The first day of spring may still be a few weeks away, but as a retail manager, you’ll need to start getting ready for the change of seasons. Now is the time to start looking for mannequins for sale or wholesale shopping bags to replace those you used during the winter season. The first step to any successful “spring switchover” is to do a thorough cleaning of your shop, but unless you want to close down your store for a few days in a row, you’ll need to carry out your sweeping, dusting and reorganizing in stages over time. Here are some tips on how to get an early start on your spring cleaning this year.
Make yourself a chronological to-do list
Before you dive into any cleaning project, make yourself a list of what you know needs to be done before the spring season is officially here. Write down everything from ordering new store fixtures to fixing that old leaky faucet in the restroom. Next, take the items on your list and reorganize them by how long each one will take. Projects that require more time to be completed should be at the top of your list, as you’ll need to get started right away. Once you have the ball rolling on these larger tasks, you can begin to tackle the smaller issues.
Get employees involved
Your staff members aren’t simply there to put clothes on hangers and ring up customers – they also should be helping with your spring cleaning. Gather your employees together for a meeting about what needs to get done, and allow them to sign up for certain tasks. You may want to create a calendar so that your workers can keep track of when their chores need to be taken care of.
Plan new themes and motifs
As you’re carrying out your spring cleaning, you may come across old decorations that give you new ideas for store themes. It’s always a good idea to keep a pen and paper handy so you can record your inspiration – you’ll be happy you did when you’re getting ready to create a new window display next season.
Keep customers in mind
Though your focus may be on getting ready for next season, you must work hard to make sure your current customers’ needs are being met. While some of your employees are working on cleaning, make sure two or three are still dedicated to serving shoppers in-store.
