Making a Seasonal Maintenance Checklist
In preparation for a new selling season, take time to do some maintenance of your store—from your customers’ perspective. Be your own "mystery shopper" by pretending you are a customer visiting the store for the first time. Make a list of what you notice that doesn’t work for you, then prioritize the list based on necessity and budget to create a master to-do list for each department. It’s also a great idea to ask friends or family to perform this type of audit for you, so you’ll get a true sense of how a customer sees your store.
Give yourself enough time to finish each item on your list, factoring in customer service and stocking. If your store is large enough, give department managers their own lists and encourage a little friendly competition. Reward the department that finishes its list first to your standards with a pizza party or other treat.
The following checklist can be used any time you are preparing your store for a new season:
WRLA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NRHA
The goal of the North American Retail Hardware Association is to help independent hardware and home improvement retailers become better and more profitable merchants through a wide array of educational and training programs, financial management resources, and human resource tools that are all available online. WRLA members get unlimited access to a full range of training and management services when they join NRHA through the WRLA.
Visit www.wrla.org or CLICK HERE for more information about NRHA.