How to keep your store clean and create the best shopping experience. Both small businesses and large chains work hard to capture our attention and take us to their stores. With regular cleaning and maintenance, retailers can achieve their goals and create the desired shopping experience for their customers. Sales and great customer service start with efficient store operations, and clean business front-to-back is an essential part of great customer service.
It may seem obvious, but the impression a clean retail facility gives to its shoppers is important. You may have the best merchandise and prices in town, but if your store is dirty, messy, and a mess, your customers will leave and never come back.
The top five factors that can keep customers from returning to a store are:
- overall bad odor
- Dirty restrooms (eg, floors, stalls, mirrors, odor)
- Dirty and dusty surfaces (eg, dust on screens, dust motes on floors)
- Poor cleanliness of entrance (eg, cigarette butts, overflowing trash cans, messy appearance)
- Broken and dirty locker rooms (eg, dirty mirrors, dirty floors, broken locks, lighting problems)
Here are some ways you can keep your store clean and create the best shopping experience, so your customers will come back and recommend you to their friends:
Keep the entrance sparkling
The entrance to your store must be absolutely clean, from the mats to the windows. Since your window display is the first thing people will notice, make sure it looks attractive. If you have something outside your store that shouldn’t be there, like garbage or debris, take care of it first thing each day.
Clean up dust from flower pots or shrubs, as well as trash, cigarette butts, gum wrappers, or other debris left on the floor. Otherwise, people may think the inside of your store is just as dirty as the outside and won’t even bother to go inside.
Also, make sure your store windows are clean and bright so people can easily look inside (or see your reflections without smudges or streaks). Dirty windows are unattractive and may indicate that the interior of the store is in the same condition. To maintain a pristine driveway, you may also want to frequently pressure wash sidewalk areas.
Shop Entrance Checklist:
- Sweep outside entrance and pick up debris
- Clean glass doors and windows
- Empty the rubbish bins
- Vacuum entrance mats
- Pressure wash sidewalk areas when necessary
Cleaning of the store area
Retail stores can quickly gather dust, especially if they are located in a busy location or facing the street. Dusty shelves, fixtures, and displays are unsightly and can detract from a positive shopping experience for your customers. A dusty store also sends the message that cleanliness is not important to your brand, which can easily turn away customers who will never buy from your business again. As part of regular cleaning and maintenance, be sure to wipe down all surfaces so your tent is dust-free from top to bottom. Don’t forget to regularly dust pendant lights, ceiling fans, open beams, or ceiling joists if you have them,
Store area checklist:
- Clean all surfaces, shelves, and fixtures
- Clean counters, floors, furniture
- Check pendant lights, ceiling fans, etc., so they don’t collect dust
- Vacuum or brush fabric furniture, clean arms/edges, and dust chair bases
Go over the floors so they are clean and shiny
In retail, high traffic flows carry an enormous amount of dust indoors. The problem is one of the ways buyers judge a facility is by the appearance of its floors. An aesthetically pleasing and gleaming floor makes a great first impression.
While the ones that are scratched, dull and dirty can affect the overall appearance of your store. Not to mention, proper cleaning and maintenance will add years to the life of your floor. A quick response to spills on your carpet or hardwood floors will improve cleaning results, so make sure you have solutions on hand for occasional spills.
Additionally, the number one contributing factor to slip and fall injuries in retail stores is spills and dirty, worn floors. This includes torn carpet, vinyl and sheet materials, uneven planks of wood, cracked concrete, and all types of flooring with rough patches and loose debris. Liquid spills, trash, and piles of unsorted merchandise also contribute to many retail store injuries. One of the best things you can do for your store is to invest in a commercial cleaning service that keeps everything safe, neat, and clean.
Flooring Checklist:
- Vacuum, dust mop or sweep hard floors daily to minimize abrasive dust and dirt. In very sandy areas or on the beach, you may need to vacuum or sweep more than once a day.
- When using a liquid cleaner, be sure to dry or rinse it well to avoid residue.
- Wipe up and wipe up spills immediately to avoid staining. Start at the outer edge and work toward the center so the spill doesn’t spread.
- For carpets, regular vacuuming is important to help remove dirt and grime that may have become trapped in the carpet fibers.
If you are unsure of how to clean and maintain your floors, contact a professional cleaning service.
Keep your restrooms clean and hygienic
Restrooms in your retail establishment should be clean, sanitary, fresh smelling; and always equipped with paper and soap. One study found that 75% of customers would never return to an establishment with an unclean bathroom.
Restroom Cleaning Checklist:
- Clean and disinfect sinks and polish faucets.
- Clean and disinfect toilets and urinals with approved germicidal detergent solutions
- Sweep and mop floors
- Clean partitions, tiled walls, dispensers, and doors
- Clean towel racks and dispensers
- Control the supply of toilet paper, soap, and towel dispensers
- Empty and line garbage containers
Conclusion
Today’s consumer has a nearly unlimited choice when deciding where to shop, whether it’s at a store across the street or online. With this kind of fierce competition, retailers need to understand why their customers keep coming back and why they don’t. If you are a retailer in need of quality cleaning services, contact us at SCS Group Integrated Services. As an experienced commercial cleaning and janitorial services company in Brisbane. we are equipped to keep your store in tip-top condition and help you create a positive customer experience.