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If a potential customer’s first impression of your store includes grungy tiles, messy displays, and dust on the counter tops, there’s a good chance you won’t be see them again. Keeping your store clean is important, not only because of health and safety, but also because customers come back to stores they know are clean. Think about it – would you want to go back to a store with a bakery display case covered in cobwebs?

To keep customers coming back to YOUR store, here are a few tips for keeping your store in tiptop shape:

 

1. A Welcoming Entrance: an entrance area that has clean floors, mats, and windows invites customers in. It’s your store’s first impression to the customer – if the mat is in a crumpled, messy heap, the windows are smudged, and the floors are slick with spilled sodas, they most likely will avoid entering at all. In rainy/snowy weather, keeping mud off the floor is key. Shake off mats if dirt is piling up, and make sure there’s some window cleaner nearby to rid windows of smudges!

 

2. Displaying Confidence: display cases and shelving units are your chance to entice customers to spend a couple extra dollars. Dusty shelves that feature candy next to dead bugs aren’t going to be making you money. Keep a dust rag on hand to ward away any unwanted dead bugs. Display cases with merchandise scattered all over the place aren’t pleasing either. Make sure products are displayed neatly to ensure customers can pick what they want quickly, instead of having to pick through all the items available.

 

3. Avoiding Sticky Situations: food and beverage stations tend to get messy quicker than other areas in your store. Accidents happen, food and drinks fall, and the place soon becomes a gross, sticky nightmare. Customers associate clean service stations with better quality food. If the floor, counter, and equipment feature spills, there’s a good chance the customer deciding on a last-minute beverage is going to walk away.

 

4. One Word – Bathrooms: some customers beeline it right for the bathroom when they’re filling up their gas tank. If they didn’t notice the dusty displays or the messy doormat, they’ll notice a grimy bathroom for sure. Customers tend to believe that if the bathroom is mess, the management must be as well. Wiping down surfaces, and mopping, scrubbing, and disinfecting toilets are VERY important for both impressions and health and safety. Upon exiting a clean bathroom, a customer will be more likely to shop around on their way out the store