Plato’s Closet Employee Manual

Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents

Contents

Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. v

Opening the Store: Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................................... 7

Opening the Store ......................................................................................................................................... 5

On the Insert tab ....................................................................................................................................... 5

You can easily ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Operating the Register: Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................ 7

Chapter 2: Operating the Register ................................................................................................................ 9

On the Insert tab ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

You can easily ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Organizing the Sales Floor: Chapter 3 ......................................................................................................... 11

Organizing the Sales Floor........................................................................................................................... 13

On the Insert tab ..................................................................................................................................... 13

You can easily ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Conducting a Buy: Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................... 14

Conducting a Buy ........................................................................................................................................ 15

Closing the Store: Chapter 5 ....................................................................................................................... 24

Closing the Store ......................................................................................................................................... 25

Index............................................................................................................................................................ 27

Introduction v

Introduction

Plato’s Closet is a resale shop that has gained popularity in the past few years

Here at Plato’s we pride ourselves on selling quality clothes for less

We must all know how to conduct a buy, close the store, open the store, operate the

registers, and organize the sales floor.

Sales associates must have good customer service skills.

This brief employee manual will help all new hires to do that

Opening the Store: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 5

Opening the Store

Here at Plato’s we open bright and early every morning at ten. Managers and sales associates

must perform certain task before the store is opened to the public. There are lists of tasks that go

as follows:

Examine the store

Clean and organize the sales floor

Call on overnight buys

Restock

The manager will count the registers.

The manager will make sure the radio, lights, and thermostat are correct.

After these tasks have been completed, the front doors are ready to be unlocked!

Operating the Register: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 9

Chapter 2: Operating the Register

Organizing the Sales Floor: Chapter 3

[Type text]

Organizing the Sales Floor

During the day the sales associates will be at certain stations. Those stations include fitting

rooms, cash register, and floor associate. This is essential to conducting a good sales floor. The

associates will perform good social skills by helping customers, holding items, putting customers

in fittings rooms, greeting each customer, and cashing them out. The sales floor is organized by

size and color.

14 Title of Manual

Conducting a Buy: Chapter 4

Chapter 4 15

Conducting a Buy

Buys are an integral part of Plato’s operation. When a customer comes into the store you must

take their used retail items, and put them in line with the other buys behind the registers. You

must put a number on it that corresponds to the customer’s number in line. Then you quickly and

efficiently explain the buy process. This can be done in a number of ways, but the easiest is to

explain to the customer that you are going to look at the style and condition of their clothing.

You then check to see if it has been circulating in stores no more than a year and a half, if it

meets that criteria we will put it in the computer and calculate a price for the items. You then

present the customer with a quote.

The Process

The employee will set the items of clothing on the counter one at a time and examine

them.

The employee will search for stains.

The employee will search for fading.

The employee will search for excessive wear.

The employee will assess the overall style of the clothing.

Pants

Whether the pants are jeans, leggings, trousers, or athletic wear, there are steps to checking the

condition.

16 Title of Manual

Zip and unzip the pants.

Button and re-button the pants.

Check the belt loops for excessive wear.

If the pants are women’s check the inside of them for any stains.

Check the rise of the pants (low-rise, high waisted, etc.).

Run your hand up and down the seams to check for holes.

Lift each pant leg one at a time and examine it, back and front.

Check the jean pucker

Check the overall style of the pant

Check the pants for any odor they may have.

Chapter 4 17

18 Title of Manual

Short Sleeves, T-shirts, and Tanks

Lay the item on the counter to check for stains.

Check the item for fading.

Check the item for excessive wear and tear.

Check the armpits for stains.

Run your hand up and down the seam to check for tearing.

Check the item for twists

Check the item for overall style

Check for an odor the shirt may have.

Dresses

Dresses do not get treated with the care of a shirt or a pair of pants. Dresses come in many styles,

so checking the condition of a dress varies from style to style.

If the dress has zippers, zip and unzip them.

Check any buttons for wear.

Check any belt loops for wear.

Check for any stains.

Check for any odors the dress may have.

Remember to check the seams of the dress for wear, and the overall style of the dress for

currency.

Chapter 4 19

Jewelry

Clip and unclip the jewelry.

Check the jewelry for any discoloration.

Check any links the jewelry may have to make sure they are in good condition.

Check for any missing stones the jewelry may have.

Check the style of the jewelry to make sure the item is in style.

Sweatshirts

Lay the sweatshirt on the buy counter.

Check the sleeves for holes

Check the cuffs for holes

Check the armpits for stains.

Check the hood for stains.

Fold the sleeves and check the length of each sleeve for wear.

Check the size of the sweatshirt to make sure it corresponds with the look of the

sweatshirt (as sweatshirts are prone to shrinking).

Check for any odor the sweatshirt may have.

20 Title of Manual

Sweaters

Sweaters are also prone to excessive peeling and shrinking.

Check the sweat for ANY peeling.

Check the sweater for ANY shrinking.

Stains are harder to spot due to the texture and material of most sweater, but they should

still be checked for.

Check for any odor the sweater may have.

You basically check a sweater the same way you would a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt.

Shoes

Chapter 4 21

Check the soles of the shoes for excessive wear.

Check the style of the shoes to make sure they are currently in style.

Check the overall condition of the shoes.

Check for any odor the shoes may have.

Purses

Zip and unzip the zipper.

Button and unbutton the purse.

Check for any stains in the lining of the purse.

Check for any holes in the lining of the purse.

Feel the strap of the purse to make sure it is sturdy.

Passing on Buying Items

When you check the clothing certain standards must be met in order to buy the item.

The clothing must be in ready to wear condition.

The clothing must not have stains

The clothing must not have holes

The clothing must not be fading

The clothing must not so signs of excessive wear.

If the clothing meets these standards you must enter the buy into the computer under its category.

22 Title of Manual

The categories include:

Men’s Denim

Women’s Denim

Men’s Long Sleeve

Women’s Long Sleeve

Etc.

If the clothing does not meet the standards stated above you must pass on that item. Make sure to

note what was wrong with the item, and put it in the pass pile.

Style

When examining the style of each article of clothing, be sure to check the tags to see if they are

relatively new. Make sure that the item is something that will sell to teens and young adults. If

the style of the items is too mature it must be passed on. There is a style guide that all employees

must follow.

All Pass

If a buy comes in and you have carefully inspected the clothes, and you decided to pass on the

clothing you would call it an all pass or AP. Clothes should be passed on if they exhibit:

Excessive wear

Stains

Tears

Chapter 4 23

Holes

Foul Odor

Dated styles

These issues should be written on the buy slip and explained to the customer respectfully and

patiently.

All buy

If the costumer brings in a buy and the employee decides to buy all the items you would call it

and all buy or AB. (Note this should only be done if the clothes are in EXCELLENT condition).

Entering the Buy in the System

After the employee has looked over the entire buy they begin entering the item/items into the

computer. They start by identifying each item by name, size, and then price. This requires the

knowledge and skill for identifying each item of clothing by category. Then you must decide the

price. This will be explained in the buy exam. Once the buy is entered in the computer you will

write the customers quote (price for the entire buy) on the buy slip. Then you will complete the

buy by presenting the quote to the customer and giving them back the items you passed on.

24 Title of Manual

Closing the Store: Chapter 5

Chapter 4 25

Closing the Store

There are also certain tasks that have to be completed each night at close. Both the manager and

associates have tasks that need to be checked off in order to properly close down the store. The

manger must close each register and supervise the cleaning, organizing and restocking of the

store. After these tasks are completed the store can be successfully closed

Index 27

Index

pictures, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20