retail news
GNC Customs Plans Ahead to Handle Scheduling and Inventory Shortages WORDS BY LAURA KEMMERER Ask any retail store owner and you’ll likely hear about inventory problems, backlogged orders, and the search for additional talented personnel. Like many other leaders in the mobile electronics industry, Josh Mojica, general manager for GNC Customs in Goshen, Ind., has had to contend with these difficulties. According to Mojica, the business used to be called Golden Comfort—back when it was a jewelry store that sold furniture. The name was changed when the business expanded more into electronics. “As we grew the electronics department, we didn’t want it to be called Golden Comfort. We decided to work under the name GNC Customs,” Mojica said. “But my parents still have the
18 Mobile Electronics December 2021
furniture department. Our building as a whole is about 9,000 square feet. Our garage bays are 2,000 of that. We have a small showroom, we have the furniture showroom, and we have a warehouse.” Mojica explained that at GNC Customs, it’s very much a family environment. Letting employees go is difficult, and turnover has stayed consistently low in the business’s history. Having a team which leadership can trust and rely upon is essential for managing a healthy schedule. Even with the best planning, a project can take longer than forecasted. For example, GNC Customs recently installed new headlight bulbs in a Mercedes. However, replacing the bulbs meant removing the tires and fender
liner. When the shop didn’t have the proper parts, adapters were needed. “I schedule light to plan for things like that. We’ll schedule eight to 10 cars and it’s hard. Life is unexpected,” Mojica said. “It’s one thing if someone just comes in for a dash kit, but when someone’s coming in for a consultation on a build, you can’t stop what you’re doing to spend an hour or an hour-and-a-half with someone.” “We’re trying to get consultations to appointment-only. We’ve contemplated going to appointment-only across the board, and we really should’ve made that move when we reopened after the first few months of COVID,” he explained. “We closed for two months. We didn’t switch,
