Spring Cleaning: Don’t Forget Your Shop!

The term gets thrown around in advertisements for everything from carpets to lawn-care service. It can be an excuse to eliminate clutter, and clean nooks and crannies that never see daylight. Either way, spring-cleaning traditions are rooted in new beginnings after long, dark winters. If you skip these tasks for your shop, you could inadvertently kill your business.

First impressions in retailing are everything. Yes, you can hide some problems by how you organize your shop and display your merchandise, but it won’t matter to customers who can’t look past dust or clutter. Tidy shops aren’t just about cleanliness. Clean, orderly shops can boost sales and improve customers’ experiences.

With the spring-cleaning season in full swing, create a cleaning schedule for your shop to enhance this year’s efforts.

 

Create a Clean Culture

Cleaning duties must be everyone’s responsibility. Your staff must know you expect them to maintain a professional appearance, and that your store must reflect professionalism. Encourage your staff to clean throughout the day as they notice areas to improve.

Be aware of what your customers can see. If they can see your repair area and workbench, keep your entire workspace tidy. Yes, customers appreciate your bow-tech skills, but they also appreciate clean floors and an organized workspace. Once your staff makes cleaning a habit, they’ll find a tidy shop takes less time to clean.

 

Post a Cleaning Schedule

Sweep under the fridge, dust the vents, and clean the keyboards. Unless cleaning is a top-of-mind priority, you’ll overlook trouble. Daily and weekly cleaning schedules hold your shop accountable. Review the schedule regularly with your staff to ensure they understand what’s required. Post the cleaning schedule in a backroom or behind the counter as a constant reminder.

Daily Cleaning Tasks

— Wipe down the counters, especially glass.

— Remove clutter from the checkout and display counters.

­— Wipe down the bathroom and remove garbage.

— Sweep the range.

— Check paper products and bathroom soap.

— Vacuum/sweep the entrance inside and out.

— Clean floors in high-traffic areas.

— Organize bow displays.

— Organize arrow displays.

— Organize clothing displays.

— Organize target displays.

— Refill shelves.

 

Weekly Cleaning Tasks

— Sanitize and clean the bathroom (basins, toilets, doors and fixtures).

— Take out the garbage and replace liners.

— Update and organize your bulletin boards and class schedules.

— Tidy up and refill any displays for flyers and brochures.

— Vacuum/sweep all floors.

— Dust all displays and shelves.

— Dust all fans, vents and lighting covers.

— Organize back-stock areas

— Clean and sanitize all glass surfaces, including window displays.

— Wipe down or vacuum furniture.

 

Monthly/Biannually/Yearly

— Dust taxidermy.

— Check batteries in smoke detector and carbon-monoxide detectors

— Clean rugs.

— Repaint parking-lot stripes.

— Clean 3-D targets.

For additional resources on keeping a clean shop, check out the ATA’s Retail Growth Initiative. Contact Nicole Nash, ATA’s member-outreach manager, at nicolenash@archerytrade.org or call her toll-free, (866) 266-2776, ext. 116.