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by George Thomsen  Sunday sales for a church bookstore typically account for 40-60% of the weekly business. This means not only more sales volume but also more people who need to be quickly and efficiently served. Therefore, it is important that we do all we can to facilitate service to our customers on the busiest day.
Design
A good church store designer will provide more generous aisle widths and plenty of open space at the entrance to the store and in the cash wrap area. Clear and readable signage is also important. Ordering
It is critical that product be available when customers are in the store. Buyers should be trained to submit their weekly replenishment orders to suppliers Monday mornings. This allows for most orders to be filled and received in the store by the next Sunday. Staffing
The amount of staff required for a Sunday may be three to five times that needed for a weekday. In many stores it may be difficult to provide enough hours during the week to keep the number of staff required for the weekend gainfully employed. This is where mobilization of volunteers can help. P.O.S.
There must be at least one person for every terminal. It helps to have additional staff at the cash wrap to assist with bagging, retrieving boxes for gift items, checking on special orders, running out to the floor to grab an extra copy of a book and imprinting Bibles. Line Control
People will be much less likely to purchase product if they see a long, slow-moving line or a disorganized check-out process. This can be alleviated by creating a single line where the next person in line advances to the next available cashier. Crowd-control stanchions can be used to create and manage this. Credit Cards
Credit card processing done through telephone lines via dial-up modem can take a minute or longer, making authorization the slowest part of the transaction. Processing that is done using Internet technology is completed in a few seconds. This results in shorter transaction times and faster-moving lines. Maintenance
Make sure that your point-of-sale machines are properly maintained and in good working order. This will minimize the potential for them to break down during busy times. Make sure that supplies are adequately stocked in the cash wrap area. Be sure to pull needed supplies from remote storage locations before the weekend. Have Bible and gift catalogs available and handy to help customers who wish to place special orders. -George Thomsen is manager of the Harvest Store at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif. Read the complete article at http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=13633. 
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