TWIG Video: Hy-Vee Holds the Keys to Store Manager Success
In this TWIG Podcast, Progressive Grocer talks to 2024 TWIG winner Karla Quandt, district store director at Hy-Vee, about growth potential in the grocery industry, from teenage jobs through successive levels of leadership, and how to keep teams motivated.
In regards to motivating and engaging team members, “I always come at it with a very positive, enthusiastic energy,” says Karla. “And I always say lead by example, because if you’re not excited about it, if you're not motivated about it, then why would your people be?”
Another vital aspect is explanation. “Explain the why, because sometimes if you go up to your team and you're just like, ‘Hey, go do this’ and you walk away, they're going to be like, ‘Why am I doing this?’ But if you're like, ’I would like you to do this because it's very important for our customers. And this is why — it's going to create more success in the store and it's going to create more sales. It's going to be better for the experience and atmosphere for our customers.’”
However, creating better experiences in the current economic climate can be tough. “It is tough for every single American right now,” acknowledges Karla. “Budgets are a lot tighter. People are being creative about how they spend. They're not spending as much. And what a lot of business industries right now are doing is finding ways to show greater deals, lowering prices, showing value.”
And after some self-reflection, that’s what Hy-Vee did. “We've recently just lowered thousands of prices and the prices are matching some of the largest retail competitors out there within our industry," says Karla. "Not only did we lower the prices, but we're really showing it in store level and being able to prove that we're priced this price and we're matching this competitor. What we're trying to show our customers is you can shop at Hy-Vee and get those prices. You don't have to go anywhere else.”
And amid the challenges as a store director keeping up with the competition and creating a roadmap that involves developing ads and sales for various departments for different seasons, Karla doesn’t forget to have fun. “You have to enjoy what you do and find the greatness in it,” she says. “Even though it's hard, you can still have fun doing it, and that's what I tell my team. Every single Monday meeting, I'll go through the roadmap and at the end, I always talk about how we're going to have fun, how we get engaged, how we are an amazing team and we will always have each other's backs.
"No matter what you do, whether it is retail or not, you gotta love it," she adds. "If not, I don't think you'll give the passion or the success that you can within it."
