Our store's grand opening

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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:02 pm

Well the mini-mart I work at is having it's grand opening this June 23rd. pretty neat, since the store has BEEN OPEN SINCE DECEMBER 1ST!!

What the hell kind of grand opening is that?? Confused

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:48 am

Is your boss a member of this organization?

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:11 am

Maybe your boss thought you needed more training before he could officially turn you loose on his customers Laughing

Just bugging you, I'm bored too Wink

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:14 am

Not my boss's idea, but the company's idea, why even bother?

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:54 pm

Having worked in retail -- the Dec 1st opening was your "soft" opening....the Grand Opening is the official opening and would coincide with other locations Grand Opening sales (if you have other locations that is)

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:08 am

We do have other locations, but none of the others are having any grand openings. The store in Sanford had their grand opening in February despite them being open since July last year.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:43 am

Sounds like the company management team don't quite understand the concept of hard and soft openings.

Nope, no innuendo there. Smile

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:02 pm

^^^^ Tsk, Tsk! Wink

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:07 pm

Another company I worked for a few years ago did the same thing. They opened a new branch office in Maine, and they didn't have their big dedication for the business until about 6 weeks after we had started working there.

It was more formal than our store grand opening. Had a lot of local politicians and Olympia Snowe (US senator) and John Baldacci (then gov of Maine) there. Why I don't know.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:13 pm

In some cases, soft openings are legal requirements.

Soft openings are meant to introduce the business to the local people.

If they have a Grand Opening first, it is because they are already a large company and their brand is well known.

A soft opening allows the business to become more organized the first few weeks or months before the more publicized grand opening and gives the management and staff a chance to become familiar with the daily operations of their inventory, accounting, and customer service requirements.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:37 pm

Apparently (I have read) some restaurants do this - they like to have a quiet soft opening to make sure the kitchen is operating properly, the front of house staff know the menu and systems, the menu works etc, then have a hard grand opening with full bells and whistles when they know it's all up to scratch and not going to be a big embarrassment (/media failure). The article recommended keeping an eye out for soft openings, as the menu is often heavily discounted. Assuming you don't mind being a test subject of course. Wink

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:11 pm

^^^ In some cases the meals for one or two evenings are FREE as they train their wait staff.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:29 pm

Procrastination, I can sympathize very much with it Wink

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