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HOURS OF OPERATION
The hours of operation of the retail
and clothing store are prescribed by the commanding officer.
Consequently, they will vary from ship to ship or on change of command.
The important thing to remember is that these prescribed hours must be
prominently posted at all times.
Store hours of operation decals
are available on request from NAVRESSO. The decal is pressure sensitive
and is applied easily. Lettering is brilliant gold on a blue background,
hours are interchangeable, and complete sets of different hours are
supplied with each decal for at sea and in port. The hours of
operation should be prominently posted and visible from the outside
of the store; usually on the door of a walk-in store or a window of
a smaller store. Stores should be open at least 42 hours
per week underway and 20 hours in port. The hours should be set to
provide the entire crew an opportunity to shop and should be
staggered for different outlets to provide service after working
hours, especially while underway. Customers should be allowed an
additional 15 minutes in walk-in stores to conclude shopping.
Whenever changes are made to store hours or when the store is going
to be closed, customers should be notified at least 1 week in
advance. POLICY SIGNS
Policy signs should be
prominently posted in the retail store so customers can see them.
There should be signs stating that personal checks are accepted up
to the amount of sale. A sign about the harmful effects of cigarette
smoking must be placed in each area where cigarettes are sold,
whether by the pack or by the carton. A sign showing the regulations
for authorized customers should be posted near each register. A sign
should be posted near the suggestion box stating "To better serve
you we solicit your comments on items carried and services offered.
Drop a note in the suggestion box. The ship's store officer will
give it special attention." There should be a sign stating that all
profits go to the recreation fund. A notice should be posted that
special orders may be made through the ship's store office for
authorized merchandise not carried in stock. There should also be a
sign stating the ship's store policy on returning defective
merchandise bought in the store. Some of the signs previously
mentioned are available from NAVRESSO ship's store division. Consult
the Ship's Stores Afloat Visual Merchandising Supplement on
"Basic Display and Signing Requirements" for what is currently
available. The other signs can be locally prepared.
DISPLAY OF MERCHANDISE
Display of items in the sales outlet
should inform and educate the customer as to the quality, price,
use, and other important characteristics of the merchandise
(fig. 2-3). Displays should make
Figure 2-3.-Displays in the retail store.
an impression on the customer that will answer as many questions as
possible about the merchandise. This will reduce the time the
customer will use in making a decision on whether to buy a product
or not, thus shortening waiting time and lines at retail stores. Any
display that does not convey, to the customer, sufficient
information on which the customer can make a decision is incomplete
and fails its purpose. The purpose of a display is to show
merchandise in such a manner that it is attractive, easily seen,
quickly identified, readily accessible, neatly arranged, and
properly correlated for convenient selection and shopping ease.
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