Back-to-school season is one of the busiest times of year for many retailers. Seasonal merchandise can arrive in large quantities, from school supplies and clothing to accessories and electronics. That means retailers may need to price and label hundreds or thousands of products before they even reach the sales floor.
Wondering how employees can work through that volume without creating errors or having to rework what they’ve already done? A consistent labeling process.
Prepare Labeling Supplies in Advance
Check your supply of price labels, tags, ink rollers, and other labeling materials before the back-to-school rush begins.
Running out of supplies during a busy sales period can slow down pricing and create unnecessary downtime. When you take inventory early, it gives you the ability to reorder what you need before demand picks up, and allows you to move at the pace that best suits your needs.
Choose Reliable Labeling Tools
You don’t want your employees to have to stop to deal with jams or inconsistent printing when large quantities of products need to be priced. To avoid these delays, invest in a dependable price gun. When you’re choosing your labeling tool, remember that it should be comfortable to operate, produce legible labels, and hold up to frequent use.
Create a Standard Labeling Process
Instead of letting employees figure out the labeling process on their own, give them clear instructions for where labels should go, how prices should appear, and who checks the finished merchandise. Consistent placement makes prices easier for customers to find and gives employees a standard to follow when processing large shipments.
Label Merchandise in Batches
Before starting to label products, group them into similar piles. Instead of moving between unrelated items, employees can process school supplies together, for example, then move on to clothing or accessories. This reduces the need to switch between different label types, prices, or equipment settings.
Batching also makes it easier to see which merchandise has been processed and which still needs attention. Use carts, bins, or designated areas to separate labeled products from items waiting to be priced.
Perform an Accuracy Check on All Labels
A quick label check before merchandise reaches the sales floor can save time and frustration down the line. At this time, look for incorrect prices, missing labels, faded printing, and labels placed where customers cannot easily see them.
For merchandise with frequent price changes or promotions, verify the label against the current price before putting the item out for sale. Catching an error during this check is easier than resolving a price discrepancy at checkout.
Prepare for the Back-to-School Rush
Don’t wait for the first large back-to-school shipment to figure out your labeling process. Check your supplies, test your equipment, set labeling standards, and decide who will review finished merchandise before the season gets busy.
A few hours of preparation can give employees a clear process to follow once the volume picks up. It also gives you a chance to fix supply or equipment problems before they interfere with daily sales.
