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Launches, peak season and returns

Pre-launch checklists, BFCM planning, flash sales, pre-orders, peak staffing, holiday cover and the January returns wave, for small store teams.

7 articles in this topic.

BFCM operations plan for a small team
Launches

BFCM operations plan for a small team

Written for stores without a war room, a duty rota, or anyone whose only job is coordination. Start it in September.

1 August 2026·9 min read
Peak season staffing for stores that cannot hire
Launches

Peak season staffing for stores that cannot hire

Hiring is not always available. What to do when the volume is coming and the headcount is not, without simply asking everyone to work harder.

10 May 2026·11 min read
The post-peak retro that actually changes next year
Launches

The post-peak retro that actually changes next year

Most retros produce a document nobody opens in eleven months. Four questions, one page, and the one habit that makes the findings survive until they are needed.

6 May 2026·10 min read
Returns season: the January plan
Launches

Returns season: the January plan

The wave arrives about a week after the holidays and lasts a month. What to decide in December so January is a process rather than a surprise.

2 May 2026·10 min read
Pre-order launches and the promises you cannot keep
Launches

Pre-order launches and the promises you cannot keep

Pre-orders move cash forward and move risk onto your operations. The four commitments that cause the trouble, and how to word them so a slip is survivable.

28 April 2026·11 min read
Holiday cover: keeping a store running with half a team
Launches

Holiday cover: keeping a store running with half a team

Someone has to answer the messages between Christmas and New Year. How to cover a quiet-but-not-closed period without one person silently absorbing all of it.

24 April 2026·10 min read
A pre-launch checklist that survives contact with launch day
Launches

A pre-launch checklist that survives contact with launch day

Twelve items, each with a named owner. Copy it, cut what does not apply, and never rebuild it from memory again.

9 July 2026·8 min read

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