A new sofa seller on his third morning quoted a delivery date to a family of four. The date fell on a day when the only fitter who could assemble the recliner frames was away at a site. Nobody had shown the seller the installation board. The family waited, the fitter was blamed, and the seller left before the month closed.
Habits form in the opening days at a sofa gallery, tile counter, lamp shop or hardware store. Below is a sheet to copy, followed by notes on keeping it, shop by shop.
The checklist itself
Name, role, branch, reporting person: ____.
Joining form, ID proof, account number and contact for emergencies filed: ____.
Day 1: walked past display zones, godown door, staff entry, fire extinguisher and first aid box.
Day 1: given the price list, current scheme card, and the exchange and cut-piece return rule sheet.
Day 1: introduced to cashier, delivery coordinator, lead fitter and the godown keeper by name.
Day 2: stood beside a senior seller for three walk-ins; wrote down every question the family asked.
Day 2: shown the walk-in register, lead sheet, token advance receipt book and quotation pad.
Day 3: filled a mock site measurement sheet and a mock quote, checked by the senior seller.
Day 3: shown the delivery board, the van schedule and how a promised date is confirmed with the fitter.
Day 4: handled one customer up to the order form, with the senior seller present.
Day 4: watched the godown check for shade lot, breakage, carton seal and challan before dispatch.
Day 5: walked through a sample order showing how commission slab, booking date and payout date work.
Day 5: sat with the supervisor to list what is clear and what is still vague.
Supervisor and joiner signatures with date: ____.Where each line comes from
The floor tour on day one is about safety as much as sales. A tile showroom has heavy sample boards, wet-cut tester and stacked cartons. A mattress store has display stacks that can slide. A lighting store has loose cables, glass shades at head height and a ladder in the aisle. Point out the shutter, the extinguisher, the first aid kit and the aisle spots where a ladder must never stand.
The price list and the return rule save more arguments than any speech. A seller who quotes MRP for a display piece or promises a refund on a cut-to-size panel creates a dispute the owner must settle. Hand over the scheme card in writing and have the joiner initial it. Repeat the rule for cut-piece laminate sheets, made-to-measure curtains and customised wardrobes, which are rarely returnable.
What each type of shop adds
- Furniture showroom: frame and fabric swatches, foam density cards, recliner mechanism demo, assembly sequence for beds and wardrobes.
- Mattress store: trial lie-down etiquette, firmness scale, topper and pillow add-ons, hygiene wipes for demo pieces.
- Tile showroom: batch and shade lot numbers, breakage allowance, coverage calculation per room, wet area and floor tile difference.
- Sanitaryware showroom: EWC and wash basin sets, CP fitting finishes, concealed cistern parts, compatibility with plumber measurements.
- Lighting store: lux and colour temperature basics, driver and dimmer pairing, chandelier hanging weight.
- Modular kitchen dealer: carcass material, hardware brand list, site measurement sheet, counter-top and chimney cut-outs.
- Hardware store: channel sales to contractors, credit book, weighing and cutting counters, bulk indent by brand.
Keeping the sheet: owner, supervisor and joiner
- 1
The supervisor
Ticks the lines at closing time, signs before the shutter comes down and keeps the sheet in the cash counter folder with the walk-in register.
- 2
The joiner
Writes one line each evening on what was unclear: a brand name, a shade code, a scheme rule. The supervisor answers it the next morning.
- 3
The owner or branch head
Goes through it on the fifth evening, talks for ten minutes and signs. A skipped line moves to week two instead of vanishing.
- 4
HR or the person who handles records
Pins the sheet to the joining file and builds the 30-60-90 plan from it.
Adapting the sheet for installers and drivers
Fitters, carpenters, tilers and delivery crew need a different Day 1. Replace the walk-in lines with a tool check, a site etiquette briefing, a damage photo habit at drop-off and a customer sign-off on the installation job card. Go through the same board that sellers use, so both sides know the same dates. See the joining notes for furniture showrooms and modular kitchen dealers for the staff side.
Branches that open late in the evening, such as lighting stores and sanitaryware counters near a contractor market, should place the joiner on both an opening and a closing shift during the week. The key-holder routine, cash reconciliation, display lights, shutter lock and the keys to the godown differ between the two, and a seller who has seen only one of them is half trained.
Read more about the whole sector on the hub for furniture and home improvement retail.
