Popular Junior Retailer scheme earns council funding and expands for others to join in
Catching ’em young is always a good idea and that’s just what indie card and gift retailer Tabi Marsh is doing in her Papilio At Heritage store with her Junior Retailer scheme.
And it’s proved so popular that she’s received funding from South Gloucestershire Council to cover extra staffing and Thornbury-based Tabi has now expanded the programme with its own website – www.junior retailer.co.uk – for other shops to join in, inspiring the younger generation learn more about life as a retailer.
“Each of the kids takes it really seriously,” Tabi told PG Buzz, “and we’ve already been hearing from parents that, on the days they come in, they’re hounding them as to when they can come in to work.
“One little girl changed her outfit because ‘my dress will look much better in Tabi’s shop than my shorts and t-shirt’. Another little girl wrote a list on the evening before her first session of what she thought she should prepare and do for work!”
Having run the event for the first time back in 2019, this year’s August programme sees 14 seven to 11 year olds working in pairs for four hour-long sessions each, clocking up 28 hours learning about Customer Service, the Stock Journey, Business Finance & Forward Planning, and Marketing.
Greeting cards play a starring role in the Stock Journey session which sees the children learning how to read a delivery note, check the delivery before pricing the cards with the pricing gun – which is a favourite tool – and then either putting them out on the shopfloor or on the stockroom shelves.
They also help with window displays, write a blog or vlog on their favourite product for the marketing session, learn what businesses have to pay for and the idea of a mark-up. And they leave their apprenticeship with a certificate and photos of themselves in action in the shop.
Tabi added: “As I was re-reading the session plans to remind myself of what I was doing, I read my notes to other retailers that said I’d recommend eight children in pairs as the absolute max – and laughed, knowing we had 14 lined up! The local council has given us a bit of financial support for some extra staffing hours to release me to work with the extra six kids, as they believe in the scheme.”
As co-owner of the independent lifestyle and coffee shop near Bristol, Tabi’s Junior Retailer scheme plus the regular free weekly event for families have helped take it from a failing business to one with a much younger average customer base that’s known for being accessible and welcoming to all, no matter their age.
“The scheme always receives our highest social media engagement of the year,” she explained, “and we’ve already got people asking to do it next year, so my hope is to run it for a couple of kids during one of the half-terms or the Easter holidays. It really catches the imagination of all of our customers and has brought people to the shop who didn’t previously come in.
“With this and the weekly family event I’m having the most organised August yet, with no sales agents or reps getting a look-in – but superstar agent Rosie Trow has provided goodie bags for each child this year which has been an amazing addition. Who wouldn’t want to get a free Jellycat!
“My favourite kid’s quote so far this time was when we discussed shoplifting and one child said we should count the stock at the end of every shift to make sure nothing had been stolen – her jaw dropped when I explained how long it takes me to stock take!
“Our customers are also brilliant and really patient with the kids as we teach them to use the till, greet and help customers, etc. We’ve already had some kids finish their four sessions and the reels they’ve come up with in the Marketing session are brilliant – I can’t wait to post them.”
If other retailers want to give it a go, Tabi has written up all the session plans and information which is available on the website “in a plug-and-play format with the only resources needed being your time, the worksheets that are provided, sticky labels and Jenga bricks,” she laughed.
There’s a one-off payment of £40 to join the scheme, which is per retailer for up to five of their shops, and the pack of session plans, including alternative activities, top tips, worksheets, and a certificate PDF, is provided. For more stores Tabi is happy to sort out a different licence.
The plans give tips on how to advertise and choose which youngsters to take part, how to run the sessions and how to explain things to kids too. Each session includes some fun teaching time and then have the youngsters actively helping in the shop in a way that links with that week’s theme to reinforce the teaching.
Top: Papilio At Heritage’s Junior Retailer scheme is popular
