The competition never slows down. Your customers are constantly on the go. You have to present a positive brand image in just a matter of minutes. Your convenience store has to shine from entrance to sales counters.
As hard as you and your staff work keeping the place spotless, do you have a convenience store cleaning checklist?
It’s an invaluable tool for making sure your store always makes that important first impression. We provide retail cleaning services for Chicago convenience stores all across the city, so we can help you get organized.
5 Convenience Store Areas That Must Be on Your Cleaning List
Your store is judged by everyone who walks in the front door, and they’re all ready to share a review. Convenience stores are ranked online every day, so you want to rack up positive comments that drive customer traffic into your parking lot.
You need the cleanest, healthiest store interiors possible. Our convenience store cleaning checklist can help you organize duties that make sure these five critical areas always shine.
1. Clean, Welcoming Entrances
Customers can pay for gas at the pump. Clean floors, windows and fixtures can give them an invitation to walk through your doors. Typically, only 35 percent of convenience store customers bring their business inside. Your clean, welcoming entrance improves that number.
2. Spotless Interiors From Floor to Ceiling
Keep the floors swept and the shelves dusted. From light fixtures to window sills, take care of store housekeeping and cleaning duties every day. Don’t overlook details like hardware on display cases, and don’t underestimate simple things like clean walls from floor to ceiling.
3. Inviting Food and Beverage Stations
Customers on the go expect food options at convenience stores, and that appetite accounts for more than 20 percent of the industry’s total annual sales. Cash in on consumer expectations with food and beverage stations that get cleaned and sanitized multiple times each shift.
4. Healthy Counters and Points of Sale
Points of sale are the some of the busiest areas in your store, so these counters need constant monitoring. Keep plenty of clean micro cloths under the counter for quick touch-ups, and use green cleaning products on counter surfaces to ensure customer and employee health and safety.
5. Fresh, Sparkling Bathrooms
How important are clean bathrooms? Industry studies report that more than 70 percent of customers believe dirty restrooms indicate a badly managed business. Bathroom cleaning duties must include scrubbing and disinfecting toilets, cleaning sinks, polishing mirrors and mopping floors.
Make It All Work
The best store cleaning checklist is only as good as the planning you put into making it work. It’s important to get all your employees involved, but you need to motivate them too. Develop a cleaning program that’s fair to each shift, and explain why it’s so important for everyone to pitch in.
It’s hard to keep a convenience store clean from front to back. Duties have to be taken care of throughout each shift, and they have to meet health and cleanliness standards. Stress consistency, reward hard work, and always take the time to thank your employees for doing a good job.
Weigh Your Cleaning Options
Balancing employee time on the clock between shift duties and store cleaning isn’t easy. You might find it’s more cost-effective to bring in a professional retail cleaning service. In addition to freeing up your staff so that they can concentrate on their jobs, you enjoy options and benefits that include:
- Flexible scheduling that works around your timetable.
- Customized cleaning plans developed for your business.
- Industry certified technicians who work quickly and efficiently.
- Access to additional services including air duct cleaning and mold remediation.
A commercial cleaning and restoration contractor can cover all your convenience store cleaning needs, and that gives you more time for concentrating on business. You also have solid backup for emergencies like water and fire damage, crime scene cleanup and graffiti removal.
We’re Ready to Help
Through our retail cleaning services, we know what you deal with every day. We hope our guide gives you a good outline for upgrading your convenience store cleaning program. We invite you to share your input through our Comments Section and become a part of our online community.
When you need help with routine duties or special projects at your business, give us a call. Let us show you why ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba is considered one of the best store cleaning companies in Chicago and the suburbs. We’re always ready to make sure your convenience store makes a great first impression.