Having dealt with several mass retailers in Canada (non-grocery), stores were set to planogram and then maintained by a sales merchandising team which vendors managed and contracted. Store personnel are not typically responsible for keeping a planogram set properly and are not usually supplied with the POG information anyway after the set up is complete. They may tidy up a section and product is therefore out of place. Many stores are understaffed in this economy.

We found that even with a standard nationwide POGs:
- Off planogram items may appear in the POG from leftover promotions, other vendors putting surplus inventory in your space, and customers or store staff returning items to the wrong shelf location.
- In order to keep the POG set to Planogram, the merchandising team would be in store on a regular basis either weekly or biweekly. This worked pretty well for us but it is an added cost that needs to be considered. Out of stocks or low inventory items were dealt with at the same time and re-orders were placed or entered into the store system for replenishment.

Not perfect but without the merchandising team the store sets would be a complete mess all the time. We had no other means of monitoring POG compliance.

Janis Greener

You’ve commented here that not a single store that receives a “store-specific” planogram complies with it. But you don’t go on to say why. I have my own ideas on the subject, but I’d like to hear yours. Are we talking about a lack of adequate compliance tools/processes? Lazy store personnel? Not truly store-specific planograms?

Bob Cohen