3 Ways to Improve Donated Goods Production
Keep it simple
Thanks for joining the Thrift Retailer blog, where we talk all things thrift. Welcome to today's episode about how to make donated goods production easier for everyone.
Overall keeping work spaces organized, and safe also improves productivity. Since so much random stuff shows up in thrift and second hand it’s even more important to be consistent in processes.
The most successful, pleasant, and, yes, profitable thrift operations I have seen are uncluttered and well-organized from the front of the store to the back. Today is about the back.
It starts with a simple idea. Everything has a use and a place or it doesn’t. There is a defined process for everything. It's a minimalist lifestyle.
There you have it.
Number 1.
Next time you visit a thrift production area take a look at tools and supplies. Thrift processing stations for some reason, tend to accumulate stuff, especially that stuff. Always having the tools necessary to do a job is critical. At a certain point, abundant supplies turn into clutter and actually slow work down.
Use, store or discard. This applies to the supplies, equipment, and tools used in a workspace as well as the product that goes through it.
For whatever reason, stuff tends to accumulate. No one needs 20 pens, six markers, five pencils, six scissors, a box full of rags, a month’s worth of price tags, and tagger tails at one workstation. I’ve seen it, you probably have as well.
At ReStore we do a lot of furniture repair and assembly. The type of furniture we assemble is from generous commercial donors. Almost everything can be put together with Allen Wrenches, a screwdriver, and the occasional socket wrench. Repairs are limited to simple ones, tightening screws, and maybe replacing an essential part. Nothing complicated.
Still, tools tend to pile up, especially the Allen Wrenches since they are in almost every box. After the first two or three, they are just clutter.
It’s amazing how freeing it is to only have what is regularly needed in a workspace.
The challenge is getting there.
Some questions to ask.
Do you need it and what do you need it for?
How often do you need it?
How much is needed in a day or shift?
How many are really needed in a shift?
The foundation is an understanding and agreement of what is and isn’t needed in a workspace. Everything not necessary to complete work should be removed and kept out of the workspace.
The staff working in an area tend to have strong opinions about what and how much they need. Still, it’s hard to justify 30 Allen Wrenches of the exact same size. The same is true of pens and markers.
Producers should be able to easily explain the value and frequency of any tool or quantity of items needed in the workspace.
Another quirk in second hand is the interesting or curious items that become décor on a workspace. The Star Wars action figure, the clever snarky poster, the vintage whatnot. An interesting trinket does not add value to the work area and can be a distraction. If it’s that interesting, it has value and needs to be sold.
A fact often neglected in conversations with thrift staff is the fact that as soon as an item is donated it becomes the property of and an asset of the store. No different than traditional purchased goods in a traditional store. It also quits being free the moment it enters the building and is touched by staff.
The longer something sits the more likely it will be damaged, lost, or stolen, costing the store the entire value of the item.
It’s a slippery slope, one thing becomes five, then ten. Other workstations do the same and a snowball effect takes over.
Holding on to donated items like this dishonors the intent of the donor.
The key is to insure that every tool is needed and every item is promptly processed down one of several designated streams. Convert assets to cash, and dispose of the liabilities properly.
Use, store or discard. This applies to the supplies, equipment, and tools used in a workspace as well as the product that goes through it.
Number 2
Motion costs money, repeated unnecessary motion is a leak in the productivity bucket.
Everything has to have a convenient logical home. A specific place each thing stays.
Things used often or constantly should be on the top surface easily accessible and in the same place at each station. Lesser used but needed items, like consumables supplies should be under or adjacent to the workspace.
A tagging gun has a specific home. Same for tags, pens, staplers, and anything else needed in the workspace. A maximum and minimum quantity also have to be established and understood.
Once that kind of consistency is achieved, anyone can work at any station and be productive.
When tools and supplies are worked out it is time to focus on the donated stuff. Inbound goods that are to be worked on consistently go in one place. Chances are, no matter the type of goods, they are not all going in the same direction. Some will go to the sales floor or eCommerce, some to salvage, a few may require some research, and some will go to salvage or trash.
All of those streams have to have a consistent designated place for them to go as well as a process to get them to their next stop. Again, consistency and simplicity is the key.
Everything goes in one of these directions:
Sell
Store
Test
Research
Salvage
Trash
Just as every tool and supply has to be defined, the flow of goods through various stages also has to be defined. A river is a great visualization. Rivers don’t loop over themselves. Those that meander back and forth are great for tubing but not so much for the efficient flow of goods from donation to sale.
A couple of ways to measure efficiency is to map the number of times an item is touched, how long an item is touched, and importantly, how long an item waits between steps. Goods tend to spend most of their time waiting between steps.
Number 3
Everything is kept clean — Eventually, this becomes a point of pride.
Getting things clean is one thing. Keeping things clean is the key. This makes a workplace pleasant and safer.
Clean includes the floor, work tables, tools, carts, and everything related to a work area. It’s also important to regularly inspect tools and equipment, making sure they are in good shape, and ready to go.
Scheduling time in the work day just for shine, and clean signals how important it is and gives permission to leave a work area clean and ready for the next shift or day. It is so much easier to come to work knowing a work area is organized, clean, and set up.
Scheduled time at the start and end of each shift highlights its importance.
Management regularly reinforcing, and from time to time participating in this step will help turn it into a habit.
One pet peeve of mine is price stickers. They have a way of accumulating at production stations and on carts. They get ugly, When they are cleaned up every shift they don’t multiply overnight.
Conclusion
It’s about standards and expectations. The right tools in the right quantities, kept in the right places in a tidy and clean environment helps create a positive and safe work environment. Better productivity will be a byproduct.
Thanks for reading!