| Cleaning is an essential task in any retail business. | | | | at where stock is located, a manager undertaking |
| It is often treated and seen as a chore, an | | | | cleaning is better positioned to move stock in |
| unwelcome task. Too often it is given to the | | | | pursuit of better sales. This makes the cleaning |
| most junior employees. | | | | process more strategic than just a chore to tidy |
| I'd like to challenge your view of cleaning in retail, | | | | the shop. |
| to get you to think of it as an opportunity and | | | | Tactical placement. Cleaning identifies the parts of |
| something which more senior retail employees | | | | the retail store which get the most traffic. |
| ought to undertake. | | | | Knowing which parts of the store are browsed |
| Cleaning, thorough cleaning, involves you removing | | | | more often can open opportunities for tactical |
| stock from the shelves, cleaning it and returning it | | | | decisions aimed at driving impulse purchases. |
| to its proper place. This act of touching the stock | | | | Leadership. The business owners and |
| can get you more engaged with each item. | | | | management undertaking cleaning in the store |
| Cleaning opens you to opportunities. In the | | | | show, by their actions, that cleaning is good and |
| process you can discover plenty about the stock | | | | valuable work for the business. This will make it |
| and the business. You have the opportunity to | | | | easier when asking others to clean too. People do |
| make good business decisions while engaged in | | | | learn by observation. Leadership on cleaning can |
| the cleaning process. | | | | show retail employees the value of what may |
| Slow moving stock. While Point of Sale software | | | | have once been considered a menial task in the |
| reports will show what is moving and what is not, | | | | business. |
| cleaning the stock lets you touch the stock and | | | | The most significant value of cleaning for retail |
| see for yourself what is looking old. This is an | | | | managers is that they get to touch retail |
| opportunity to add old stock to the list of that | | | | inventory. It is this inventory which is vital to the |
| which needs to be quit from the business. | | | | sales success of the business. Touching items |
| Damaged stock. In cleaning the stock you get to | | | | opens many decision opportunities. Smart retail |
| see if it remains of merchantable quality. Stock | | | | managers will embrace these and the business will |
| which is damaged can harm the look of the | | | | benefit as a result. |
| business. By having someone of management | | | | If retail store owners and managers do engage in |
| level undertaking the cleaning you are more likely | | | | cleaning, it needs to be on a consistent basis. |
| to identify damaged stock and therefore make a | | | | Doing it once a year will make it more of a show |
| decision which better serves the business. | | | | and many of the benefits will be lost to the |
| Moving stock. In the cleaning process, since you | | | | business. |
| are on the shop floor and looking more carefully | | | | |