How to keep your retail store safe from COVID-19
Stores are opening up and it’s welcome news for independent retailers who have lost income throughout the lockdown. When re-opening it’s important to keep your retail store safe from COVID-19 and to make your customers feel comfortable.
So, how do you manage your retail store and increase cleaning and hygiene without making customers feel restricted or awkward in-store? It’s certainly a balancing act, but a few simple steps can make all the difference. Here are our top 7 tips for retail cleaning to keep your store safe from COVID-19.
Entry and exit points
Ensure the entry doors are permanently open so that customers don’t need to touch the door. Then, if the entry is wide enough put some arrows on the floor to funnel customers into the store on the left and out on the right. The aim is to ensure your customers all enter the same way and flow through the store without having to cross each other.
Sanitising stations
Encourage people to sanitise as they come into the store. Contactless dispensers are the most hygienic choice and they are easily seen and give the instant impression that you have your COVID-19 in place. Remember to check them regularly as an empty sanitising station not a good look for your store.
Spray items with a disinfectant spray
Grab a can of Glen20 or speak to your local retail cleaner who can advise of the best products to use. By spraying frequently, you don’t need to remove stock from the floor or spend time wiping individual items down. Ensure that you do this at quiet times so as not to offend any customers.
Go cashless
Encourage or ask customers to pay by card only. This greatly reduces contact and spread by removing the chance of physical touching and notes frequently in and out of the til.
Frequently clean touchpoints
What are touchpoints? Touchpoints are the areas in your store which are touched frequently by different people. It’s common to immediately think about where customers will touch, forgetting about retail workers. Think about your staff and where they touch in the store. Do they share a bunch of keys? As they open up, do they walk through internal doors, where are the light switches, and what about the till? Then, as you walk to the shop floor, you can switch to the customer touchpoints. Have a pack of disinfectant wipes on hand, or ask your commercial cleaner to use a disinfectant spray on frequently touched rails and displays.
De-clutter your store
Take the opportunity to de-clutter your store before opening. It’s the perfect time to start fresh and clean. Has stock been lying around for a long time? Do you have too much stock out on the floor? Do customers have to fight through overstuffed racks to look at items? Think about the pathway your customers will take, can you make it easier and improve the flow?
Employ a professional retail cleaner
Talk to a professional retail cleaner who has experience in COVID-19 cleaning programs. They can help you with a deep clean before opening and advise you of the ideal frequency of cleaning throughout the day. Having a day cleaner in prominent uniforms during peak times is not only demonstrating a commitment to hygiene but also gives your customers instant comfort in your store.
