In nearly every leadership conversation today, the focus always drifts to numbers – sales numbers, productivity and labor numbers, engagement scores, turnover rates and market share. Numbers matter, but they are not where great leadership begins. When leaders obsess over numbers, they miss the deeper truth – numbers are outcomes, not causes. The most effective […]
Category: The Grocer’s Playbook
Practical advice for grocery retailers from industry veterans and advisors. Regular columns on leadership, ownership and succession, and finding profit in store operations.
Posted inGuest Contributors, Crossroads, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Crossroads: Where Life And Business Meet
This is the first installment of a new ongoing column in The Shelby Report. We’re calling it Crossroads, in recognition of the intersection between life and business, where all of us – especially independent grocers– truly live. Each month, this column will highlight a moment where life and business collide and attempt to offer insight […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: ‘The 5 Rules’ For Winning The Holidays
For all of us that are grocery retailers, November and December aren’t just regular months. They’re the two biggest sales months of the year – not by a little, by a lot. And it can be overwhelming for our teams and customers. Remember one of my top leadership lessons for success: We take care of […]
Posted inSustainability News, Guest Contributors, Hidden Profit, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Close The Freezer, Open The Margin – Ratchet Effect Of Energy Efficiency
From leaky gaskets to overnight heat loss, small inefficiencies add up fast. As we continue our sustainability series on resource management, we focus this month on the benefits of energy efficiency and how effective energy use can positively impact the bottom line. Alongside labor, a grocery store’s electric bill is typically one of its highest […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Disruptive Kindness
It’s been an interesting journey since publishing my book on “The 5 Rules” in January of 2024 and speaking and coaching on these rules across many organizations since then. There has been one question that comes up on many occasions that I’d like to expand on for this month’s leadership teaching. But first, just as […]
Posted inSustainability News, Guest Contributors, Hidden Profit, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
A Resource In The Wrong Place – The Economics Of Grocery Waste
Merchandise loss, also known as shrink or food waste, poses a persistent economic challenge for grocery stores. While the topic may not always provoke an emotional response, by the end of this article, you may find yourself reflecting on the true cost of waste. In fact, you might say you’ve WEPT – a helpful acronym […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: If You’re Going To Be A Bear, Be A Grizzly
“If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.” This saying is one of my earliest learnings on how to be successful. It was during my early years at United Supermarkets of Oklahoma, where I spent the first 27 years of my career. I went from being a produce manager to assistant manager and […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Learning To Lead Like A National Park Guide
We recently went on a graduation celebration trip with our oldest grandson, Dax Graham Black, to Mesa Verde National Park. We had two different guides take us through a couple of the main attractions there – the Cliff House and the Balcony House. I had this thought as they inspired and educated us on how […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Please, Please Don’t Ignore Me
Below are two monumental pieces of information for those of us in the grocery business to consider in 2025 and beyond: In 2023, the grocery store industry in the United States spent $2.04 billion on advertising, up from $1.94 million a year earlier. That represents an annual increase of about 5 percent. Grocery shopping in […]
Posted inSustainability News, Guest Contributors, Hidden Profit, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Reduce Turnover By Engaging Employees; Cut Costs With Better Resource Management
As shoppers, we know the feeling of a positive shopping experience when helped by an engaged associate. According to Gallup (2023), companies with highly engaged employees provide an enhanced customer experience, increased customer retention, improved shopper satisfaction, stronger word-of-mouth and reduced churn, resulting in 23 percent higher profits. Conversely, disengaged associates cost employers $8.8 trillion […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Hidden Profit, National, News, Sustainability News, The Grocer's Playbook
Effective Resource Management Strategies For Cutting Costs, Driving Profits
The most important business in every community is the local grocery store. It is the most visited. It is where the most money is spent, outside of housing and transportation. It supplies more than two-thirds of calories consumed. During the pandemic, the industry had record profit margins. From 2020-22, profit margins averaged 2.73 percent, reaching […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, News, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Grateful To Mom For Strong Work Ethic
In the days of old when most children worked alongside their parents, taking care of the house or farm chores or in other businesses, there were multiple moments in every single day that a good work ethic was learned, taught and lived. I would guess that anyone over age 50 could tell story after story […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Be A River – Not A Reservoir
Out-of-date leadership is associated with authority, decision-making and control. However, the most effective and true leaders understand that their role is not to accumulate power for themselves but to channel it outward by empowering, inspiring and serving others. This principle is best captured in the metaphor, be a river – not a reservoir. A river […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Leadership, National, The Grocer's Playbook
Leadership: Continual Learnings From Cutting Firewood
by Steve Black It was about 25 years ago that I had an awesome idea. We lived in Oklahoma at the time and had always bought our firewood. Mesquite trees were an abundant nuisance to farmers that needed the land cleared to grow crops. Our boys were teenagers, and it made sense to me that […]