What store managers need from head office

Report

Written by Lontra from 10 conversations, 2 shared documents and 3 Deep Study conversations.

The answer

Store managers ignore directives that arrive without the reason behind them.

They do not ask for fewer messages. They ask for the three that matter this week, each with one line on why.

What people said

They receive more than 30 messages a week from head office 8 of 10 people Strong signal

Store teams count 30 to 50 items a week across the memo, department emails and the store app. Head office counts the memo as one message: its own list for week 37 has 34 items.

“If I add it all up it's thirty, forty things a week.”Store manager, 6 years in role

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“If I add it all up it's thirty, forty things a week.”

Store manager, 6 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 6 years in role · City-centre store, 40 staff

Lontra
To start, what reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and how does it arrive?

Store manager
So there's the weekly memo, that lands Monday afternoon. Then emails from pretty much every department, merchandising, people team, health and safety, marketing. Then the app, which pings the store phone. If I add it all up it's thirty, forty things a week. Some weeks more, around a launch.

Lontra
Of those thirty or forty, how many matter for running the store that week?

Store manager
Honestly? Maybe five. The trouble is they all look the same. Same format, same 'please action by'. I have to read everything to find the five. And anything that doesn't say why goes to the bottom of the pile.

Lontra
What would help you find the five?

Store manager
Put them at the top. Tell me the three things that matter this week and I'll make sure they're done properly. The rest can sit in a list I look at on Thursday.

Lontra
You mentioned deadlines. When do they usually fall?

Store manager
Wednesday, a lot of the time, which is our delivery day. Or Saturday morning, which is when we're busiest.
“The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top.”

Store manager, 3 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top. I've shared last week's memo so you can see.

Lontra
Thank you. In the memo you shared, item 14 asks for the denim wall reset by Wednesday at noon, with no reason given. What happened with that one?

Store manager
That one. We did it Tuesday night, two of us stayed late. Then Thursday morning there's an email saying hold the denim reset, stock hasn't landed. So we put it back. Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.

Lontra
So that reversal changed how you handle later tasks?

Store manager
Yes. If there's no reason I wait and see. If they'd said why, the new stock, I'd have checked the stock had arrived first.

Lontra
Which days do the deadlines usually land on?

Store manager
Delivery day. Tuesday for us. Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.
“Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season.”

Area manager, 12 stores

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Area manager, 12 stores · Covers one region

Lontra
From where you sit, what reaches your stores from head office in a week?

Area manager
Each store gets what I get, plus whatever's local. Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season. I spend most of Monday on the phone translating it.

Lontra
What do you mean by translating?

Area manager
Telling them which three things matter. The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait. The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.

Lontra
Is the reason behind a task written down somewhere?

Area manager
Usually, yes. It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.

Lontra
What would you change first?

Area manager
One list, ranked, with the top three marked. I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.
“Loads. Thirty-odd, easily.”

Store manager, 5 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 5 years in role · Seaside town store, staff doubles in summer

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Loads. Thirty-odd, easily. More in summer.

Lontra
Is there anything that makes a week harder than it needs to be?

Store manager
Weekend deadlines. In summer the weekend is everything for us.

Lontra
Can you say a bit more about that?

Store manager
Not much more to say. Saturday we're packed, and that's when they want the stock count.

Lontra
What happens to tasks that come without a reason?

Store manager
Same as anyone. They wait.

A task without its reason waits until someone explains it 6 of 10 people Strong signal

Tasks that arrive without a reason are parked behind the ones people understand. After a task was reversed once it had been done, managers started waiting before acting on similar ones.

“It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand.”Store manager, 2 years in role

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand.”

Store manager, 2 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 2 years in role · Shopping centre store, 18 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Thirty-odd emails and the memo. I keep a tally on a notepad, last week was thirty-six.

Lontra
What happens to a task that doesn't say why it's needed?

Store manager
It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand. We got told to move the queue barrier by the tills, no reason. Turned out it was blocking a fire exit. If it had said fire exit, done in ten minutes.

Lontra
When do deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Saturday morning, a lot. Saturday's our biggest day. From an office calendar I suppose Saturday looks like any other day.

Lontra
What would you want instead?

Store manager
A short list in order. And the reason in one line. I don't need an essay.
“If there's no reason I wait and see.”

Store manager, 3 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top. I've shared last week's memo so you can see.

Lontra
Thank you. In the memo you shared, item 14 asks for the denim wall reset by Wednesday at noon, with no reason given. What happened with that one?

Store manager
That one. We did it Tuesday night, two of us stayed late. Then Thursday morning there's an email saying hold the denim reset, stock hasn't landed. So we put it back. Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.

Lontra
So that reversal changed how you handle later tasks?

Store manager
Yes. If there's no reason I wait and see. If they'd said why, the new stock, I'd have checked the stock had arrived first.

Lontra
Which days do the deadlines usually land on?

Store manager
Delivery day. Tuesday for us. Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.
“if I don't know what it's for I can't explain it to the team, and if I can't explain it, it doesn't get done well.”

Store manager, 14 years with the company

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 14 years with the company · Outlet store, 15 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Plenty. Thirty, thirty-five things. I've been here fourteen years, it's always been a lot. I read everything, every line, always have.

Lontra
What happens to a task that comes without an explanation?

Store manager
It goes on the pile. I'm not being awkward, but if I don't know what it's for I can't explain it to the team, and if I can't explain it, it doesn't get done well.

Lontra
How do you get through the memo itself?

Store manager
Honestly, the memo, I skim it on the Tuesday and wait for the area manager's call to tell me what's actually important.

Lontra
Earlier you said you read every line. Now you said you skim the memo. Which is closer to a normal week?

Store manager
Fair. Both, I suppose. I read anything with a deadline and a name on it. The rest I skim. I meant I don't miss what matters. Or I try not to.

Lontra
What would make the memo easier to use?

Store manager
Put the important ones first and say why. We're not daft, we'll do it if it makes sense.
“If we'd known it was for the new campaign we'd have waited for the boxes.”

Assistant store manager, 4 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Assistant store manager, 4 years in role · Flagship store, 60 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and who reads it?

Assistant store manager
My manager reads the memo first and forwards bits to me. Between the memo and the emails we're well over thirty items. In the flagship we also get extra for events.

Lontra
Can you think of a task that went wrong because it arrived without a reason?

Assistant store manager
The window change in spring. We were told to take down the main window on a Monday. No reason. We did it, it looked empty for two days, and it turned out the new display was delayed. If we'd known it was for the new campaign we'd have waited for the boxes.

Lontra
What do you do now when a task has no reason?

Assistant store manager
I ask. I'll email back and ask what it's for. Sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I get the same instruction again.

Lontra
What would you change?

Assistant store manager
Rank them. One to five, must-do this week. And a line on why.

They ask for a ranked list, not for fewer messages 6 of 10 people Strong signal

Nobody asked head office to stop sending updates. They asked for an order: the few things that matter this week first, the rest after.

“Tell me the three things that matter this week and I'll make sure they're done properly.”Store manager, 6 years in role

Show all 3 quotes and their conversations

“Tell me the three things that matter this week and I'll make sure they're done properly.”

Store manager, 6 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 6 years in role · City-centre store, 40 staff

Lontra
To start, what reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and how does it arrive?

Store manager
So there's the weekly memo, that lands Monday afternoon. Then emails from pretty much every department, merchandising, people team, health and safety, marketing. Then the app, which pings the store phone. If I add it all up it's thirty, forty things a week. Some weeks more, around a launch.

Lontra
Of those thirty or forty, how many matter for running the store that week?

Store manager
Honestly? Maybe five. The trouble is they all look the same. Same format, same 'please action by'. I have to read everything to find the five. And anything that doesn't say why goes to the bottom of the pile.

Lontra
What would help you find the five?

Store manager
Put them at the top. Tell me the three things that matter this week and I'll make sure they're done properly. The rest can sit in a list I look at on Thursday.

Lontra
You mentioned deadlines. When do they usually fall?

Store manager
Wednesday, a lot of the time, which is our delivery day. Or Saturday morning, which is when we're busiest.
“Just number them. Number one is the most important.”

Store manager, 8 months in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 8 months in role · High-street store, 9 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot. I didn't expect that when I took the job. I'd say thirty-plus messages, I tried counting once and stopped.

Lontra
How do you decide what to do first?

Store manager
I ring my area manager. Every Monday, basically. She goes through it with me and says do this, this can wait, ignore that one, it's been cancelled.

Lontra
What would happen if you couldn't ring her?

Store manager
I'd do everything in the order it came, I suppose. Which is how I did it the first two months, and I was in at seven every day.

Lontra
If head office changed one thing, what should it be?

Store manager
Just number them. Number one is the most important. That's it, really.
“One list, ranked, with the top three marked.”

Area manager, 12 stores

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Area manager, 12 stores · Covers one region

Lontra
From where you sit, what reaches your stores from head office in a week?

Area manager
Each store gets what I get, plus whatever's local. Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season. I spend most of Monday on the phone translating it.

Lontra
What do you mean by translating?

Area manager
Telling them which three things matter. The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait. The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.

Lontra
Is the reason behind a task written down somewhere?

Area manager
Usually, yes. It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.

Lontra
What would you change first?

Area manager
One list, ranked, with the top three marked. I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.

Deadlines fall on delivery day or on Saturday morning 5 of 10 people Strong signal

Requested completion dates often land on the store's delivery day or on Saturday morning, the two busiest moments of the week in store.

“Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.”Store manager, 3 years in role

Show all 3 quotes and their conversations

“Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.”

Store manager, 3 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top. I've shared last week's memo so you can see.

Lontra
Thank you. In the memo you shared, item 14 asks for the denim wall reset by Wednesday at noon, with no reason given. What happened with that one?

Store manager
That one. We did it Tuesday night, two of us stayed late. Then Thursday morning there's an email saying hold the denim reset, stock hasn't landed. So we put it back. Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.

Lontra
So that reversal changed how you handle later tasks?

Store manager
Yes. If there's no reason I wait and see. If they'd said why, the new stock, I'd have checked the stock had arrived first.

Lontra
Which days do the deadlines usually land on?

Store manager
Delivery day. Tuesday for us. Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.
“Saturday morning, a lot. Saturday's our biggest day.”

Store manager, 2 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 2 years in role · Shopping centre store, 18 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Thirty-odd emails and the memo. I keep a tally on a notepad, last week was thirty-six.

Lontra
What happens to a task that doesn't say why it's needed?

Store manager
It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand. We got told to move the queue barrier by the tills, no reason. Turned out it was blocking a fire exit. If it had said fire exit, done in ten minutes.

Lontra
When do deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Saturday morning, a lot. Saturday's our biggest day. From an office calendar I suppose Saturday looks like any other day.

Lontra
What would you want instead?

Store manager
A short list in order. And the reason in one line. I don't need an essay.
“Delivery day mostly. Wednesday.”

Store manager, 11 months in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 11 months in role · Small-town store, 7 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot.

Lontra
Could you give me a rough idea, or an example from last week?

Store manager
Emails. The memo. Too many to count really.

Lontra
When do the deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Delivery day mostly. Wednesday.

Lontra
Who helps you decide what to do first?

Store manager
Area manager. She rings.

Lontra
Is there anything else you'd want head office to know?

Store manager
Not really. It's fine. Just a lot.

The newest managers sort the week on a call with their area manager 3 of 10 people Emerging

The two store managers with less than a year in role decide what matters on a weekly call with their area manager, who spends most of Monday on these calls.

“I ring my area manager. Every Monday, basically.”Store manager, 8 months in role

Show all 3 quotes and their conversations

“I ring my area manager. Every Monday, basically.”

Store manager, 8 months in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 8 months in role · High-street store, 9 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot. I didn't expect that when I took the job. I'd say thirty-plus messages, I tried counting once and stopped.

Lontra
How do you decide what to do first?

Store manager
I ring my area manager. Every Monday, basically. She goes through it with me and says do this, this can wait, ignore that one, it's been cancelled.

Lontra
What would happen if you couldn't ring her?

Store manager
I'd do everything in the order it came, I suppose. Which is how I did it the first two months, and I was in at seven every day.

Lontra
If head office changed one thing, what should it be?

Store manager
Just number them. Number one is the most important. That's it, really.
“Area manager. She rings.”

Store manager, 11 months in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 11 months in role · Small-town store, 7 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot.

Lontra
Could you give me a rough idea, or an example from last week?

Store manager
Emails. The memo. Too many to count really.

Lontra
When do the deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Delivery day mostly. Wednesday.

Lontra
Who helps you decide what to do first?

Store manager
Area manager. She rings.

Lontra
Is there anything else you'd want head office to know?

Store manager
Not really. It's fine. Just a lot.
“The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait.”

Area manager, 12 stores

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Area manager, 12 stores · Covers one region

Lontra
From where you sit, what reaches your stores from head office in a week?

Area manager
Each store gets what I get, plus whatever's local. Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season. I spend most of Monday on the phone translating it.

Lontra
What do you mean by translating?

Area manager
Telling them which three things matter. The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait. The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.

Lontra
Is the reason behind a task written down somewhere?

Area manager
Usually, yes. It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.

Lontra
What would you change first?

Area manager
One list, ranked, with the top three marked. I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.

Where accounts differ

Whether instructions should carry the reason behind them

Stores want the reason next to each task. Head office took reasons out of the memo a year ago, after stores said it was too long. The area manager points out that the reason usually exists, in a document nobody has time to open.

In stores 3 people

“A short list in order. And the reason in one line. I don't need an essay.”

Store manager, 2 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 2 years in role · Shopping centre store, 18 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Thirty-odd emails and the memo. I keep a tally on a notepad, last week was thirty-six.

Lontra
What happens to a task that doesn't say why it's needed?

Store manager
It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand. We got told to move the queue barrier by the tills, no reason. Turned out it was blocking a fire exit. If it had said fire exit, done in ten minutes.

Lontra
When do deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Saturday morning, a lot. Saturday's our biggest day. From an office calendar I suppose Saturday looks like any other day.

Lontra
What would you want instead?

Store manager
A short list in order. And the reason in one line. I don't need an essay.
“We're not daft, we'll do it if it makes sense.”

Store manager, 14 years with the company

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 14 years with the company · Outlet store, 15 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Plenty. Thirty, thirty-five things. I've been here fourteen years, it's always been a lot. I read everything, every line, always have.

Lontra
What happens to a task that comes without an explanation?

Store manager
It goes on the pile. I'm not being awkward, but if I don't know what it's for I can't explain it to the team, and if I can't explain it, it doesn't get done well.

Lontra
How do you get through the memo itself?

Store manager
Honestly, the memo, I skim it on the Tuesday and wait for the area manager's call to tell me what's actually important.

Lontra
Earlier you said you read every line. Now you said you skim the memo. Which is closer to a normal week?

Store manager
Fair. Both, I suppose. I read anything with a deadline and a name on it. The rest I skim. I meant I don't miss what matters. Or I try not to.

Lontra
What would make the memo easier to use?

Store manager
Put the important ones first and say why. We're not daft, we'll do it if it makes sense.
“Sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I get the same instruction again.”

Assistant store manager, 4 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Assistant store manager, 4 years in role · Flagship store, 60 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and who reads it?

Assistant store manager
My manager reads the memo first and forwards bits to me. Between the memo and the emails we're well over thirty items. In the flagship we also get extra for events.

Lontra
Can you think of a task that went wrong because it arrived without a reason?

Assistant store manager
The window change in spring. We were told to take down the main window on a Monday. No reason. We did it, it looked empty for two days, and it turned out the new display was delayed. If we'd known it was for the new campaign we'd have waited for the boxes.

Lontra
What do you do now when a task has no reason?

Assistant store manager
I ask. I'll email back and ask what it's for. Sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I get the same instruction again.

Lontra
What would you change?

Assistant store manager
Rank them. One to five, must-do this week. And a line on why.

At head office 1 person

“A year ago the memo was eight pages and stores told us it was too long. So we cut it back to the action and the deadline.”

Head office, retail operations

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head office, retail operations · Puts the weekly store memo together

Lontra
How does the weekly memo come together?

Head office
Each department sends me their items by Friday. I put them into the template, check the dates, and it goes out Monday afternoon. Stores get the memo and maybe a dozen emails a week on top. That's what we see from here.

Lontra
Most tasks in the memo don't say why they're needed. Is that deliberate?

Head office
It is. A year ago the memo was eight pages and stores told us it was too long. So we cut it back to the action and the deadline. The background is in the trading pack if anyone needs it.

Lontra
If a task arrives in the memo and again by email, which one should a store follow?

Head office
Good question. I'd assume the email, because it's later. But I'm not sure that's written down anywhere.

Lontra
Who decides the order of the items in the memo?

Head office
Health and safety goes first, that's a rule. After that, mostly the order they come in.

In between 1 person

“It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.”

Area manager, 12 stores

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Area manager, 12 stores · Covers one region

Lontra
From where you sit, what reaches your stores from head office in a week?

Area manager
Each store gets what I get, plus whatever's local. Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season. I spend most of Monday on the phone translating it.

Lontra
What do you mean by translating?

Area manager
Telling them which three things matter. The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait. The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.

Lontra
Is the reason behind a task written down somewhere?

Area manager
Usually, yes. It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.

Lontra
What would you change first?

Area manager
One list, ranked, with the top three marked. I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.

Documents

Weekly store memo, week 37 (extract) Shared by a participant

28 numbered tasks with a deadline and a sending department. Health and safety comes first; the other items follow in no stated order, and most give no reason.

Shared by: Store manager, 3 years in role

Open the document

The line Lontra asked about is marked.

WEEKLY STORE MEMO, WEEK 37

Please action all items by the date shown.

1. Fire door check, log on the H&S sheet. Complete by Mon 17:00. (Health and safety)

2. Remove old season price tickets, menswear. Complete by Tue 12:00. (Merchandising)

3. Confirm Saturday rota on the scheduling tool. Complete by Wed 17:00. (People team)

...

13. Window: install new campaign graphics. Complete by Wed 09:00. (Marketing)

14. Denim wall reset to new planogram. Complete by Wed 12:00. (Merchandising)

15. Count and return unused carrier bags. Complete by Thu 17:00. (Operations)

...

27. Stock count, accessories. Complete by Sat 10:00. (Stock control)

28. Feedback on the new till screen. Complete by Sun 17:00. (IT)

What Lontra asked about it

Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra

What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager

The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top. I've shared last week's memo so you can see.

Lontra

Thank you. In the memo you shared, item 14 asks for the denim wall reset by Wednesday at noon, with no reason given. What happened with that one?

Store manager

That one. We did it Tuesday night, two of us stayed late. Then Thursday morning there's an email saying hold the denim reset, stock hasn't landed. So we put it back. Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.

Lontra

So that reversal changed how you handle later tasks?

Store manager

Yes. If there's no reason I wait and see. If they'd said why, the new stock, I'd have checked the stock had arrived first.

Lontra

Which days do the deadlines usually land on?

Store manager

Delivery day. Tuesday for us. Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.

Messages sent to stores, week 37 Shared by a participant

Head office's own count for one week: 28 items in the memo and 6 other messages, 34 in all.

Shared by: Head office, retail operations · Shared during Deep Study

Open the document

The line Lontra asked about is marked.

Sender	Channel	Items
Retail operations	Weekly memo	28
Merchandising	Email	3
Health and safety	Email	1
People team	Email	1
Marketing	Store app	1
Total		34

What Lontra asked about it

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Head office, retail operations · Puts the weekly store memo together

Lontra

In your first conversation you said stores get the memo and about a dozen emails. Several store managers counted more than thirty items. Could you check last week's numbers?

Head office

I pulled it together, it's attached. Twenty-eight items in the memo and six emails and app messages on top.

Lontra

Your list shows 28 of the 34 items sit inside the memo. How do you usually count them?

Head office

I count the memo as one. That's how it looks from here, one document going out on a Monday. If you count what's inside it, then yes, thirty-four. I hadn't put those two numbers side by side before.

Lontra

Several managers asked for the reason in one line. Would that be possible?

Head office

One line, yes, I could do that. Merchandising might push back on space. But one line isn't eight pages.

Lontra

When the memo and an email say the same thing, did you find out which one counts?

Head office

I asked around. Honestly, nobody could tell me. Compliance thinks the memo, merchandising thinks the email.

What we still don’t know

Which copy counts when the same task arrives in the memo and by email.Head office could not say either. Asked again in Deep Study, they found that two departments give different answers.
Whether stores that complete fewer memo tasks trade any differently.Nobody had seen task completion next to sales figures, so this study cannot say whether the parked tasks cost anything.

Deep Study

Two days after the last conversation, Deep Study went back to two people whose answers left a question open, and spoke to one colleague a participant suggested.

Store manager, 3 years in role Asked again

Described a task that was reversed after the store had done it. Was it a one-off?

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

Head office, retail operations Asked again

Head office's count of messages differed from every store's.

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Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

Deputy store manager, 2 years in role Suggested by: Store manager, 3 years in role

Suggested by the retail park store manager: the app notifications reach her first, on delivery days.

