Retail training

• By CHANTE DIONNE WARREN
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Aug 7, 2008 - Page: 1E - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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When Quentre Roberts, 12, scanned a pair of Old Navy blue jeans, flip-flops and T-shirts, the computer displayed the cost, leaving Roberts with nothing more to do than bag the items and politely thank his mock customer.

“I thought the cashiers did the math in their heads,” Roberts said. “I like the computer doing it.”

Roberts’ training skills were put to the test when an Old Navy store supervisor, Rusty Verret, challenged him to a cash register face-off with 13-year-old Andrew Vessel.

 The boys completed the scanning and bagging process at about the same time. But Roberts forgot to print a receipt and Vessel remembered, which won him the competition.

Seven other area Boys and Girls Clubs members spent a recent morning working cash registers, dressing mannequins, unpacking newly shipped clothes and making mark downs on a colorful allotment of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing at the Old Navy store on South Mall Drive.

They joined more than 2,000 Boys and Girls Club members nationwide in Camp Old Navy, a job-shadowing program hosted by 340 Old Navy stores across the United States and Canada.

A typical Old Navy cashier is expected to complete a transaction in 60 seconds for about 10 items, Verret told campers.

“It’s all about time management,” he said. But just as important are the customers. “Be as friendly as possible. Say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you doing?’” he said.

When the computer system goes down, Verret said, cashiers must know basic math including multiplying with decimals.

Campers rotated through a series of Old Navy stations. Mattie Hawkins, 13, used a price check machine and a markdown gun to place $1 markdown stickers on toddler dresses.

Store sales associate Kasey Washington, who scans and opens boxes and places merchandise on shelves and racks throughout the store, trained a group of campers on dressing a half-form mannequin.

Roberts and Vessel were challenged to another race in which they had to dress one of the half-bodied mannequins. In order to do that, they had to pick out several shirts to create a layered look and then remove the dummy’s arms.

“Dressing a mannequin is harder that it looks. The hardest part is putting the arms on,” Verret said.