Measuring Linear Inches by Category

Ollie's is a large store and we are asking you to measure a large portion of it.  Take your time, and start with a smaller category and then you will be a pro.  You will measure the total linear inches of merchandise belonging to each category.

Read the H&Co Basic Data Point article below for how to measure and tools to utilize when measuring:  

Total Linear Inches

Some important notes on linear inch measurements:

1. We are measuring AISLES and ENDCAPS 
2. We are only measuring the length of the shelves (not depth or height).
3. The measurements are per category, so there is no need to break the category down into subcategories. For example, we are measuring all Food as a collective, it doesn't matter what type of Food it is. 
4. You will only measure the linear inches occupied by specific categories we are interested in. This means if these categories share shelf space with categories that we are not collecting data on, you can ignore the space allocated to those other categories. For example, if there are Books in the Toy aisles, you can ignore the Books. 
5. Inventory will change frequently in these stores so we need to make sure we are counting inch measurements for each category every single visit. 

Empty Space

We do not want to include EMPTY space in our measurements. If you see an entire aisle that is void of inventory, you would not include any measurements for that aisle. What will often occur, though, is that you will run into empty space between products in an aisle.

The best way to deal with this is to flex your math skills! Measure the total space, step back, and estimate what percentage of the space is empty, then subtract the empty space to get to your total.

• Example: aisle is 100 inches long, has 4 shelves of toys, and about 20% of that space is empty
  • (100") X 4 shelves = 400" Total Measured Space
  • (400") X .20 = 80" Of Empty Space
  • 400" - 80" = 320" Linear Inches of Full Space (this is the measurement you'd include in your data)

In this photo, you would measure the shelf space that has inventory, then step back and estimate about 40% of this aisle is empty, then subtract that 40% from your measurements. 

For this aisle, the math would be: 

• • (150") X 4 shelves = 600" Total Measured Space
  • (400") X .40 = 240" Of Empty Space
  • 600" - 240" = 360" Linear Inches of Full Space (this is the measurement you'd include in your data)

* Tips and Tricks

1. The aisles for each category are generally the same length so you can walk off the length of one aisle per category, then it's a matter of walking each aisle, multiplying the space by the number of shelves, and subtracting out the empty space. 
2. The length of endcap shelves are pretty standard and will be the same length for every endcap in the store. You just need to walk off the measurement for one endcap, then it's a matter of multiplying the space by the number of shelves and subtracting out the empty space. 

<<Previous Page: Collecting Display Metrics

>>Next Page: Store Space Breakdown