Journeys Turned Back-to-School into a Double-Digit Comp Machine

“Back to school (BTS) is incredibly complicated… and where we’ve been able to drive success and double-digit comps, back to school, back-to-back years, is getting the data fit on the front side as well.” - Billy Bennett, Director of Retail Data Analytics, Journeys

Key Takeaways 

• Journeys delivered double-digit comp growth during back-to-school two years in a row 

• Peak coverage execution was highest during the 14 most important weeks of the year, including BTS 

• Incremental schedule improvements, even moving from 70 percent to the high 70s, created measurable comp lift 

• Accurate school calendar alignment by store prevented missed peak days and unlocked stronger execution 

Background 

Journeys is a performance-driven specialty footwear retailer with stores primarily located in high-traffic malls across North America. Back-to-school is one of its most important seasons, spanning July through August and fueled by regional school calendars, tax-free weekends, and sharp traffic swings. 

Like many retailers, Journeys operated within fixed labor budgets. The opportunity was not adding hours, but placing existing hours in the right moments to match real demand. By partnering with StoreForce, Journeys transformed scheduling from a weekly task into a measurable growth lever during its highest-stakes season. 

Back-to-School Was a Double-Digit Growth Engine, Not Just a Busy Season 

Back-to-school represents roughly 14 of the most important weeks in Journeys’ fiscal year. Unlike holiday, which follows a more predictable cadence, BTS demand shifts by state, district, and even individual store trade area. 

Journeys used StoreForce peak coverage analytics to ensure that during these critical weeks, the majority of stores operated in the high 70 percent, 80 percent, and high 80 percent coverage bands. The result was powerful. 

In FY25, Journeys delivered a double-digit comp during back-to-school. In FY26, the company compounded that success with another double-digit comp on top of the previous year’s growth. 

The pattern was clear. When peak coverage was strongest during the busiest weeks, comp performance followed.

14 Weeks, 20 Peak Hours - Zero Additional Labor 

StoreForce analysis shows that 50 percent of sales typically happen in just 20 peak hours each week. During BTS, those 20 hours matter even more. 

Journeys did not increase total labor investment to achieve its comp gains. Instead, district managers and store leaders reallocated hours into the most productive selling windows. In many cases, the difference between coverage bands came down to a single four-hour shift placed correctly on a Saturday or tax-free day. 

Incremental movement mattered. 

Stores were not required to jump from 70 percent to 90 percent overnight. Moving from 72 percent to 78 percent during peak weeks delivered measurable results. Across StoreForce client data, each band improvement correlates to roughly a 4 percent comp delta. 

Journeys applied that philosophy directly to BTS planning. The goal was not perfection. The goal was consistent upward movement during the weeks that generated the most revenue. 

Fixing the Calendar Before Fixing the Schedule 

Back-to-school complexity is not just about traffic volume. It is about timing precision. 

If a school district shifts its first day from Wednesday to Thursday, that single-day move creates an additional peak day. If coverage and traffic forecasts are misaligned, peak coverage metrics become inaccurate and stores are caught understaffed at the gate. 

Journeys begins BTS preparation in May. The analytics team works with buyers and district managers to confirm school start dates for every store location. That localized calibration ensures StoreForce peak recommendations reflect real-world demand patterns. 

This front-end accuracy allows stores to sprint into the season prepared, rather than reacting to unexpected surges. 

The payoff shows in the data. Journeys shifted a large portion of its fleet into the 80 percent to 90 percent coverage band during peak weeks, compared to prior years when more stores operated in the 60 percent to 70 percent range. That rightward shift in coverage distribution directly aligned with stronger BTS comps. 

Journeys’ internal modeling shows that if every schedule moved up just one peak coverage band, the financial impact could exceed $50 million annually. 

Back-to-school proved that concept in action. 

By concentrating on peak coverage during its highest-volume weeks, aligning local school calendars, reallocating hours instead of adding them, and empowering managers with live data, Journeys turned scheduling into a controllable comp driver. 

The outcome was not a one-time win. It was repeatable performance across consecutive BTS seasons. 

In Journeys’ Own Words… 

“Back-to-school is incredibly complicated. Where we’ve been able to drive success and double-digit comps, back-to-school, back-to-back years, is getting the data fit on the front side. If peak coverage is a great schedule, but the underlying data is wrong, you’re going to misread the number. We leaned into those 14 weeks. We made sure the schedules were right before the season started. And we executed. This wasn’t about adding more hours. It was about putting the right people in the right place at the right time. StoreForce gave us visibility and alignment across the entire organization. It connected scheduling directly to results.” - Billy Bennett, Director of Retail Data Analytics, Journeys 

Connect with StoreForce Today 

If you want the same visibility, time savings, and performance gains Journeys achieved, it’s time to see StoreForce in action. Whether you are facing missed sales during peak hours, uneven execution across locations, or flat comp performance, StoreForce gives you the tools to take control of your labor strategy. Join leading retailers using StoreForce to improve execution and unlock hidden revenue. Book a demo today and see what smarter scheduling can deliver for your business.