If you find yourself drowned in the thought of how to open your retail store and how to keep your store running smoothly, then read through our checklist for the retail store opening. This guide also has a helpful retail store daily operations checklist for you.

It’s time to stop wasting valuable hours in your retail store. Take a look at this retail store checklist of tasks that you should be doing every day and see if any are relevant. 

Store Manager and Staff Daily Opening Checklist

When starting your day at work, there are several things that you should do. These tasks can be completed by store managers and sales associates alike.

The daily retail store opening checklist:

Opening your store is a delicate process. It would help if you were sure to take the following steps before opening up for business.

It would help if you took a moment to check the premises for any breaches in security. Click To Tweet

You must be aware of all potential problems.

Conduct the following steps:

• A glance at the outside of the building should tell you if it is worth your time.
• The first thing you should do is to check the windows and doors for signs of forced entry.
• You should always make sure the alarm is on when you enter a store. If it’s not, don’t disarm your security system.
• Check security footage if you think it’s necessary.
• As soon as you open, lock the doors.

Ensure that your store is spotless before customers start coming in. Take care of any spills, remove all clutter, and dust everything.

• Clear your windows with this quick and easy trick.
• Do a quick sweep of the shop floor to ensure there is no dirt or dust.
• We should all keep an eye out for spills and safety hazards.
• Clean your store. That’s it.

Turn on your appliances and electronics as soon as you get to work. You can always turn them off before the official opening time.

Flip the switch before customers start coming in.

• Lights.
• HVAC.
• Electronic displays.
• TV and sound system.
• Computers, tablets, and other gadgets. 

POS Checklist

Once you’ve checked your equipment, it’s time to see what needs work on the point of sale system.

POS equipment is a crucial part of any successful business. It should be turned on and switched to make sure it’s working correctly.

One way to spot if someone has been tampering with your equipment is by inspecting for signs of intrusion.

If you have a POS, please turn it on, and ensure everything runs smoothly.

Tell me the amount of cash you have on hand at your register. Place it in and press enter.

Merchandising

The quality of your product and displays directly impacts sales, so make sure you check them daily.

Check that all shows are in order. Examine your store and make sure the signage is set up correctly.

Someone is looking for a product. Ask the following questions:

• Do the products look good?
• Are your displays following the planogram?
• What does this store not have?

Be sure to restock your shelves before opening time. If items need replacing, do so and be mindful of what is on the shelf.

To determine the exact amount of inventory you have, it may be necessary to do a quick physical count. This process must be done in an organized manner.

Traditionally, the daily stock-taking process is conducted by counting a small amount of merchandise each day.

The Scanner is an excellent app for businesses. All you have to do is scan the barcode on an item with your phone’s camera. The Scanner will automatically record that SKU for you, syncing completed counts once you’re done counting, so all of your inventory levels are updated.

Make sure your promotional and directional signage is up to snuff.

Good signs will help customers find their way around the store and increase customer experience. Click To Tweet

To get a better idea of how to motivate your salespeople, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you currently running any promotions?
• Have you ever had directional signage that points the wrong way?
• Is every sign in its proper place?

If you’re trying to sell something, make sure that the tags are in order. It’s a small detail, but it can be crucial for sales.

So, to summarize:

• Size tags
• Price tags
• Sales pricing tags
• Special promotional tags

Staffing and strategy

The best way to get everyone on your team feeling motivated is by having a daily staff huddle where you will give them the information they need for their day. Little things like this can make a difference in how productive and happy people are at work.

When trying to find a new salesperson, the first thing to do is review shifts and duties. It seems like an obvious step, but it helps me figure out who should be in charge of what.

What are your sales goals? Where should you be when in the store?

Review your sales targets. Click To Tweet

If you want to be successful, make sure that everyone knows what they need to do and how much time they have left to accomplish it.

It’s important to talk about why you need a team of salespeople in the first place.

• Your daily, weekly, or monthly sales target.
• In your weekly and monthly goals, how close are you to reaching them? What can you do better next time?
• How can we help the sales team make more money today?

Review the performance of your team and store. The staff huddle is a great time to discuss how to improve together.

You may want to discuss:

• Here’s what went wrong yesterday and how we can fix it today.
• Every day, we should reflect on the customer interactions and events. What went right or wrong? How could they have been handled differently?

Review your promotions, because now is the time to talk about them. If you are running any in-store initiatives this season, make sure that customers know!

• Talk about your great offers and sales going on right now.
• It would be best to get your promotion or offer in front of as many people as possible. So how do you go about doing that? Well, there are a few ways.

Review your store policies and make sure that employees are following the rules.

If you have new employees on board or a rapidly changing situation (such as the global pandemic), it’s essential to keep your salespeople motivated.

Now that you have a great retail store daily checklist, use it! 

Retail success is all about the habits of your employees, managers, and cashiers. Hopefully these points have inspired you to put in better practices so that everyone can be successful.