? Besides, we were instructed (rightly so) that the focus should be on the produce, not on the fancy fixtures seen in some operations.
FILE PHOTO
Leftover peach boxes and recycled wooden crates work great for a budget-friendly homegrown produce display at Dierberg's in St. Louis.
The challenge, of course, was to make do and be creative with whatever we had on hand. Although it often taxed our patience, this was invaluable experience. And if a manager came into the job already knowing how to squeeze a nickel until the buffalo, uh, cried out, it certainly helped.
That said, this isn’t just another “We walked to school uphill, both ways” piece, if you will.
PHOTO BY ARMAND LOBATO
The ultimate “dummy” display. This 1980s tomato display is built on a concealed stack of pallets, with a dressed-up mannequin acquired from a defunct clothing store. Many ordinary materials that might otherwise be considered scrap can be used for displays many times over.
Lately the buzz is about being “green” for environmental consideration and resource sustainability—a truly noble pursuit, but hardly a new idea. In his 1988 book “Making it Happen,” British management adviser John Harvey-Jones wrote, “The task of industry is continuously, year on year, to make more and better things, using less of the world’s resources.”
In retrospect, almost every produce manager I worked with already knew how to use and reuse, often employing the most common things available—more out of necessity than for any other reason.
In other words—with apologies to country singer Barbara Mandrell—produce managers were green when green wasn’t cool.
Here are just a few methods that produce merchandisers can use to help conserve resources—and save money in the process:
1) Take care of the equipment you already have. There’s no need to purchase new orchard bins, tables or wet rack grates if they don’t break in the first place. Preach practical care to your crew. As one manager put it, “We don’t replace things in a month that should last for years.”
2) Hang onto good crates, shipper bins and containers. Clean wood crates, burlap bags or bushel baskets make excellent presentations, whether as a base or to complement any display. Also, many original-shipper containers can be used multiple times. Note: Carefully cover any non-applicable graphics, such as when filling a previously used tri-wall watermelon bin with, say, bagged grapefruit. Also, follow your company’s guidelines for recyclables—especially separating good cardboard for baling.
3) Pallets make great display bases. No reason to buy expensive fixtures for temporary needs. Stack like-sized pallets neatly to desired height, wrap with case liner (or something similar), and place full cases of product on top for an effective and mobile display module. Avoid pallets that pose a safety hazard, such as those with exposed nails or sharp edges.
4) Scour the store for plastic trays to use for crisping leaf items, or other many uses. Search the back room. Those milk wires, soda crates or plastic bread racks are durable and come in handy as false-bottom dummies for displays, storage of prepped leaf items, and many other uses.
5) Store the better props and use ‘anew’ each year. Just built a display you’re especially proud of? Save those crates, that carefully hand-drawn sign and other dedicated props in a secure storage area. Then when next season comes around, you can easily rebuild the same display—which will seem new to your customers—without the headache or expense of acquiring new materials.
