Tim Gebauer shares his thoughts on applying Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to a thrift store. He feels that one of the first things to do to improve a store is visualizing and understanding how things are really being done now. A VSM can identify the flow of raw donations through the facility. Once they arrive, […]
Tim Gebauer writes a weekly blog about his experiences working in a thrift store. He shares tips and reasons why turning donated goods into sellable items helps bring back recurring customers, and why processes and systems are key to long-term success. He doesn’t talk specifically about Lean, but mentions backlog, wasted steps and motion (touching […]
Written by Brion
Habitat for Humanity ReStore encountered a challenge with keeping track of donated items and purchased items they sell in their store. This is required in order to keep track of sales for tax purposes. After some struggle, one manager came up with a simple solution. By changing the last number on the price, they could […]
Written by Brion
Tim Gebauer shares some examples where small improvements at a thrift store led to major results when looked at over the long term. These savings seem small, but they can compound over time. Examples include: Moved a trash can closer by 10 feet – Saved 85 hours a year Adding rollers between stations – Saved […]
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Tim Gebauer writes articles on LinkedIn under the Thrift Retailer, and discusses Lean methods applied at a thrift store. In this article, he discusses clutter at the checkout area and how it impacts efficiency and customer satisfaction. He suggests that 5S can be used to improve the checkout area, which actually improves employee turnover in […]
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by Brion Hurley An interview with Lynn McCullough and Joe Wojniak about their improvement work at TRU Hospice Thrift Shop in Boulder, Colorado. TRU Thrift Shop sells donated household items and clothes to raise money to provide hospice care services for those in need. Despite some initial resistance to the process changes, they were able […]
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Holland Rescue Mission was struggling to keep up with their donations, and needed to find a way to do the work more efficiently. The donations are sold, which generate funds to support their nonprofit. They connected with local chair manufacturer Haworth. They provided some volunteer experts in the Haworth Management System (HMS) to help them […]
Written by Brion