Times are scary, and we’re all being hit in different ways. Even businesses that are open are still taking a massive loss. The scariest part of all of this is the unknown. We don’t know what lies ahead; therefore, we have nothing but idle time to worry and speculate. In the meantime while we wait for things to get back to normal, let’s find something constructive to do! I know at Deja Vu Love Boutique, here in Las Vegas, I can always find plenty to do.
Try to think of this situation as an opportunity to reset yourself and your business. There are so many things within our own four walls that we wanted to change, but just couldn’t seem to find the time. Well, now we have that time! This could be the physical appearance including merchandising and deep cleaning, operational procedures, or even associate expectations.
The single most important task right now (and subsequent to reopening) is to remain optimistic.
Let’s first discuss cleanliness. This is the easiest problem to address and probably the most important task any of us can accomplish for our associates and future guests. Now is a great time to deep clean and sanitize your business. If your guests can see a build-up of dust or dirt anywhere in your business, they will likely assume nothing is sanitary… not even your products. While that might not be the case, it’s best to just deep clean everything. Though most stores are closed due to government orders, this likely does not mean you can’t enter your establishment yourself while remaining closed to the public.
Next is merchandising. What better time to move your product around and give your business that fresh new look. Operating a 24-hour store can make it difficult for larger projects like this as we typically always have guests in the building. The best part about moving product, of course, is your repeat visitors will see new products. Most will walk the same routine path in your business. Moving around merchandise will allow those guests to discover new items. I personally love large projects because it helps give you a sense of accomplishment.
Sometimes the hardest part about changing procedures is simply the worry of backlash or associates rallying to combat your efforts. Knowing that we will likely be slower once we open, we now have time to be very selective about who we are bringing back. This also affords us the opportunity to disinvite people if they’re not an asset to our business. Revamp your policies and procedures and make sure every expectation is written out and clearly defined. Give the team members the opportunity to review your new rules and policies. If they do not agree with the direction you’re heading, then let them part ways.
Now more than ever we need to raise the bar for our industry. With the sudden loss we have all taken, the expectations should be higher for our team members, and hopefully they have a new appreciation for their positions. There will be businesses that do not recover and because of that, plenty of people will be looking for work. Those that are lucky enough to return to their jobs and not have to hunt for one should be grateful. It’s definitely OK to remind your team of this. In order to make up for the lost revenue, they need to work twice as hard to support your business’ revival.
We should all also consider ways we can continue to make money during these times, if we are not already doing so. Online sales are booming and many distributors offer drop-shipping to shoppers. Though this isn’t nearly what we would make with our doors open, every little bit helps. Now that we have all seen that it’s possible that the world could be forced to shut down, the best thing we can do for our businesses is prepare ourselves for something like this to happen again.
Here are some other tips for closure periods. The most obvious is removing all money from the building. We have also left all safes, ATMs and cash registers wide open. If there were a break-in, the thieves would not damage cash-holders simply to find them empty. Fortunately for us, we now have escape rooms in our location that provided us a great place for all of our high-ticket items to be placed during this closure. It will take someone a lot of brains and time through that maze. We also left all display cases open. Again, if someone breaks in, you want minimal damage. Let them take what they can without also needlessly breaking display cases.
The single most important task right now (and subsequent to reopening) is to remain optimistic. Have no doubt that attitude drives sales. Downtrodden management makes downtrodden sales associates. Downtrodden sales associates make downtrodden guests… and those guests don’t spend real money. Don’t let that be your downfall. Your job as an operator is to be the eternal beacon of optimism. I am confident that life will return to normal sooner than later… you should adopt that attitude too.
Megan Swartz is the general manager of Deja Vu Love Boutique.
