Can we really find the good in a slow day? I would have to say yes. While this cannot be ideal everyday, sometimes slow days bring a welcome moment of extra time for planning, inventory and cleaning. As retailers we want our business to be the best that it can, so why not use the time wisely and take that time to take actions to insure that it is.
If you have been in business for a while you will likely know what time of year, month or day will be slow. If this is not the case you can probably judge based on the demographic and consumer trends. For example, if you are open on a Sunday’s in a neighborhood full of families you may not get a lot of foot traffic because of children activities. A retailer may want to plan for some retail chores that have been put on the back burner. Here is a look at what retailers need to be doing, yet never seem to find the time for:
- General Cleaning– dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, floors
- Inventory Management – reorganizing, tracking, management, replenishment, and placing orders
- Office Management – filing, billing, payments, banking
- Employee Management – scheduling, reviews, new hires, training
- Social Media – posting, tweeting, responding to others, blogging
- Website Management– product management, e-commerce support, updating copy, scheduling updates
- Product Reviews- learning about new products for your store, gaining information on competitive products.
- Competitive Analysis- learning about other like retailers, challenging yourself to do better.
- Profit Makers – researching and implementing new ways to bring revenue into your store.
As a retailer it is always a good idea to keep a list handy of things that need to be done but never have to time- just like a Honey Do list. Having a list will help keep you on task and get the most out of your free time. It may also be a great time to use your part- time employees to help fill the space in the store and have some action going on. But remember, the input from your part-time employees may not always be as intense as your own but there is always plenty for them to do. As most retailers know, there is always something to do in the store, so being bored or playing on Facebook isn’t the answer.