The school store opening-week playbook: empty room to first Friday

Reopening a school store usually means rebuilding three things at once: the assortment, the crew, and the operating routine.

This two-week sequence ends with a controlled opening and a first Friday review. Adjust every money, food, purchasing, and student-work step to district policy.

T-minus 14 days: count the stockroom

Open every box and count each item. Record the date and the person who completed the count.

Sort what you find into three groups:

1. Sellable: current, safe, and ready for the opening assortment.
2. Markdown: still sellable, but better suited to a clearance plan.
3. Remove: expired, damaged, or no longer appropriate for the store.

Follow school policy for donations, disposal, and inventory write-offs. Keep the adjustment record so students can see how old inventory affects margin.

Review supplier lead times and place the first approved purchase order. Use last year’s sales and current counts before relying on memory.

T-minus 10 days: assign the crew

List the roles the store needs for opening week. Name an owner for every shift and every control.

Common roles include store manager, cashier, inventory lead, finance lead, and marketing lead. One student may hold more than one role in a small program.

Pair new operators with someone who knows the routine. Train the task, then observe it: opening, checkout, refunds, counts, closing, and escalation.

T-minus 7 days: test the money path

Walk through the controls before the first customer arrives:

• Float: confirm the approved opening amount and where the count is recorded.
• Prices: update the price list after reviewing current costs.
• Cards: run a test payment and confirm it with the finance owner.
• Refunds: confirm who can authorize one and how it is documented.
• Deposits: put the school’s schedule and handoff owner on the calendar.

Run a practice shift from open through close. Include cash, card, a declined payment, a correction, a refund, and a drawer count.

Record any issue and repeat that part of the test after the fix.

T-minus 3 days: soft open

Use a small, invited audience if school policy allows it. The goal is controlled volume with real operating conditions.

Watch the line, product lookup, payment flow, receipt or confirmation process, and drawer handoff. Ask the crew what slowed them down.

Turn those observations into a short fix list with an owner and due date.

Day one: open with roles clear

Promote the opening through approved school channels. Make the offer, hours, and location easy to understand.

Students run their assigned work. The advisor watches the controls, customer flow, and points where the crew needs a decision.

Capture observations for Friday rather than redesigning the whole routine during the rush.

First Friday: review the week

Put five measures on the board:

1. Net sales
2. Transactions and average sale
3. Top products and slow movers
4. Stock-outs
5. Cash over or short by drawer session

Ask three questions: What do we know? What still needs checking? What will we change next week?

Assign each action to a person and revisit it at the next huddle. Progress shows up when students arrive with the number, evidence, and status of the prior commitment.

The one-page version

• T-14: count, classify, document, and place the approved order.
• T-10: assign roles, schedule shifts, and train the operating routines.
• T-7: test float, prices, cards, refunds, deposits, and close.
• T-3: run a controlled soft open and close the fix list.
• Day 1: publish the opening plan and let the crew run its roles.
• Friday: review five measures, answer three questions, assign actions.