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What Deep Study added

Head office's own list for week 37 has 34 items, not about a dozen: the memo counts as one message at head office and as 28 tasks in store.
The reversed task was not a one-off: the retail park store counted three in six weeks.
A third channel came up: store app notifications reach the deputy on the shop floor, sometimes with a different date from the memo.

Who took part

People are described by their role and context, as in any Lontra study.

Store manager, 6 years in role City-centre store, 40 staff · 21 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 6 years in role · City-centre store, 40 staff

Lontra
To start, what reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and how does it arrive?

Store manager
So there's the weekly memo, that lands Monday afternoon. Then emails from pretty much every department, merchandising, people team, health and safety, marketing. Then the app, which pings the store phone. If I add it all up it's thirty, forty things a week. Some weeks more, around a launch.

Lontra
Of those thirty or forty, how many matter for running the store that week?

Store manager
Honestly? Maybe five. The trouble is they all look the same. Same format, same 'please action by'. I have to read everything to find the five. And anything that doesn't say why goes to the bottom of the pile.

Lontra
What would help you find the five?

Store manager
Put them at the top. Tell me the three things that matter this week and I'll make sure they're done properly. The rest can sit in a list I look at on Thursday.

Lontra
You mentioned deadlines. When do they usually fall?

Store manager
Wednesday, a lot of the time, which is our delivery day. Or Saturday morning, which is when we're busiest.
Store manager, 8 months in role High-street store, 9 staff · 14 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 8 months in role · High-street store, 9 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot. I didn't expect that when I took the job. I'd say thirty-plus messages, I tried counting once and stopped.

Lontra
How do you decide what to do first?

Store manager
I ring my area manager. Every Monday, basically. She goes through it with me and says do this, this can wait, ignore that one, it's been cancelled.

Lontra
What would happen if you couldn't ring her?

Store manager
I'd do everything in the order it came, I suppose. Which is how I did it the first two months, and I was in at seven every day.

Lontra
If head office changed one thing, what should it be?

Store manager
Just number them. Number one is the most important. That's it, really.
Store manager, 3 years in role Retail park store, 22 staff · 18 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
The memo, which is about twenty-five to thirty items on its own, and then emails on top. I've shared last week's memo so you can see.

Lontra
Thank you. In the memo you shared, item 14 asks for the denim wall reset by Wednesday at noon, with no reason given. What happened with that one?

Store manager
That one. We did it Tuesday night, two of us stayed late. Then Thursday morning there's an email saying hold the denim reset, stock hasn't landed. So we put it back. Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.

Lontra
So that reversal changed how you handle later tasks?

Store manager
Yes. If there's no reason I wait and see. If they'd said why, the new stock, I'd have checked the stock had arrived first.

Lontra
Which days do the deadlines usually land on?

Store manager
Delivery day. Tuesday for us. Everything's due the same day the lorry comes.

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Store manager, 3 years in role · Retail park store, 22 staff

Lontra
Last time you described the denim wall reset being reversed two days after you did it. Was that a one-off?

Store manager
No. After we spoke I went back through my emails. Three times in six weeks something got changed or pulled after we'd done it.

Lontra
Is there someone else we should talk to about how tasks reach the store?

Store manager
My deputy. She does the deliveries and she's got the handheld, so the app notifications hit her before me. She sees things I don't.
Store manager, 14 years with the company Outlet store, 15 staff · 24 min

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Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Plenty. Thirty, thirty-five things. I've been here fourteen years, it's always been a lot. I read everything, every line, always have.

Lontra
What happens to a task that comes without an explanation?

Store manager
It goes on the pile. I'm not being awkward, but if I don't know what it's for I can't explain it to the team, and if I can't explain it, it doesn't get done well.

Lontra
How do you get through the memo itself?

Store manager
Honestly, the memo, I skim it on the Tuesday and wait for the area manager's call to tell me what's actually important.

Lontra
Earlier you said you read every line. Now you said you skim the memo. Which is closer to a normal week?

Store manager
Fair. Both, I suppose. I read anything with a deadline and a name on it. The rest I skim. I meant I don't miss what matters. Or I try not to.

Lontra
What would make the memo easier to use?

Store manager
Put the important ones first and say why. We're not daft, we'll do it if it makes sense.
Store manager, 2 years in role Shopping centre store, 18 staff · 16 min

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Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Thirty-odd emails and the memo. I keep a tally on a notepad, last week was thirty-six.

