Produce managers need products that make the day easier

Anyone who has worked in a grocery store knows how demanding and unpredictable each day can be. The pace never slows, and there is always another problem to solve: late deliveries, missing carts, difficult customers, equipment failures, out-of-stocks, employee call-ins, and unexpected supervisor walk-throughs.

Not long ago, an independent grocer asked me to evaluate the produce department and suggest ways to improve operations. During my visit, the store was busy and energized, with employees constantly moving to keep up with demand.

In the backroom, the produce team worked nonstop preparing fruits and vegetables for the sales floor. One employee sliced produce, another filled containers, while a third trimmed and washed greens to keep them fresh and appealing. It was easy to see how many labor hours were tied up in these repetitive tasks.

At one point, the produce manager rushed into the backroom asking for more leaf lettuce to replenish a promotional display. An employee immediately stopped what he was doing to trim and prepare additional product while customers waited out on the sales floor. The manager later admitted there simply were not enough hours in the day to keep everything done.

The backroom operated like an assembly line, and it highlighted how many stores still rely on outdated labor-intensive practices while trying to function with lean staffing and inconsistent training.

To help solve the issue, we recommended moving much of the prep work out of the store by outsourcing more “source-packed, stock-ready” items such as bagged lettuce, celery, broccoli, green onions, and especially fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Management initially resisted because they preferred the “natural farm look” of unpackaged produce. My response was simple: “Are you trying to create a look, or are you trying to sell product?”

When employees spend more time prepping than stocking, displays eventually become empty and shopped down anyway. Produce departments today need solutions that simplify daily operations, not processes that consume valuable labor hours in the backroom.

Supermarkets everywhere are adjusting operations as labor costs continue to rise. Stores are reducing hours, and produce departments are often among the first areas affected. Produce managers increasingly depend on growers, packers, and suppliers to provide products that reduce handling and improve efficiency.

The reality is that produce labor has become harder to find, train, and retain. To stay competitive, stores need to make the work simpler, faster, safer, and more productive by replacing outdated practices with methods that put labor hours back into truly important work on the sales floor.

One of the best answers is source-packed, ready-to-stock produce. Products like bagged salads, packaged vegetables, fresh-cut fruit, wrapped lettuce, sleeved celery, clamshell berries, and packaged sweet corn arrive ready for display and sale. Employees can spend less time trimming, washing, and repacking, and more time maintaining full, attractive displays for shoppers.

Packaged produce also aligns with changing consumer preferences. Shoppers continue to look for convenience, portability, freshness, and products that save time at home. At the same time, ready-to-stock items can help reduce shrink, improve consistency, and extend shelf life.

When produce arrives sales-floor ready, retailers save both time and labor. Replenishment becomes easier, displays stay fuller, and departments operate more efficiently. Instead of turning the backroom into a production facility, employees can focus on customer service, merchandising, and keeping the department in top condition.

Produce managers do not need more work added to their day. They need products and programs that help them operate better departments. The companies that continue developing those solutions will help shape the future of the produce industry.