Thanksgiving is fast approaching and it’s time for produce buyers and managers to prepare pre-orders and plan for seasonal displays. We caught up with James Sotelo, the Produce Manager from Grass Roots Natural Foods in South Lake Tahoe, about his plan for the Thanksgiving rush. Here are some planning and purchasing tips that can be used in your store.

• Plan Ahead: Plan for Thanksgiving at least a month in advance. Order pallets and half pallets of key products like garnet sweet potatoes and yellow onions. Keep in close communications with your Account Manager and place large orders at least 2-3 weeks in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to secure what you need!
• Large Displays: Do not be afraid to order big and build huge displays of key products! The more product you bring in and the bigger the display, the more product you will move and sell. Bulk up holiday displays with popular items like green beans, cranberries, brussels sprouts, chestnuts, walnuts, butternut, celery, russet potatoes, Italian parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary and mixed holiday herb bunches.
• Display Upkeep: After building your displays, walk through the department with your teammates to explain how to build, rotate and maintain the displays. Communicate to your team the expectations on maintaining display aesthetics. Leave detailed notes for your team so anyone can lend a hand to spruce up displays when things get busy.