Lontra
What happens to a task that doesn't say why it's needed?

Store manager
It waits. Not forever. But it waits behind the ones I understand. We got told to move the queue barrier by the tills, no reason. Turned out it was blocking a fire exit. If it had said fire exit, done in ten minutes.

Lontra
When do deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Saturday morning, a lot. Saturday's our biggest day. From an office calendar I suppose Saturday looks like any other day.

Lontra
What would you want instead?

Store manager
A short list in order. And the reason in one line. I don't need an essay.
Store manager, 11 months in role Small-town store, 7 staff · 6 min

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Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
A lot.

Lontra
Could you give me a rough idea, or an example from last week?

Store manager
Emails. The memo. Too many to count really.

Lontra
When do the deadlines tend to fall?

Store manager
Delivery day mostly. Wednesday.

Lontra
Who helps you decide what to do first?

Store manager
Area manager. She rings.

Lontra
Is there anything else you'd want head office to know?

Store manager
Not really. It's fine. Just a lot.
Assistant store manager, 4 years in role Flagship store, 60 staff · 19 min

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Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week, and who reads it?

Assistant store manager
My manager reads the memo first and forwards bits to me. Between the memo and the emails we're well over thirty items. In the flagship we also get extra for events.

Lontra
Can you think of a task that went wrong because it arrived without a reason?

Assistant store manager
The window change in spring. We were told to take down the main window on a Monday. No reason. We did it, it looked empty for two days, and it turned out the new display was delayed. If we'd known it was for the new campaign we'd have waited for the boxes.

Lontra
What do you do now when a task has no reason?

Assistant store manager
I ask. I'll email back and ask what it's for. Sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I get the same instruction again.

Lontra
What would you change?

Assistant store manager
Rank them. One to five, must-do this week. And a line on why.
Area manager, 12 stores Covers one region · 22 min

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Lontra
From where you sit, what reaches your stores from head office in a week?

Area manager
Each store gets what I get, plus whatever's local. Thirty to fifty items a week depending on the season. I spend most of Monday on the phone translating it.

Lontra
What do you mean by translating?

Area manager
Telling them which three things matter. The newer managers especially, they don't know yet what can wait. The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.

Lontra
Is the reason behind a task written down somewhere?

Area manager
Usually, yes. It's in the trading pack on the intranet. But it's forty pages and nobody opens it on a Monday with a delivery coming.

Lontra
What would you change first?

Area manager
One list, ranked, with the top three marked. I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.
Head office, retail operations Puts the weekly store memo together · 17 min

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Lontra
How does the weekly memo come together?

Head office
Each department sends me their items by Friday. I put them into the template, check the dates, and it goes out Monday afternoon. Stores get the memo and maybe a dozen emails a week on top. That's what we see from here.

Lontra
Most tasks in the memo don't say why they're needed. Is that deliberate?

Head office
It is. A year ago the memo was eight pages and stores told us it was too long. So we cut it back to the action and the deadline. The background is in the trading pack if anyone needs it.

Lontra
If a task arrives in the memo and again by email, which one should a store follow?

Head office
Good question. I'd assume the email, because it's later. But I'm not sure that's written down anywhere.

Lontra
Who decides the order of the items in the memo?

Head office
Health and safety goes first, that's a rule. After that, mostly the order they come in.

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Head office, retail operations · Puts the weekly store memo together

Lontra
In your first conversation you said stores get the memo and about a dozen emails. Several store managers counted more than thirty items. Could you check last week's numbers?

Head office
I pulled it together, it's attached. Twenty-eight items in the memo and six emails and app messages on top.

Lontra
Your list shows 28 of the 34 items sit inside the memo. How do you usually count them?

Head office
I count the memo as one. That's how it looks from here, one document going out on a Monday. If you count what's inside it, then yes, thirty-four. I hadn't put those two numbers side by side before.

Lontra
Several managers asked for the reason in one line. Would that be possible?

Head office
One line, yes, I could do that. Merchandising might push back on space. But one line isn't eight pages.

Lontra
When the memo and an email say the same thing, did you find out which one counts?

Head office
I asked around. Honestly, nobody could tell me. Compliance thinks the memo, merchandising thinks the email.
Store manager, 5 years in role Seaside town store, staff doubles in summer · 8 min

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Lontra
What reaches your store from head office in a normal week?

