Sale Operations: Sort thru Load Out
These last few phases of your sales event are critical to ending your sale on a positive note. And also critical for giving your consignors a positive sale experience. Proper planning and staffing is essential.
UNSOLD ITEM SORT
After your sale closes to the public, you need at least four hours to sort unsold items.

By the end of unsold item sort, items will be sorted by Consignor number, double checked for accuracy, and labeled with the Consignor number.

In general, basic sorting steps include:
  1. Separate donated items as you sort non-donate items into A-Z by the first letter of the Consignor number (we call this a "rough sort").
  2. Sort each letter section into Consignor number (we call this "fine sort"). For example, one Team Member would work on all of the A's and sort them by the full Consignor number.
  3. Double check each tag and bundle or bag the items belonging to a single Consignor. For example, one Team Member double checks all tags marked A-123-xyz and, once verified, bundles hanging clothing with flag tape and bags non-hanging items.

Read the following sections in your Operations Manual: Unsold Item Sort and Prepare for Sort Early.

Read the following section in Best Practices: Sorting without Killing Your Feet!

NOTE: If you are more of a hands-on learner, take heart! Your Onsite Apprenticeship will include lots of review and practice for the Sort process.
CONSIGNOR PICK UP
When your unsold item sort process goes smoothly and you have double checked all non-donate items, you are well prepared for Consignor Pick Up.

Similarly to Consignor Drop Off, you will need to design a process and flow for your Consignors. This includes:
  1. Greeting at entrance with explanation or handout detailing the process
  2. Consignor gathers hanging items
  3. Consignor gathers non-hanging items
  4. Consignor claims lost tag items that belong to them
  5. Consignor claims high value items that belong to them
  6. Team Member spot-checks all claimed items and thanks Consignor for participating at exit

You may have additional steps in your Pick Up process. If you have "no thank you" items or recalled items available to Pick Up, you will include this station in your process.
DONATING ITEMS
After Consignor Pick Up ends, all items are donated to your Charity Partner. It is critical that you do not take any items home with you. You do not want to appear to be stealing donated items.

Be sure that you have communicated well with your Charity Partner(s) so that they know when to show up, where to park, and where to load items. Prepare them for the volume of donations so that they come with containers, bags, and vehicles necessary to take all items with them.

It is a good idea to ask your Charity Partner to double check each item tag as they are packing/loading items. This helps prevent mis-sorting.

Loading donations takes time. Be sure that you have scheduled the appropriate amount of time in your venue and have communicated with your Charity Partner in advance so that they can bring helpers to load all items in the allotted timeframe.
TEAR DOWN & LOAD OUT
As unsold item sort, Consignor Pick Up, and Donation Load Out is happening, your Team Members may begin to tear down equipment as fixtures are emptied of items. However, it is NOT advised - for safety reasons - that you disassemble equipment when lots of people are in the area. Only begin tear down in an area that is no longer needed.

BEWARE of off-balance wooden racks during all phases of your sale, but especially during sort, pick up, donation loading, and tear down. Keeping the weight balanced on each side of the wooden rack rows will reduce the risk of a rack tipping over. Read more here.

As you disassemble equipment, keep safety in mind. Prevent injuries by having enough staff and enough time so that everyone can work carefully.

Think about how your trailers or trucks should be loaded so that your unloading process (either into storage, or back into your venue at your next sale) is in the best order for efficiency. For example, if possible depending on weight distribution in your trailer, load your wooden bases last since these are the first items you need to start setting up racks.

Keeping supplies organized throughout the sale will help in the load out process. At the end of each sale day, place supplies where they belong. This will save you valuable minutes while you and your team are loading out of the venue.
Team Members: Sort thru Load Out
Sort
Talk with your Success Coach about the right number of hours and the number of Team Members needed to make an accurate sort process work. Factors to consider include: time available, sell-through rate and number of Consignors. We do not suggest attempting any sort process with less than 20 Team Members in 4 hours.

Pick Up
Consignor Pick up requires Team Members in the following areas (minimally):
  • 1 - Greeter
  • 1 - Lost Tag Attendant
  • 1 - High Value Item Attendant
  • 1-4 Spot Checkers at Exit

Donating Items
Typically during unsold item sort, all items marked to donate are moved to a specific and separate area so that the Charity Partner can load those items. It is recommended that you have a Team Member supervising this area during your sort process to 1) keep it organized and separate from other floor areas and 2) to do one last check to ensure all items in the donate area are marked with a "D".

Ask your Charity Partner to bring all of the helpers they need for loading these items.

Tear Down & Load Out
Typically, you will need the same number of Team Members at this end of the sale as you did during Load In and Set Up. Be sure that you or someone you have trained is delegating tasks so that this team works efficiently and so that all items are loaded in the best manner.
Your To Do's
To Do:
  1. Read the following sections in your Operations Manual: Unsold Item Sort and Prepare for Sort Early.
  2. Read the following section in Best Practices: Sorting without Killing Your Feet!
  3. Use your Sale Week Processes file (that you've already started & shared with your coach) to draft your plan for Sort, Consignor Pickup, and Load Out (be as detailed as possible).
  4. Add any to do's to your Master Sale Planner.
Use your weekly meetings with your Success Coach to ask any questions you may have after thoroughly reading, watching, and practicing the content included in this email. And if you get "stuck" in between meetings, feel free to reach out to your Success Coach via email. They will respond within 1-2 business days.
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