Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series

Explain the nature of distribution. · Explain the receiving process. · Explain stock-handling techniques used in receiving deliveries.

You are to assume the role of the assistant manager at JUNKYARD, a large clothing store in a city with 85,000 people. The store manager (judge) wants you to determine how to minimize return fraud from ship-to-store orders. JUNKYARD has hundreds of store locations across the country. JUNKYARD also sells merchandise on its website, allowing online customers to choose to have purchases delivered to them for a small fee or shipped to a local JUNKYARD store at no cost. When the local JUNKYARD receives ship-to-store orders, they are sealed in JUNKYARD packaging. The label indicates customer name, email address and phone number. The JUNKYARD employee receiving the ship-to-store delivery must contact the customer to notify them of the delivery. The customer must show a valid form of identification to pick up the sealed JUNKYARD package that was shipped-to-store and sign a receipt acknowledging pick-up. In the last year, ship-to-store return fraud has skyrocketed. Customers abusing the system order more than one item from the JUNKYARD website to be shipped to a local store. The customer will bring home the package without opening it, and instead open it later and remove one of the items purchased. Later, the customer will bring the open package back and claim that one item from the order was missing. The JUNKYARD employee must then apologize to the customer and reorder the item and have it shipped directly to the customer. Eventually, the customer will then return the duplicate item to a different JUNKYARD location. The store manager (judge) wants you to determine how the receiving process and stock-handling process of ship-to-store orders can be changed to minimize return fraud. You will present your ideas to the store manager (judge) in a role-play to take place in the store manager's (judge's) office. The store manager (judge) will begin the role-play by greeting you and asking to hear your ideas. After you have presented ideas and have answered the store manager's (judge's) questions, the store manager (judge) will conclude the role-play by thanking you for your work.