Wegmans Grocery Shopping and Items Per Minute

Whenever we come home from a short trip to Lynchburg we usually stop at Wegmans to pick up something for dinner. It’s located right before the turn off from 129 to 66 and is about an hour from DC. What is most remarkable about the place is that it is always packed - but probably because it is usually on a weekend day. But what catches our eye is the fresh fruit and vegetables. We decided to do our weekly grocery shopping on Sunday that included picking up a ready made dish for supper. The fruit was so inviting we went a bit overboard - cherries, nectarines, oranges, watermelon, grapes, blueberries. On the way out there were so many registers available it was hardly a wait to get everything processed. What I did notice hanging on the wall was a big chart that showed “items per minute” - the number of items scanned at the register at check out. It was a performance measure that had a goal or target of 14. And for some of the days of the week and for the week were individuals named who met that goal. I used to track performance measures in a large heath care organization in the Midwest and then for the infrastructure support services at the Library of Congress. Maybe that’s why Wegmans does so well - everyone knows what is getting measured and the target that defines their success. I’m sure not everyone agrees with that approach, but I found it very interesting. Especially since it was so visible to not only management, but the employees and customers as well. Now all they need is a big graph to show results over time. I always found that most telling. 

A Portrolio for an Interview Ten Years Ago at the Library of Congress

It was exactly ten years ago to the day when we flew in to DC from Milwaukee for my interview for a job at the Library of Congress. It was on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. I had a telephone interview in February, and it took three months for a face to face interview to get scheduled. During that time I started to put together my portfolio of work to bring along with me. All of it was health care related - clinical articles I had written, articles about implementing the first bedside computer system, and all the work about performance measurement as the regional director of performance management in a very large heath care system. What did any of this have to do with the Library of Congress? It so happened that the skill set I had matched the needs of the infrastructure support services requirements to implement a performance measurement system. My little portfolio came in handy as I was later told it was the icing on the cake. It's hard to believe it has been ten years since that interview. In looking back I have fonder memories of all my health care days. But I will always be thankful to the persons who offered me the job at the library. It literally changed our lives what will moving from the Midwest to DC. I retired in February and we continue to think about where we may eventually end up. Since we already downsized to our tiny place here, we don't have any reason to change right now. It's time to enjoy the city we live in without having to work in it. I got used to that idea three months ago and have never looked back!