One of our employee’s favorite benefits is discovering treasures in the store’s “free box.”  As the name implies, they can help themselves to anything they want there, at no charge.  And although the free box isn’t really magic, it does seem to refill itself with very little effort. 

What goes in the free box?  Mostly odds and ends, including items that have small defects, or foods and candies that are close to their expiration date.  We also put in items that a vendor has given us credit for, and sale items that didn’t sell even when marked down.

Occasionally we will get samples of merchandise to consider, and after we’ve looked at them they go in the free box for the staff.  Slightly shopworn display items are also good candidates.

Of course there are occasionally items in the free box that we could have sold at a drastically discounted price, but I would rather contribute to my employee’s job satisfaction than get a small amount of income for the goods I’m offering them.

We try to clear out items that have been in the free box a long time without being selected so that we can keep it looking fresh and inviting.  These items are either donated to charity or recycled, if possible.

The free box is a small perk for employees, but one that they really enjoy. More than once I’ve overheard staff members brag about what they’ve done with items that they’ve found in our free box, putting to good use merchandise that might not otherwise have made much of a contribution to the store’s success.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder