How to Keep Your Retail Store Organized and Clutter-Free
Is your small retail space experiencing some big clutter?
It can be difficult to stay organized and effectively manage your business in a small space.
Key Takeaways You Will Get From This Article
1. Eliminate paper clutter by going digital, filing, and shredding any unwanted documents.
2. Give every item a home in your shop and get creative with organization.
3. To organize and optimize space for the best customer experience, you need to be strategic.
4. Always remove any clutter from the checkout counter.
Those documents and the extra inventory are important to have nearby, but there are some other things that probably need to go. