Successfully opening a dollar store requires an entrepreneur who can multi-task. It also requires an entrepreneur who can step back and see the reality of the day. At times all of the tasks that are required to continue the growth and forward movement of the store can pull the concentration of the owner and manager away from routine maintenance. Yet those routine maintenance tasks are critical for achieving daily sales performance.
Normally a well run store will have routine schedules for cleaning/sweeping the floors, washing the windows at the front doors, and cleaning around the checkout area. Yet if you are opening a dollar store there are other key areas of store maintenance that should not be overlooked. These may require some level of expertise to complete or they may be difficult to access. Yet the maintenance must be done to keep the right shopping environment that brings customers back time and again.
Lighting is a key example. Dim and burned out lights should be replaced immediately. The impact that a dimly lit store has on sales is significant. Burned out lights also give shoppers a poor first and last impression as they look at your store. If you are opening a dollar store know that those first impressions help to determine the average sale size for your store. The last impression helps to establish the percentage of customers that will return and how frequently they will return.
Chipped, broken and lose flooring can become a safety hazard. Yet it is easy to overlook or even miss flooring problems during the daily routine. If you are opening a dollar store never allow safety hazards to exist in your store.
If you are opening a dollar store there seems to never be a really good time to have the floors professionally cleaned. Yet the impact that floors have on the overall shopping experience cannot be discounted. If you are looking at the costs associated with floor replacement, routine cleaning can pay for itself over and over again.
Washing store windows inside and out is another key maintenance task. Clean windows let in more light. Clean windows leave a positive first and last impression with shoppers. Clean windows help sell merchandise that is viewed from the outside. Make routine window washing a part of the scheduled professional maintenance for your store.
