Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 1 October 1951 — Page 9
' MONDAY, OOT. I 195%
| n troducing New Kr oger Store Manager And His Duties
in 2 EAI He SE i" Sr sept ea Bid SEY
It looks so easy. : . Everything just seems to be in the right place—easy
to find—when you're out shopping at a modern super-
market. The place seems to run itself.
The only staff employees you're
conscious of are the cashiers at any new ideas, new approach with
the eheck-ayt station.
‘But a day in the life of a manager of a new big super-market,’ . like the new Kroger store opening “New ideas,” Otis commented, at 3120 Southeastern Ave. is “are always good—particularly neither tranquil nor easy. when the customer proves it by But it does mean opportunity & rapid turnover of an item asof real reward—plus long hours signed certain display space. of hard work. “There's no secret about it,” he Just ask 30-year-old Otis Bu- continued, “we depend upon volchanan, the ex-Marine, who has ume and the more quickly-satis-been picked to head the newest of fied customers we can attract, the Kroger's 22 Indianapolis stores. better our bufiness js.”
a business-booming potential,
He Likes Ideas
Years of Work “caramel apple” display in Paul For 21 of his ‘30 years, ‘he's Powell's recently opened superbeen preparing for this big market at 1201 Prospect St. chance. He's had the responsi-/ “There's a case of a man, Dan bility of managing other. smaller Walker by name, who noticed stores for his employers, but this that our apples and our caramel is the big opportunity. candy were not moving too rapUnlike the old days of the cor- idly. ner grocery type of personal “A great lover of both candied
For example, he pointed to the.
salesmanship, the super-market apples and caramels, he wondered *
thrives on its ability to intrigue if there might not be a market the customers into selling them- for caramel apples. selves—and serving themselves “He tried experiments at home, for the most part. {found out it was practicable with
To Otis—who got his start in | Minimum of fuss. S60 we made a this grocery-selling business as a display, offering apples, caramel daddy-less lad at the age of nine candy, instructions ana mixing —it is an Intriguing, all-encom- sticks. passing career. - “Never had the slightest whim to turn to anything else’ he de-
It Worked Out
“The result was we jumped
clares. “There's something grat- from 20 cases of apples a week ,
ifying in. seeing results. = The to 130; caramel sales multiplied hours are long, the pace rapid, 10 times.’ the responsibility great, the com-| A similar instance was in the petition rugged. dairy department, where half-gal-“But I like it.” lon milk containers are sold right beside .one-quart containers. , His Responsibility y Relative price is the same, (two As he. watched preparations quarts same as half-gallon) yet for his store's opening, Otis volume of milk sales jumped 50 seemed slightly amazed that per cent after change was made. newspaper reporters might not One half-gallon container is
Know “the go-familiar-to-him easier for the customer to carry.
routines of his chosen career. than two quart containers, The Kroger officials earlier had ex- larger container also is blessing . plained his responsibilites were: to the housewife plagued - by . ONE—To personally supervise Shortage of space in her rethe stocking and display of some frigerator. 3200 different = grocery items,| Pointing to .the specially detaking into consideration his cus- Signed basket cart with a “rumtomers’ preferences. ble seat” built in for youngsters,
n- the young store manager said, ne ae anegemen, trai “There's another idea that paid 65 persons needed to run a mod- off handsomely in good will.” ern super-market of this magnitude. i THREE —- First-hand knowl- He explained that store emedge of each of the varied skills ployees had noted that mothers needed in assuring satisfied cuss with small children had “been tomers—those inclined to come riding the tots around in the back again. basket of the regular carts as FOUR—Complete knowledgé®of they did their shopping: all accounting records needed to| “Those baskets were not dechart progress in any large-scale signed for that use,” _he exLusiness today. plained. “As _.a result many of FIVE—Instant recognition of them tipped over and we had the
They \ Get a Lift
HE INDI ANAPOLIS TIMES
-
RIGHT CUTS—Manager checks variety ols with reat cut-
ter Holmes.
