Five sheets · US Letter · Print the whole pack, or select pages 2–4 for learner cards.
SkillRise Spark · Facilitator guide · 1 / 5
Rise & Co. Homeware
Retail — home goods · Northgate Rise
A return, uneven workloads and a new hire give learners three ways into the unwritten rules of a retail team.
Before learners arrive
Choose one of the three cards. Read its opening and try that workday online so you can discuss the consequences. Print one card per pair; keep this guide and the discussion sheet for yourself. No account is needed.
A 35-minute session
- Frame · 3 minutes. “We are practicing decisions, not grading people. Explain what you would do and what it might cost.” Do not announce the skills beforehand.
- Notice · 5 minutes. Read the card independently or aloud. Separate known facts from assumptions; allow a private written response.
- Decide · about 12 minutes. Play the selected workday, or discuss the printed opening offline. In pairs, alternate decision-maker and observer. Offline cards cover the opening only, not branching consequences.
- Discuss · 10 minutes. Use the matching question on sheet 5. Invite two defensible approaches, then name the trade-off and the boundary.
- Reflect · 5 minutes. Use the exit reflection. Learners may pass or write privately; do not require personal workplace disclosures.
Keep the boundary clear
Check refund authority before promising an exception. Do not present an unwritten habit as policy; clarify uncertainty with the person responsible.
Observe without grading
Listen for a learner distinguishing facts from guesses, explaining who is affected, and naming a next action. Record only what was actually said or chosen, not confidence, personality or assumed competence.
Suggested timings are flexible. Most practice scenarios take about 12 minutes; exploration and reflection add optional time.
SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 2 / 5
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 01
The Return
Saturday · 11:40 AM
Saturday late morning, the store's busiest window. You're on the register, Marcus is somewhere in bedding, and there are three people in line behind the woman currently unpacking a slow cooker box onto your counter.
you: How can I help?
The slow cooker is used — there's a faint film on the lid and a receipt dated six weeks ago. The laminated returns sheet taped by the register says thirty days, unopened, with receipt.
What do you say to her?
- “I'm sorry, this is past our return window, so I can't refund it.”
- “I can't do a cash refund, but let me see if I can offer store credit.”
- Process the refund anyway, to keep the line moving.
- “Can you give me a minute? I want to check with my manager.”
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/rise-and-co/the-returnSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 3 / 5
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 02
An Ordinary Tuesday
Tuesday · 8:55 AM
A delivery pallet of cookware sits half-broken-down in the stockroom. You were supposed to open with Aaliyah, but last night at 9:04pm Denise texted the group chat moving you to close instead, and moving Toby to open, with no real explanation.
Toby: Did you get the schedule change too? I'm confused about who's opening.
It's not a disaster. It's just Tuesday: boxes to break down, shelves to face, a schedule that shifted after most people were already asleep.
What do you do first?
- Text Denise asking for a bit more notice next time, kindly but plainly.
- Spend a few minutes getting Toby oriented before starting your own list.
- Say nothing and get through your own task list.
- Quietly finish off Aaliyah's unfinished section yourself.
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/rise-and-co/an-ordinary-tuesdaySkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 4 / 5
Rise & Co. Homeware · Workday 03
Teaching What You Weren't Taught
Thursday · 1:10 PM
Denise: Can you train Toby on the damaged-stock write-off process this week? He needs to know it before the weekend rush.
you: Sure — remind me how it actually works?
Denise: You've done it before, right? You'll be fine, just show him.
You have done it before — once, three weeks ago, when a box of glassware arrived cracked. Marcus talked you through it over his shoulder while doing three other things, and you've never had anyone check whether you did it right.
Denise is already walking toward the stockroom for something else.
What do you do?
- Just teach Toby what you remember and hope it's close enough.
- Call after Denise and tell her honestly you only half-know this yourself.
- Tell Toby you'll teach him tomorrow, and quietly confirm the process first.
- Teach Toby what you know, but tell him upfront it might not be complete.
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/rise-and-co/teaching-what-you-werent-taughtSkillRise Spark · Discussion & reflection · 5 / 5
Bring the decisions into the room
01 · The Return
What could you offer the customer while checking who can authorize an exception?
02 · An Ordinary Tuesday
How would you raise a workload imbalance without assuming why it happened?
03 · Teaching What You Weren't Taught
How much uncertainty could you share with a new hire while still giving useful direction?
When the group disagrees
Ask: “What is the strongest case for the other option? Who carries its cost? What fact would change your mind?” Explore the reasoning without endorsing unsafe action. State the relevant boundary plainly.
Reveal the skills after practice
Ask learners to name a skill in the action they actually chose. These are discussion connections, not automatic evidence:
- The Return: Boundary setting · Judgment under pressure · Communication
- An Ordinary Tuesday: Reliability · Noticing patterns · Speaking up
- Teaching What You Weren't Taught: Honesty about limits · Teaching under uncertainty · Self-advocacy
Exit reflection
What could you say when a customer request sits outside policy and a supervisor is unavailable?
“In this practice, I chose to ______ because ______. Next time, I would check ______.”
Adapt to your learners
Read aloud or allow silent reading. Explain unfamiliar terms without choosing for learners. Offer spoken, written or partner responses; never require acting or personal disclosure. Use one card for a short session, or compare workplaces in a longer class.
Evidence, not a credential
Separate skills practiced, actions demonstrated in actual choices, and areas still developing. Offline discussion does not generate a platform evidence card. Neither a discussion nor an online evidence card proves real-world competence or awards a certificate, credential or grade.