Client & Vendor Working Side-By-Side = True Partnership

July 18, 2018

Client & Vendor Working Side-By-Side = True Partnership

What’s a great way to stand out in the very competitive retail liquor business? Our friends at Monticello Liquor in Dallas, Texas have the answer:

“I want my store to look spectacular!”

To reach that goal, Monticello Liquor enlisted the help of W.W. Cannon. The owner had purchased Gondola liquor store shelving from WWC 15 years ago, and had recalled their excellent customer service. Structurally, the shelving was still in fine shape, but from the customers’ point of view it was worn, chipped, and needed replacement. They wanted to provide a better shopping experience for their customers and counted on WWC for product consultation.

Onsite Consultation & Evaluation
Before any product was ordered or a quote written, Doug Hutchins, Material Handling & Safety Expert, went onsite and talked to the owners in person to listen closely to them and identify their needs.

By asking the right questions and listening to the owner, Hutchins was able to identify 3 key goals:

Install new Gondola display liquor shelving throughout the store
Maximize the shelf space so that more product could be displayed
Replace the shelving on a Sunday, when the store is closed to avoid loss of business

Hutchins went onsite again to present the quote, saying “If we work together we can definitely get this installed in one day.” Monticello Liquor’s response? “Doug, this is exactly what I want. Let’s get started.”

The Challenge – One Day Install? No Problem!
This one-day install schedule provided a real logistical challenge, but both sides worked as a team to make sure all the pieces of the project came together at the right time.

As Hutchins explained: “This is a true partnership. If we’re going to successfully accomplish our goals, we must coordinate our efforts. You’ll need to be as organized on your end as W.W. Cannon is going to be on ours.’”

What Being A True Partner Means – No Space? No Problem!
As a retail store, Monticello Liquor had no space to store the shelving before installation. Timing was important so Hutchins ordered the product and then stored it at the WWC warehouse for a few days. During that time, the team inspected the product to make sure the specs and quantities were correct, thus ensuring no unwelcomed surprises on site.

On the Sunday of the install, the product was delivered to Monticello first thing in the morning. Since a forklift could not be used to bring the product into the store, WWC’s team of laborers/installers went onsite earlier to ensure the equipment was unloaded carefully and safely.

Installation Crew & Client – Working Side By Side To Get ‘Er Done
By the time W.W. Cannon’s team of professional equipment installers got to Monticello that Sunday morning, Monticello Liquor already had half the product off the shelves. Wasting no time, the installers were able to jump right in and dismantle the empty shelving units – bases, columns, shelves – and remove them from the store. While the installation crew worked hard at setting up the first half of the shelving, Monticello Liquor was right behind loading all of the product onto the new shelving units.

The installers lunch break provided Monticello’s team the time to remove product from the rest of the old shelving units. And immediately after lunch, the WWC crew took the second half of the old shelving down and out of the store. Then they rocked the second half of the storage units while Monticello restocked those to finish the project.

The Result – New Shelves, On Schedule, and More Display Space Too!
The new Gondola shelving was installed in one day, meeting Monticello’s needs. And because Hutchins specified 18” deep adjustable shelving instead of the previously used 12” deep, Monticello had literally hundreds more square feet of product display space at their disposal, with the same shelf footprint on the floor!

Hutchins says “We provided what Monticello Liquor wanted. And ultimately that’s what this project is all about; to help them get more business and make more money.”

Everybody on both sides hit their deadlines in order for the project to be successful. As a genuine joint effort; it required a lot of communications and logistics in advance to get this job done.

The owner of Monticello Liquor sums it up this way:
“Doug and I worked it out together. The installation was scheduled right. The crew was there on time. There were no surprises on site. I now have a lot more shelf space. The project was cost effective. And it was installed in one day, just like I wanted!”