You may communicate with Earl & JoAnn Mets at emets@uol.com.br It would indeed be a pleasure to here from you. In addition, we need your Email to send updates and inform concerning changes or additions on the WEB SITE. Thank you for your interest and prayers. We need them every step of every day.
How do we handle the crowd? After every meeting, from 300 to 600 participants will begin to stream into the bookstore. What does one do? How can we give proper customer care to so many?
As usual, a tremendous amount of time was spent in preparation for the various ministries of the 21st Fiel Brazilian Conference.. JoAnn & I coordinated a different phase of the Bookstore Project this year, with a special set up at Coffee Breaks. We sold twice as many FIEL books than the year before. The big rush when meeting let out is a big challenge as usual.
In a nutshell, this is how we do it. We use the largest Conference Center in the city of Aguas de Lindoia. It has three huge Conference rooms. One is used for the speakers sessions. One is used for coffee breaks. We use the third for the Bookstore. It measures 65 feet by 141 feet. In that space we mount an operation center in the middle, using 93 large tables. Of these, 80 are used to mount 840 pre-numbered boxes, size 1 foot square. We set up 4 tables for computers with super market scanners. We use 8 tables to set up a counter space 65 feet long. Eighteen efficient hand picked helpers care for customers as they come in to select books they want.
50 large tables are used to display over 1,000 different titles from 22 different publishers. Starting 3 months ahead of time, we put bar codes on thousands of books we prepare for scanning. In that same period, we feed all these titles into our computer program. We also make individual labels for each of the titles to show the normal price and discounted price.
Four computers with Supermarket Scanners total orders while the masses are in the meetings.
During the meetings, our four computer operators with supermarket type scanners calculate and print out the orders, ready to deliver and receive payment when the customer returns at the next bookstore opening.
As the customers bring the books to the counter, a clerk puts them in a plastic bag, marks the badge number on the bag, and hurriedly puts it in the box with the corresponding number.
Clerks await customers at the counter
The system works like a charm with very few hang ups. This year, the 1350 participants purchased many thousands of Christ-- centered books during the 5day Conference.
The combination of plastic bags and pre-numbered boxes serve very well.
This is how we do it
Three efficient collegians who helped us in 2004, Mauricio, Daniela and Lillian.
JoAnn
During the calm after the huge influx, a friend took this picture of JoAnn and I in the BOOK STORE. We still help at a pretty good pace as the crowd comes in after the meetings. We like working along with the young staff and see a lot of grateful friends from years past.
Earl & JoAnn still actively helping.
The box arrangement seen in the background is necessary in order to take care of customers rapidly.
