The Retail Rush: How to Cope with Increased Traffic During the Holidays
The Black Friday stampede keeps everyone on their toes, but it’s not the only event that poses a threat to your retail establishment. The holiday season brings both an increase in sales and an increase in damages to inventory (and customers or employees). For a safer and less stressful holiday rush, keep these tips in mind during all your last-minute sales.
Contingency Plans for the Holiday Rush
Plan ahead to improve the customer’s experience. Direct the flow of traffic in as many ways as possible so everyone knows where to go and what to do. Frenzied holiday shoppers need boundaries, so use ropes or barriers at exits and entrances as well as friendly employees to make navigating the store seamless and stress-free for your customers.
OSHA even recommends you talk to your local fire department of your plans so you can be certain you’re in compliance with safety regulations.
The Big Event
When you hire new blood during the holiday season to help get you through the busiest months, you can count on some communication and training issues. Make sure teams have a way to assemble and share information so all employees are on the same page.
Each individual team member should know exactly what their role is in case of emergency, and there should be clear rules about the most common scenarios that may occur (e.g., a fight breaks out, a customer falls down, inventory is knocked over, etc.)
Synergy Insurance Group knows how crazy the holidays can be, which is why we want to cover business owners in Florida and help ensure a successful holiday shopping season. Give us a call if you’re looking for a better policy. We have plenty of options to protect your financial future and keep you covered through the holidays and all year long.