Let’s face it: it is effortless to accumulate clutter whether you are at home or your workplace. It is incredibly frustrating if you work in retail. A small clutter can turn into a big problem in no time because of the piles of merchandise stocks your store is handling. Perhaps you need some decluttering tips? Read on, and we got you.
According to the Harvard Business Review, our physical environment dramatically impacts productivity. The retail business can be very dynamic, and clutter can bring further stress and anxiety. Imagine going through tons of documents and wasting time just to locate your inventory list!
We understand that it can be tough to stay organized given the small space most retail stores have. With store documents paired with inventory or stocks, chaos is imminent! We have listed some decluttering tips to help you power through your retail jungle.
5 Decluttering Tips If You Work in Retail
Start with these five tips that can help create a cleaner space.
1. Go paperless.
It is now almost effortless to ditch long lists of store items with technology. You can finally dispose of bulky folders of customer information and purchase history. With the birth of customer relationship management (CRM) tools, you can have all this data stored in a computer application. This allows anyone in your store to easily access them without having to keep mountains of paper.
Paperless transactions are now possible. Your store can directly send receipts through emails too. If you are in a business that requires catalogues, you can create a counterpart that purely operates on the world wide web.
Other retail processes you can digitalize include:
- Paying bills
- Minutes of the meeting
- Order forms
- Customer satisfaction survey
- Writing checks
Going paperless is not only one of the many decluttering tips you can adapt. It is also one way to save the environment and reduce your carbon footprint.
2. Go for Smaller Desks.
Large desks may seem practical because of their ability to house your files and things to do for the day, but it is a clutter magnet. Having a space where you can stack your things can make you do so!
Replace your work table with a smaller one. It should be a comfortable size enough for you to sign some documents and do some other activities.
Preferably, your table should have one drawer where you can store your valuables and nothing more. Having more drawers might encourage you to keep unnecessary things at work.
Feel free to do the same to your staff. Encourage higher productivity by having a desk that does not allow you to feel any clutter stress.
3. Organize Your Cables and Equipment.
When you are a retail worker, chances are you work with one or two pieces of equipment daily. These machines also have wires that have tendencies to look disorganized.
Tie your cables using zip ties and label them to know which line is for what. You can also fasten these cables onto the walls to prevent them from dangling everywhere. If you have unused cables, sort them out if they are still helpful to your retail environment. If not, you can throw them away or send them out for repurposing.
Organizing your cables is not only one of the many decluttering tips for your business. It is also a practical safety measure that can help you avoid accidents.
4. Utilize the Available Spaces in Your Store.
As in all retail stores, there will be times that you will not be able to get rid of excess stocks and materials. For these kinds of situations, it is helpful to have storage containers at work.
The danger with storage containers is that they can also easily add to the clutter. If you are a retail worker, it would be wise to use blank spaces in your store as storage.
Why not have a hidden shelf on your store walls? Or a closet that can blend into the background?
You are also free to use dead spaces at work such as behind the doors or the area under your desk. You can set up pockets or portable box cabinets to store your files. There are minimalist modular containers that you can also use for essential files. More than they are space savers, they are also aesthetically pleasing and can fit your store’s interior theme.
5. Have an End-of-Day Decluttering Ritual.
Allot 10 minutes after your closing hour to organize the things that you have used and acquired from the day’s operation. For example, you can sort files into folders and throw away or recycle excessive paper already encoded to your computer.
Discard materials that you can no longer use. You might try to save it for later, but you have to ask yourself if you will still be using it or just making an excuse to keep it.
Sort these items into two: one container is for trash and the other for recycling. It is also wise to give yourself a deadline to deal with your recyclables. Otherwise, you will end up turning them into clutter. If you cannot do the recycling yourself, send them over to a recycling facility.
Have trouble decluttering your retail space? Then let Prestige Take Care of Regularly Maintaining Your Retail Store.
Decluttering is not an easy task for most. So, if you need help clearing your commercial space, we will be more than happy to help you out! Contact us at Prestige Property Services by calling (714) 224-0301 or sending an email to info@prestigepropertyservices.com.
