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Any training ideas for my girls who work in a busy shoe department? In the past I've set things such as benifits of leather shoes etc. Customer service, but I normally break it down into approach/finding product and customer needs etc. Do you have any other ideas? Anything unusual but will help contribute to the successfull running of a busy shoe department? Anything the girls will find usefull but at the same time learning? Please help, I'm running out of ideas! Thanks in advance! I am the manager yeah, but I've just covered so much I'm running out of ideas. Just thought another person may have some ideas I haven't thought of....So please...fire away! Thanks!

M.G.G. replied: "Are you the manager? Ask your manager to train you on how to train new staff! Edit: Oh. Okay well in that case, I would suggest perhaps doing role-play and seeing how your new employees would handle customer concerns and problems."

Martell replied: "Stop calling them "girls" for one thing! Unless they are aged 5 through 13! I assume you are talking about women, selling shoes! Talk about them as women or young women. Speak with them as adults. Are you a man or woman yourself? If it were I, I'd talk with them and ask for suggestions; what THEY see as needed to sell the shoes, etc. Sales people are often more perceptive re the customer needs that then buyers!! THEY know what the customer wants!! Maybe they need more in several common sizes; different styles; etc!! THEY will know!! Good luck!"

Training ideas to give to my girls in a busy shoe department? In the past I've set things such as benifits of leather shoes etc. Customer service, but I normally break it down into approach/finding product and customer needs etc. Do you have any other ideas? Anything unusual but will help contribute to the successfull running of a busy shoe department? Anything the girls will find usefull but at the same time learning? Please help, I'm running out of ideas! Thanks in advance!

WOLFER12 replied: "BY MORE"

LifestyleDesigner replied: "Training on fit, obviously, would be helpful. Especially, in educating the customer about how to tell if a shoe is fitting them well. Also, the benefits of quality shoes. Why some shoes cost more than others, which shoes are better for someone who is on their feet all day, how to make sure a customer is going to be insanely happy with their purchase and enjoy the shoe-buying experience, etc."

Jayne replied: "When I worked at a department store that sold a large variety of Doc Martins we had to do mini presentations on the different styles of their boots. It was very helpful learning what leathers were used and what each style was called. Educating your employees on the brands, particular styles, and how to implement them into today's fashion will make people want to shop at your store over and over. Friendly but not pushy service is also great too. Make sure they all know how to locate particular or even popular shoes in the stock room. It will save time!"

Do you have any training ideas for me to set for my girls in a shoe department? In the past I've set things such as benifits of leather shoes etc. Customer service, but I normally break it down into approach/finding product and customer needs etc. Do you have any other ideas? Anything unusual but will help contribute to the successfull running of a busy shoe department? Anything the girls will find usefull but at the same time learning? Please help, I'm running out of ideas! Thanks in advance!

Vicster replied: "Sales is, or should be, all about customer service. So many people these days are frustrated with sales people who don't seem to care at all whether or not the customer leaves happy. Train your staff to do things the old fashioned way - service with a smile, introduce themselves to their customer and ask the customer's name - then use it, find out what the customer wants/needs and help them find it. For example, they may be looking at one or two pairs of shoes, but end up not wanting either. Train your staff to ask the customer what they're looking for in a shoe then offer suggestions. Of course, the customer may start talking about other needs which may be out of your department. Encourage your staff to become familiar with every department of your store. You could give them some time each week, paid, to "shop" the store - go through each department to see what's on sale, what's new, etc. Think about what you want as a customer, and tell your staff to think the same way, then train them to meet those needs. You can also try having brainstorming sessions with your staff - they may have some ideas on areas that they'd like training on too. And remind them that a happy customer will come back again and again, but a customer who feels like they've been given special treatment will not just come back, they'll bring friends!"

Margie W replied: "I think that you should remind them about: 1. eye contact with the customer; smile and greet them sincerely. Avoid sounding monotonous or ignoring a customer entirely. 2. listening to them, ie what do they want--to get shoes for athletic wear, match a special outfit, etc. 3. ask good questions (Do you like open toed sandals or do you prefer the close toed? Do you feel comfortable in trendy styles or do you prefer classics better? What height pumps to you want to look at today?) 4. be observant (Is she wearing business attire? Suggest a conservative or dressy type. Is she young and flirty? Match the shoe to her personality type.) 5. Be organized in their dept. Remove from the displays shoes that they don't have in stock the most common sizes, or they will risk disappointing customers. 6. Suggest "footies" for customers' use to try on shoes; smile when offering this; a hygenic must-have. 7. Try to KNOW your stock of merchandise. If a purse matches the shoes, point that out with enthusiasm! Don't be pushy, just helpful. "Say, I noticed that you have selected that red sandal. Did you see this cute red bag that matches it exactly??" 8. Get to know your customers personally, if possible. Greet them by name, if you know it. People love to buy from a friend. Make friends with everyone! Even consider keeping a card file or a customer list so that you can send out an emailing or drop a postcard when a special sale is approaching. They will remember your thoughtfulness by shopping with you, rather than Walmart's self service shoe dept. 9. Give a gift with the sale: an imprinted shoe horn with company name/address or a pair of new shoestrings with tennis shoes. It's fun to be surprised with a gift! The low cost of such will be remembered for a long time. 10. Be sincere!!! Care about people!!! They can make someone's day, if they have a good attitude at work. Margie"

Question for Macy's West employees - How much is commission in the shoe department? I was wondering how much commission is paid when working in the women's shoe department of Macy's. Is it calculated per shoe sale or percentage of the total goal per day? If shoes are returned, does it get deducted from the employee?

hector186060139 replied: "that i know is 7-8% varies on the brand u sell thats for PT and 8-9% for FT, also i think now theres no more east west n all that is by district now."

How to take the most money on a shoe department in sale? Any tips? All of the shoes are really small prices so don't really add up to much, but we can't spend more time with the customers because there are so many. What can we do to maximise sales? Please give me a really usefull tip?! or 1000!

zanthus replied: "Customer service is everything!!! If your customers feel that you are in a rush to get to the next customer, they won't buy as much. If you go out of your way to make every customer feel extra special, even if there are two others waiting behind him, your sales will double."

kendrickflorida replied: "It sounds like you have excess demand for your product, which means you're not charging enough. I can't say this is exactly true though, because I can't see your numbers, and I'm not actually there, but you may want to take this into consideration. Zanthus and hotdogseeksbun have very good answers from the marketing aspect. My answer(the financial/economic aspect) is not one you just 'jump into'(don't completely ignore either). You definitely consider other options first, and if you then do decide to change the financial aspect, you don't want to do any drastic changes."

hotdogseeksbun replied: "Place all the discounted shoes together.In a big box on a shelf by the entry just were people can see them.Place a sign all shoes 12.99 or nothing over 15.00.Or whatever your price point is just keep it simple.Let the cherry pickers sort them out and bring them to the cashier."

How to run a shoe department, customer service and stockroom standards when very short staffed? What's the best way to do it? To the maximum potential?

catherine b replied: "all you can do is your best stay calm and apologise to th customers when they are waiting and the staff you have make sure they work to there full ability,ang get some staff"

TaxGurl replied: "Streamline as much as possible. Sit down with the staff and make a comprehensive list of every single task they handle---from helping customers to dumping the trash at the end of the night. From that list, prioritize the tasks into things that MUST get done, things that should get done, and things that can be let go if absolutely necessary. Look for things that can be consolidated or eliminated. Is it more efficient to put away each rejected pair of shoes as they go during the day or more efficient to restock them all at the end of the night? Look for time wasters that can be eliminated. Are there useless tasks or meetings that can be eliminated? Get input from the entire staff on that one----the manager and the employees often have very different perspectives on what is necessary and what just wastes time. Look at the schedules as well. Are you scheduled heavily on slow times and don't have enough people at busy times. Would staggered schedules or split shifts help? Would it even be more cost effective to hire a part time employee to handle the stockroom so your higher paid sales force can focus on making sales and generating revenue? There are a lot of factors to consider. Above all, you can not let the customer service suffer. That has to be the top priority."

Mr. P replied: "Many companies short-staff to save costs. It is a false economy because customers will go elsewhere. Front of house and customer attention is priority. If the place is a tip in the back, then overtime is needed to sort it out. Any harassement from management will lead to workers taking more time off - making the problems worse. All the best companies have enough staff with clearly defined roles. If there are not enough - the system breaks down."

How to increase takings in a shoe department, don't have much control over much...? How to increase takings on a shoe department? We can't decide what to order, or reduce prices further. All we can do really is train the staff, visual merchandising etc. What do you think really makes a difference to our figures?

chris replied: "great customer service,with a smile"

CarlisleGirl replied: "Just understand what you DO have control over, and at least work with that. Customer service, attitude. You have mentioned training and visual merchandising -- at least let those be the very best you can possibly make them. Suggest you and the other employees role play and take the part of customers to test out ideas of better and better ways to keep customers happy. Create a "buzz" by working out some way of waiting on people faster perhaps, or working together to "read" their tastes better. After all, anything that sells more shoes will please the bosses more. If it will help the whole department for more individuals to make goal, do the math and find ways to bring up the lowest people, so the whole group shines. Work together as a group. This will raise morale and improve communications. If doing something social together will help, do that, too. Celebrate successes. Resist the temptation to pit one against the other. I believe internal competition can be insidious. Sales organizations seem to like it, but I think it is actually very demoralizing, as it brands many as losers, even while a few are called winners. Just my 2 cents..."

Friendly competitions to do in a shoe department, highest sales per hour or something? Silly little motivational things like who can sell the most shoe care etc. With a small prize for the winner.... Any really good ideas?

Deborah M replied: "It sounds like you are already on the right track, go with your gut."

If I sent in a resume at Macy's for the shoe department, can I also send one in for the cosmetics dep? I'm really desperate for a job and Macy's has several hiring positions available and I'm wondering if it would be fine to send my resume to the different department areas.

Tejash B replied: "I'd say you send in multiple resumes as you are thinking. First it increases your chance of being selected.....2. It is not illegal..3. Person on the other end will know you are damn serious and very needful.....all 3 points in your favor...go ahead...luck"

Any different training ideas for sales assistants on a shoe department? Already done the basics, customer service, how a shoe fits etc. Anything a bit more different and fun?

smiling_freds_biz_info replied: "Attracting more customers might be your focus."