Employee training is critical to the success of your co-op. Your staff are responsible for providing customers with a positive shopping experience and will be the people on the front lines, spending the most time with your customers. Effective staff training can increase revenue and productivity and improve retention and morale.  

There are many training methods, from online courses to interactive in-person sessions. Try these popular methods to enhance your training sessions and quickly get your staff up to speed.

Instructor-led Training 

This method requires instructors to lead classes and provide a structured environment for learning. During instructor-led training, employees can ask questions, practice skills, and receive feedback from the instructor. It’s a good option if you teach skills with strict processes —like stocking inventory or using your POS system.  

Online Learning

Online courses are popular for training grocery retail staff. These courses allow employees to learn at their own pace and provide them with the flexibility to complete training whenever convenient. They can also pause and resume the course, making them ideal for busy staff members. Your co-op staff can take advantage of the ever-growing catalog of resources and choose from more than 200 interactive courses in Co+op U at no cost.  

On-the-job Training

On-the-job training is an excellent way for grocery retail staff to learn in real time. This method involves having experienced staff members teach new staff members specific tasks or skills. This training is conducted on the spot and is based on the employee’s unique needs or skill gaps.  

Role-playing

No two days are the same when you’re working at a co-op. But there are some common occurrences that staff should be trained to handle — especially when it comes to customer satisfaction. Role-playing happens when you act out a scenario.  For example, team members could act as difficult customers. This could be shoppers complaining about a product or asking to speak with an unavailable manager. Staff need to know how to handle customer complaints.  Giving them practice via role-playing will help them prepare for difficult conversations in the future.  

Job Shadowing

Shadowing is a quick way to bring team members up to speed in a specific role. It partners new employees (or those wanting to move to a different role) with a team member already doing it.  For example, a new staff member with no retail experience can follow an experienced one around the floor. They’ll learn how to organize stock, talk to customers and take payment at the checkout.

Team-building Activities

Training combined with team-building activities is a powerful way to bring your team together!  If you’re teaching co-op staff how to create a visual merchandising display, appeal to people’s competitive streaks by dividing your staff into teams and challenging them to make the best storefront display.