Execs Hit the Sales Floor at Home Depot

Will it work? Is it enough?

Photo license - Canva

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Home Depot made headlines last week when they announced they are re-establishing their mandate for corporate executives to work an 8-hour shift in stores once per quarter. 

There was a lot of commotion on LinkedIn about this. Will it work? Is it enough? The news had some cheering and virtual high-fiving. Some others said the mandate was not enough. 

I mean, they're all right. 

While it's absolutely a step in the right direction, there are some ways the company can make the exec's time spent in stores really work for them. 

Here are three.

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Have them shadow and then float

If executives are working eight hours on a sales floor, first of all - yay! Second, they're going to be totally lost at first. Running around a sales floor is super confusing if you're not used to doing it regularly. 

The average Home Depot store is 100,000 square feet. Running around a store that big is bananas. Even if you're assigned to a department - it's enormous. 

The first half of the executive's shift should be shadowing a department leader. They can follow them around, and these two leaders can trade questions. The exec can get a sense of how this leader in the store runs their day and get used to frequently asked questions from customers. 

During the second half of their shift, they can be left on their own to help customers. But the eight hours of floor time may be a waste if you don't set them up first.

Partner them with a sales associate

I used to have a district manager who would hop in and help us with anything. She did this because she cared about us and wanted to help wherever she could. She also knew she'd get insider information.

One day, when processing shipment with a few sales associates, she heard all the details about who arrived late, what register processes didn't work, and what new products the team loved. 

She remained neutral and chatty and picked up a massive amount of crucial information, all kind of on the down low.

Everyone knew who she was, but when people work side by side, they kind of forget the hierarchy of an organization. They're more relaxed and may divulge information they don't think is important but actually is. 

So, partner an executive up with a sales associate - not another executive. The day will be much more beneficial for both sides of the business.

Allow time for the store leaders to be transparent

The last thing you want on a visit day/work day like this is a dog and pony show. 

Not everything should be presented as stellar and amazing. Not everything should be neat and tidy. Not all projects should be complete with a bow tied around them. Retail is messy. Even stores with excellent leaders get bombarded with shipment, or returns, or projects.

Executives should manage their expectations and allow time to listen to the leaders in the stores. This executive in-store workday is an excellent idea and will reap massive benefits if the company's leaders are prepared.

They need to be ready
to listen,
to get dirty,
to have fun helping customers,
to be slightly confused,
to be okay with not knowing everything,
and to be utterly exhausted at the end of the day. 

If they've done it right, they will be sweaty, hungry, and their feet will hurt.

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How doers get more done

(Yes, that is Home Depot's slogan.)

Once these executives return to their offices with all their newly acquired store information, they need to look at the pay rates for everyone they worked with at the store. Is it fair? Did a store leader knock their socks off with their graceful ability to handle nine crises simultaneously?

Pay them more.

It's great that Home Depot is making this move. Do they need to work in stores more than four times a year? Absolutely. However, this mandate is a substantial step in the right direction, and I hope more retail giants follow their lead. 

When executives can genuinely work the floor, work alongside a sales associate, and be open to hearing about what's not working, the company will gain massive insight. No doubt.

Because when you ignore the advice of your retail leaders, you're essentially heading into the woods without a survival kit. Ignore them at your own peril.

Now, I'm going to give these executives the same advice I gave every new hire:

Wear comfortable shoes.
Dress in layers.
Bring water and a lot of snacks with you. 

Happy selling!

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Kit Campoy is an author and retail expert with two decades of experience leading retail teams. Today, she freelance writes for world-class SaaS Retail Tech companies.

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