TREAT FOR EYES—Manager Buchanan Volas Mrs. Soames Wolma arrange _taste-tickling “
meat display.
problem of skinned-up, bawling because we always play roughchildren on our hands. house together—whenever I have “So this special cart was de- enough energy to match hers.” signed with a seat built-in, behind and below the basket.” Buchanan served 27 months with Another - customer preference the Marines in the South Pacific,
.was pointed out at the attractive having been stationed in the Mar-
meat counter, over which Chief shall and Gilbert Islands. Meat Cutter Keith Holmes pre- After being returned to the sides. United States, he was stationed Some persons like thick cuts, at the navy base at Hastings, others thin, others somewhere in Neb., where he met his wife-to-between. Hence manager has to be, Eloise. She was then employed be sure that meat counter is aS a bookkeeper at the base. They stocked with all defferent vari- were married 18 months before eties of cuts.: he got out of the service. Mr. Holmes, who has been a' Mr. Buchanan began his professional meat cutter for 15 8rocery career at the age of 9— years, is a World War II veteran Working afternoons and Saturof North African and Italian days at the store at 2516 W.
campaigns. -His wife, Florence, is Michigan St. head counter checker at the He fondly recalls his first boss,
A World War II veteran, Mr./,
a big, rugged man who feared only one thing in the world—
' mice. . “Just the sight of a mouse gs
would make him blow up. {But he was a great guy despite his gruffness. de used to fire me at least three times a dav because I didn't learn fast enough. But he always had me back on the job in short order.”
At the age of 16, he quit Wash- ; ington High School and went to. -
work for Kroger’'s full time. Two years later, he got* his first job 4s a manager—at the same store where he had started his grocery career at the age of 9. He served as manager of five other Kroger stores before getting his big opportunity on the new Southeastern Ave. market.
Kroger Prospect St. store. He Fishes, Too
mere Kroger Stores Are Not
away from his duties as store
: Jeo » penaser, 2 vi oem Alice But Tailored
uring indications of “the one that . got away” just as elastic as any, Kroger doesn’t construct ifs enthusiastic fisherman. stores according to a set pattern, Also looming large in his off- but carefully tailors each to the work hours is his 3-year-old/community in which it will be sitdaughter, Barbara Be. uated, Carl Reith, branch man“She's a regular little tomboy,” ager for Kroger in this area, rehe chuckled. “But I guess that is ports. The new store at 3120 Southeastern Ave. is a case in point. Detailed studies of shopping habits and buyers’ preferences are necessary before construction can begin. “Speed and convenience always must be considered,” Mr. Reith |said. “A Pew years ago our cus{tomers came to the stores.on foot. Smaller stores, closer together, satisfied the needs. Today, the shopper arrives in an automobile, and is willing to drive some distance to reach a more complete food mart. “The automokile and the larger refrigerators’ have brought
| {
another change. Many house-|
wives now shop once a week, {illing their refrigerators and shelves with: frozen foods and other foodstuffs—enough to feed the family for the entire week.”
These factors and many others are considered in designing mod-| ern. Kroger stores, ‘Mr. Reith said.
Many women, Kroger personnel has observed, no longer carry grocery lists to market. The open display of every item they might need serves as reminder. Careful attention is given to) shelving, food islands, storage ot, frozen foods and other items so! that everything is in view. Lighting experts make sure that all labels are legible from the aisles. | “The entire operation. is designed to give each community| the type of store its homemakers warit,’ » * Mr. Reith concluded.
Other Kroger Stores °
Kroger's modern supermarkets are situated in all parts|
2300 VARIETIES—Manager of new super market proudly inspects wide assortment of ca
goods on display. -
ventory.
RES Rl
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PAGE o
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STOCKROOM CAVERN—Stockboy Sam Masuccio checks 8
of Indianapolis, Many of the features of the newest Kroger | store have beem=incorporated 4n the neighborhood stores listed below, and, of course, , quality Kroger merchandise is available in all:
11201 Prospect St. 12030 W. Washington St, 2947 N. Sherman Drive 514 E, 13th St. 1440 W. 16th St. 4565 College Ave. 2970 N. Illinois St. 55p Fairfield St. 2907 Northwestern Ave. 240 Southern Ave.
620 Main St. (Beech Grove) 5818 W. Washington St. | RIDE—Mrs. James Mc daughter Ann, 2, ride 3816:N. Keystone St. 5718 E. Washington St. eve JOYRIDE—Mrs. James orrisey gives daug| 2, ride as she haps rough big.
’ Nt . '-
. 63rd St. . Bast St. . Keystone St. . Illinois St. 4 ¢. 10th St. 3836 N. Illinois St.
Pe » " : 2 sae Ni (ia
BOOM | s- JoAnne Cherry, 9, listens in wonderment about how fo make caramel apples. ;