LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Nov 24 2012

Inside Black Friday

Editor’s note: For an inside perspective of the busy holiday shopping weekend, we checked in with Steven Griego, 28, pictured above, third from right, with members of his team. Steven's the senior store manager of the Levi’s® Union Square store in San Francisco. He's been with Levi’s® Global Retail for four years, and this is his first holiday at Union Square.

Black Friday and the holiday shopping season are what we in the retail world look forward to all year long. It’s exciting!

Every year, the planning starts early – way back in September. And it’s actually pretty complex. We study forecasts and trends, as well as what happened in our stores the previous holiday shopping season, always looking for opportunities to serve our consumers better.

My team's goal is to provide an amazing experience that leaves everyone who visits the store happy and excited to have shopped Levi’s®. That means drafting mock schedules weeks in advance and, then, reviewing and adjusting them along the way and throughout the holiday season to ensure we have the staffing in place to meet consumers’ needs.

Our Union Square store is a Levi’s® flagship and what we call “high volume.” That means we typically do a lot of business and, as a result, have a large staff to assist our shoppers. Our staff is even larger during the peak holiday season.

We typically hire a lot of these associates for back-to-school – another busy season – and that gives them time to gain experience and be trained, so they’re even more prepared for holiday. We also have a major hiring effort throughout October, to make sure we have the staffing we need for the holiday season.

When other stores opened Black Friday morning, many members of our team had long been at work. We actually opened our doors at 11 p.m. Thanksgiving for those shoppers who just can’t wait to get started. And we had teams that stayed on the job even after the doors closed Friday night at 10 o’clock. In fact, it took a crew working throughout the night and into this morning to replenish, fold and otherwise prepare for today, Saturday, another busy day.

Given how much work we’ve done to get ready, I’m confident that when we close the doors tomorrow, Sunday, evening, we'll have had a successful kickoff to the holiday shopping season. I’ll know that based on the experience we deliver shoppers and also by the excitement of our team.

If you’re shopping in San Francisco this weekend, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello. I’ll do my best to take care of you and show you the great gifts we have for everyone on your list – including yourself!

Despite all the hard work and planning that goes into this weekend, it’s really a lot of fun and always exciting. And as crazy as it might sound, there’s really nothing else I’d rather be doing this weekend than this!

Posted By: Steven Griego, Senior Store Manager, Levi's® Union Square, San Francisco

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