Belleville Market maintains operational standards to ensure a consistent guest experience. In cases where a merchant fails to comply with tagging, barcoding, inventory entry, or visual merchandising standards, Belleville may perform corrective actions. The cost of such actions, including labor and materials, may be offset against the merchant’s commission, rent, or other payments. Merchants will receive written notice of the offset and may dispute within 3 business days. Repeated non-compliance may result in additional corrective measures or termination of the merchant agreement.
This policy ensures accountability, maintains fairness among all merchants, and protects the integrity of the shopping experience.
1. What Is an Expense Offset?
An offset is an expense that is deducted from a merchant’s monthly sales payout to recover costs Belleville incurs because of:
Non-compliance with store policies or visual standards.
- Negligence that impacts operations, presentation, or guest experience.
- Administrative time spent resolving issues that should have been managed by the merchant.
Offsets are always documented, communicated in writing, and accompanied by supporting detail and photos when applicable.
2. Why Expense Offsets Exist
Belleville Market’s staff handles POS management, guest transactions, and oversees in-store presentation. When merchants do not follow established standards and procedures — such as proper tagging, system entry, or inventory communication — it creates additional workload for Belleville staff and can disrupt sales operations.
Offsets serve three purposes:
- Accountability: Ensuring all merchants adhere to the same standards.
- Operational Efficiency: Covering time and materials used to fix or prevent disruptions.
- Fairness: Protecting compliant merchants from shouldering indirect costs caused by others.
3. When Expense Offsets Apply
4. Escalation Structure
To ensure fairness, Belleville uses a three-level escalation system for all merchant compliance matters. Each step provides an opportunity for correction before further action.
Level 1 – Courtesy Notice
- A written notice is sent outlining the issue and correction needed.
- The merchant has 4 Business Days to correct unless otherwise stated.
- No financial offset is applied if resolved promptly.
- Issued if the same or similar issue recurs or remains unresolved after Level 1.
- Offset applied based on cost and time incurred.
- Merchant may be required to meet with the Merchant Team for review and retraining.
Level 3 – Escalation / Agreement Review
- Triggered by repeated non-compliance, severe violation, or safety risk.
- May include temporary suspension of restock privileges, probationary period, or termination of agreement.
- All Level 3 cases are reviewed by the Merchant Management Team and Ownership.
Reset Policy: After 6 consecutive months of full compliance, prior levels reset to baseline.
5. Merchant Audits
Belleville also conducts both scheduled and unannounced audits throughout the year to ensure consistent store standards.
Audit Frequency
- Quarterly for all merchants.
- Monthly spot checks in high-traffic departments or categories.
Audit Categories
- Presentation – cleanliness, display condition, visual alignment.
- Pricing Accuracy – visible and consistent with policy.
- Safety Compliance – cords, fixtures, and layout safety.
- Communication – responsiveness and collaboration.
- Brand Consistency – adherence to Belleville’s tone and guest experience values.
Audit Scoring
- Each area is rated Excellent, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, or Non-Compliant.
- Audits marked “Needs Improvement” must be corrected within 7 business days.
- “Non-Compliant” findings move directly to Level 2 escalation.
Follow-Up
Audit reports are shared via email.
6. Documentation and Notification Process
Step 1: Identification
The Merchant Management Team documents all issues, and may include photos and details of the correction or cost incurred.
Step 2: Notification
The merchant receives an Expense Offset Notice via email and/or the Merchant Portal outlining:
- The issue
- The offset amount
- The date it will be applied
- Supporting notes or photos
Step 3: Application
The offset is deducted from the merchant’s next payout, listed as a line item on the payout statement for full transparency.
Step 4: Appeal (Optional)
Merchants may submit a written appeal within 7 business days of notice. Appeals should include supporting context or evidence for review. The Merchant Management Team will review and respond within 14 business days.
7. Repeated or Significant Violations
Repeated noncompliance or high-frequency offsets may result in:
- Temporary sales suspension
- Requirement for retraining
- Termination of merchant agreement
All escalation decisions will be made by Belleville Market’s Merchant Management Team in consultation with Ownership.
8. Transparency
All expense offsets will be itemized in the merchant’s monthly payout summary, with date, reason, and amount listed clearly. This ensures every adjustment is traceable and auditable.
9. Appeals
Merchants have the right to appeal any offset or audit finding within 7 business days of notice.
Appeals must be submitted through the Merchant Portal and include:
- Description of the issue.
- Any relevant communication or context.
- Actions taken to correct.
The Merchant Management Team will review within 14 business days, and decisions will be final.
10. Prevention & Partnership
Belleville encourages merchants to avoid offsets by:
- Checking email and portal messages regularly.
- Maintaining clear communication about restocks and product removals.
- Keeping spaces clean, safe, and properly tagged.
- Attending merchant meetings and responding to feedback promptly.
- Asking questions early—before small issues become larger ones.
Our shared goal is collaboration, presentation consistency, and a great guest experience.
Offsets and audits simply ensure that Belleville Market remains a place where independent merchants can grow within a professional, well-managed environment.