Retail Store Operations and Store Layout
This domain covers what happens in a store between opening and closing, and how the physical layout and fixtures direct shopper movement. Expect questions on layout types, fixture names, daily checklists, queue and cashier management, and how layout affects sales per square foot.
Layout types
- Grid: parallel aisles at right angles, maximum shelf length, a predictable route. Used by supermarkets, pharmacies and hardware stores.
- Racetrack or loop: one main aisle circles the floor and departments act as stops along it. Used by department stores and apparel chains.
- Free-flow: no fixed path, fixtures placed at angles. Used by boutiques and luxury stores to slow customers down.
- Spine: a central aisle with side aisles branching off.
Fixtures and floor terms
- Gondola: double-sided shelving unit; end cap: the end facing the aisle, a high-impulse location.
- Four-way fixture and round rack for garments; dump bin for bargains; shelf talker for price or offer.
- Planogram: the diagram fixing exactly where each SKU sits, at what facing count.
- Hot zone: eye level to easy-reach level. Decompression zone: the first few feet inside the entrance, kept uncluttered.
Daily operations
Opening: count and sign the cash float, clean, check POS and scanners, fill shelves, check price tags and signage, brief staff. Closing: cash pickup, day-end report, security check, shutters, next-day task list. Through the day: queue management (open another counter once more than three customers wait), shrinkage watch, housekeeping, safety.
Worked example
A 6,000 sq ft grocery wants maximum SKUs, a predictable customer path and impulse buying near billing. Reasoning: a grid gives the greatest linear shelf length; end caps facing the billing queue hold impulse items such as chocolates and batteries; billing sits near the exit. A racetrack would waste selling space in a grocery.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing up end cap and planogram - one is a location, the other is a diagram.
- Assuming higher sales per square foot always means higher total sales.
- Cluttering the decompression zone with promotional bins, which blocks entry flow.
- Ignoring planogram compliance when reviewing why a product is not selling.