Store manager
Loads. Thirty-odd, easily. More in summer.

Lontra
Is there anything that makes a week harder than it needs to be?

Store manager
Weekend deadlines. In summer the weekend is everything for us.

Lontra
Can you say a bit more about that?

Store manager
Not much more to say. Saturday we're packed, and that's when they want the stock count.

Lontra
What happens to tasks that come without a reason?

Store manager
Same as anyone. They wait.
Deputy store manager, 2 years in role Retail park store, runs deliveries · 11 min · joined in Deep Study

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Lontra
Your store manager suggested we talk to you, because the app notifications reach you first. What does that look like?

Deputy store manager
I've got the handheld on delivery days, so the pings come to me. Price changes, a recall, sometimes a task that's also in the memo. I'm on the shop floor with a cage of stock, so I screenshot it and show her at break.

Lontra
Do the app messages match what's in the memo?

Deputy store manager
Mostly. Sometimes the app says one date and the memo says another. Then we go with whichever is sooner, to be safe.

Lontra
Anything else head office should know?

Deputy store manager
The app is fine for urgent stuff. It's just that everything comes in as urgent.

About this study

The question

“I want to understand what store managers need from head office to run their stores, what they receive today, and what they ignore.”

A fashion retailer with 120 stores. Ten people took part: seven store managers of different tenure, an assistant store manager, an area manager and one person from head office. Each conversation lasted 6 to 24 minutes. Deep Study went back to two of them and spoke to one colleague they suggested.

What Lontra asked about

What reaches a store from head office in a normal week
How managers decide what to do first
What happens to instructions that arrive without a reason
What managers would change first

Ask your results

Answers from 10 conversations and 2 documents

These are questions the organiser asked about this study. Each answer shows the quotes it rests on.

Which tasks do managers put off first?

The ones with no reason and nobody visibly checking them. Managers describe doing anything with a deadline and a named owner, and parking the rest until their area manager calls or the task comes round again.

The denim wall reset in the shared memo is the clearest example: it was done on time, reversed two days later, and the manager now waits until Thursday before moving anything similar.

Show 3 sources

“I read anything with a deadline and a name on it. The rest I skim.”

Store manager, 14 years with the company

“Now I don't move anything until Thursday, just in case.”

Store manager, 3 years in role

“Three times in six weeks something got changed or pulled after we'd done it.”

Store manager, 3 years in role · Deep Study

Is this only a problem for new managers?

No. Managers with fourteen years and with eight months describe the same volume. What differs is how they cope: the two newest managers rely on a Monday call with their area manager, while the most experienced one filters the list herself, and said on reflection that she skims more than she first described.

Show 3 sources

“Which is how I did it the first two months, and I was in at seven every day.”

Store manager, 8 months in role

“Fair. Both, I suppose.”

Store manager, 14 years with the company

“The experienced ones have their own system, which works until it skips something important.”

Area manager, 12 stores

Did anyone say the volume is fine?

Two people did not describe it as a problem. Head office first estimated about a dozen messages a week, then counted 34 in its own list during Deep Study. One store manager answered briefly, said it was fine, and gave no number.

Only one person from head office took part, so this is one view of how head office counts.

Show 3 sources

“Stores get the memo and maybe a dozen emails a week on top.”

Head office, retail operations

“If you count what's inside it, then yes, thirty-four.”

Head office, retail operations · Deep Study

“Not really. It's fine. Just a lot.”

Store manager, 11 months in role

What would they change first?

Put the list in order and add one line on why. Store managers, the area manager and, in Deep Study, head office all came back to the same two changes. Head office expects some pushback on space from one department.

Show 3 sources

“Rank them. One to five, must-do this week. And a line on why.”

Assistant store manager, 4 years in role

“I'd stop needing the Monday calls, or at least they'd be shorter.”

Area manager, 12 stores

“One line, yes, I could do that.”

Head office, retail operations · Deep Study

In your own study, you type questions here and Lontra answers from your conversations. Start your own study

Lontra says when the evidence is not enough. It never invents a quote.

Store managers ignore directives that arrive without the reason behind them.

What people said

Where accounts differ

Whether instructions should carry the reason behind them

In stores 3 people

At head office 1 person

In between 1 person

Documents

What we still don’t know

Deep Study

Who took part

Ask your own question