Tips to Prepare Your Retail Store for Customers and Sales, Everyday
From opening a retail store for the first time (launching) to opening it every day, the practice of getting your retail store ready for customers is a continual process that is executed to keep the store in good condition and prepare it for a great selling day.
That said, there are a few practices that should be done just after closing and before opening the store to set the tone and prepare the store for the next day sales. We have created a comprehensive guide to help you remember essential tasks and things you need to ensure before opening your store.
INITIAL PREPARATION
Arrive Early
You might be the kind of retailer who stays up till midnight doing inventory, analysing orders and revenue generated and even interact with customers if needed but just can’t get to the store early in the morning to deal with customers.
However, if you are the store owner or senior manager responsible for opening the store, you need to get into the habit of arriving at the store at least one hour prior to opening. This will give you enough time to get the store ready without any hassle as well as wind up tasks or address issues from yesterday.
First things first
Once you arrive the store, here are a few things you need to do in the first place.
Ø Turn on the lights of the entire store to be able to carry on with other tasks.
Ø Turn off the burglar alarm once you’re inside the store before it goes off and the cops come around to investigate.
STORE PREPARATION
Inspect the store
Lights are on and the alarm is disabled; the next thing you need to do is get back to the entrance and check if everything is all right before customers start walking into the store.
Ø Make sure the aisles are clean. Have the floor vacuumed and swept.
Ø Dust and clean doors, glasses, shop fittings, displays and any other surfaces the customer may touch.
Ø Check if all the light fixtures are working properly and replace any broken or squint lights.
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Ø Empty trash cans and make sure the floor is free of clutter.
Rearrange stuff
It may seem pointless and time-consuming but it is a good practice to rearrange things from a customer point of view before customers start walking into the store.
Ø Check shop shelving and displays for empty shelves and fill them up with overstock and back-stock.
Ø Check all signage and make sure there are no misplaced or missing tags, labels or signs.
Ø Collect any opened or damaged packaging or merchandise that has been discarded and restock to the right location.
Ø Bring any items that have been drawn to different departments, back to their section or shelving system.
Check POS systems and electronic systems
You need to make sure your POS hardware is ready to go before customers walk in.
Ø Make sure cash registers are working properly and have sufficient cash inside.
Ø In addition, have all your electronic machines and systems switched on like computers, music systems, digital displays, LED screens and check everything is in good working condition.
Ø Turn on the air conditioning or heating of your store, as the need be, to maintain comfortable in-store temperatures.
Prepare the exterior of the store
The first thing customers will notice about your store is the façade, which also forms a first impression of your store. Organise the exterior (entrance) in a way that makes the store look more appealing to potential customers and encourage even passers-by who don’t intend to shop, to walk inside.
Ø Remove anything around the exterior of your store that doesn’t belong there like litter and debris.
Ø Check if window displays are properly set up and organised.
Ø Make sure all advertising signs, sidewalk boards and digital retail signs are arranged properly as to attract customer attention.
FINAL WORD
Now this one may not be something you would count as a tip for the morning store preparation done right before opening the store, but in addition to the abovementioned tips, we would advise you to not let your closing staff leave until the store is in a condition to be opened tomorrow.
Often the closing staff do the minimum and leave things for the opening team. While the opening team is responsible for ensuring varied tasks as mentioned above, it is important that both the team know their responsibilities and do their bits in a timely fashion.
Don’t forget to refer to this guide and keep all the to-dos at your fingertips to have your store prepared for the business every day.
