# Store routines: store operations with proof, for every store

> Store operations for retail chains: Kai writes each checklist, gives every store its work on its own clock, checks the proof and shows who is keeping up.

*Markdown version of [https://ocally.co/capabilities/store-operations](https://ocally.co/capabilities/store-operations), written for AI agents. All docs: [llms.txt](https://ocally.co/llms.txt). Deciding whether Ocally fits a business? Read [Is Ocally right for this business?](https://ocally.co/evaluate.md).*

**Every store gets its checklist, and every step asks for proof.** Head office sends the memo. Stores skim it. Kai turns it into a short checklist, sends it to every store on its own clock, and checks the photo proof for each step.

- **Capability:** one of Kai's 16, in the area "Sell more". [All capabilities](https://ocally.co/capabilities.md).
- **You approve:** Every new or changed checklist before it goes live, and what to do when a problem stops work.
- **You give:** Who works at each store, the routines and memos you run today, and the team's photos and readings as they work.
- **Start here when:** a chain's answer to "What's furthest behind?" is "Store routines".
- **Built for:** retail chains and franchise brands; single stores and smaller chains are welcome too. [Where it fits best](https://ocally.co/evaluate.md).
- **Price:** part of Ocally's customized pricing, minimum $500 per location per month. [Pricing](https://ocally.co/pricing.md).

## What this costs today

Store operations today run on task software, district managers' visits and store managers' evenings. The memo goes out, and from head office it looks done.

| What you pay for today | Typical cost | What it leaves undone |
|---|---|---|
| Retail task and SOP software | $10 to $30 per user a month | Sends tasks and collects photos. Someone still writes each checklist and reads results. |
| District managers' store visits | $70,000 to $85,000 a year each, base pay | Driving store to store to check what the memo asked for. |
| Store managers' time | Their time | Reading memos, briefing staff, and proving the work got done. |

**With Kai.** Kai writes the checklists, sends each store its work, reminds the team and checks every step's proof, from the same knowledge as every other capability.

Typical ranges from public price lists, October 2026. Sources:

- [GoAudits, Pricing: Starter $10 and Enterprise $30 per user a month, billed annually](https://goaudits.com/pricing/)
- [Mitti by SafetyCulture, Pricing: Premium $24 per seat a month billed annually, $29 billed monthly](https://mitti.com/pricing/)
- [Indeed, Retail District Manager salary in the United States: average base $70,042 (Sep 2026)](https://www.indeed.com/career/retail-district-manager/salaries)
- [Payscale, District Manager, Retail salary: average base $84,163 (Jul 2026)](https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=District_Manager%2C_Retail/Salary)

## Stop buying a tool for every job

The biggest promise of AI is consolidation. The same kind of software that can drive a car can write the reply to your email. So buying one point solution per job, each with its own login, contract and agency, now wastes money.

Judge software the way you’d judge a hire: by the range of work it can take on. That’s what to look for now: one system you can point at many jobs. Ocally is that for your stores: Kai and two people across listings, reviews, local search, social, AI answers, pricing, inventory and store routines, at every store.

Not sure what you could consolidate? Bring your list of tools and what they cost to a free consultation, and we’ll go through it with you.

**The same scope of work for 25 stores, a month (listings, reviews, local search, social and AI answers; the low end of published prices; use your own numbers):**

| Line | Basis | Tools, agencies and people | Ocally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings software (Moz Local Lite, $199 a year per location) | $17 per store | $425 |  |
| Review software (Reputation Rep Core, per location) | $80 per store | $2,000 |  |
| AI answers tracker (Peec AI Pro, 150 prompts) | $245 a month | $245 |  |
| Local SEO agency (chains of 20+ stores, "often $5,000+") | $5,000 a month | $5,000 |  |
| Social media agency (mid tier, $2,000 to $5,000) | $2,000 a month | $2,000 |  |
| AI search agency to fix what the tracker finds (small business low end, $1,500 to $5,000) | $1,500 a month | $1,500 |  |
| Staff time to run the tools and agencies | 1 hour per store a week at $54 an hour | $5,850 |  |
| Ocally | from $500 per store: Kai, a growth engineer and a growth specialist |  | $12,500 |
| Your team's time approving Kai's work | 0.25 hour per store a week |  | $1,463 |
| **Total a month** |  | **$17,020** | **$13,963** |
| Per store a month |  | $681 | $559 |

Defaults from: [Moz Local pricing](https://moz.com/products/local/pricing); [Reputation pricing](https://reputation.com/pricing/); [Peec AI pricing](https://peec.ai/pricing); [RankAI: multi-location local SEO cost guide (June 2026)](https://rankai.ai/articles/pricing-multi-location-local-seo-management-cost-guide); [Cloud Campaign: social media management pricing guide (July 2025)](https://www.cloudcampaign.com/blog/social-media-management-pricing-guide); [WebFX: GEO pricing (May 2026)](https://www.webfx.com/blog/seo/geo-pricing/); [BLS: market research analysts and marketing specialists, pay (May 2025)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm); [BLS: employer costs for employee compensation (June 2026)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).

## What Kai does

1. **Writes the checklist.** Hand him the memo or describe the routine. He drafts short steps, each with the proof it needs, and waits for your yes.
2. **Sends each store its work.** Opening, closing, the new window: each store gets its list every day, with a named person, a due time on its own clock and a reminder.
3. **Checks the photo proof.** Each step asks for a photo, a reading or a signature. Kai checks it against the step and sends back what doesn't match, with the reason.
4. **Shows who's keeping up.** Each month he reports, store by store, the jobs done with proof, jobs missed and open problems, against the month before.

## What it unlocks

- **One change reaches every store.** Update a checklist once and every store gets the new version, while work already under way finishes on the one it started with.
- **Problems on the floor reach you.** A failed fridge check or a safety issue stops the job and comes straight to the manager, with Kai's suggested next step.
- **Every store side by side.** One table lines every store up, so the store that keeps missing its jobs stands out, and so do the problems that keep coming back.

## Questions

### What is retail store operations?

Retail store operations is the daily work that keeps a store running: opening and closing, displays, stock, cleaning, safety and every task head office sends. For a chain, it also means knowing which stores did the work, and when. Kai keeps that record store by store, with the proof behind each job.

### Can Kai write our SOPs and checklists?

Yes, with you. Hand him your memo or describe the routine, plus any rule that must stay word for word. He drafts short steps, each with the proof it needs, and flags anything he needs you to confirm. Nothing goes to a store until you approve it, and every change is a new version.

### What should a retail store audit check?

A retail store audit checks what customers and the brand care about: signage and displays, cleanliness, stock on the shelf, price labels, safety and service. Each item should say what good looks like and what proof to capture, like a photo. Kai turns your audit into a checklist, sends it to every store and shows which passed.

### How does Kai know the work was done?

From the proof each step asks for: a photo of the display, a fridge reading, a signature. Kai checks each one against the step, sends back what doesn't match with the reason, and counts the job done only when its proof is in. Missed work stays on the list until someone deals with it.

## Related capabilities

- [Inventory](https://ocally.co/capabilities/inventory.md): Keeps every store's stock count current, and flags what will run out or sit.
- [Partnerships](https://ocally.co/capabilities/community.md): Finds local partners and events worth showing up for.
- [Pricing and offers](https://ocally.co/capabilities/pricing.md): Spots price gaps across stores and checks the margin before any offer runs.

Bring the store your district manager worries about most. [Book a free consultation](https://ocally.co/consultation.md): 30 minutes on one store, and where Kai would start.

## Next steps

- [Is Ocally right for this business?](https://ocally.co/evaluate.md): who it fits and who it does not, the cost, the risks, and how to start.
- [Pricing](https://ocally.co/pricing.md): customized, with a minimum of $500 per location per month.
- [Book a free consultation](https://ocally.co/consultation.md): 30 minutes on one store. Calendar: https://cal.com/ocally/30min.
- [See if we're a fit](https://ocally.co/fit.md): a two-minute check; an agent can submit it for its human, with consent.
- [Every doc](https://ocally.co/llms.txt): the index.

Questions a doc doesn't answer: onboard@ocally.co.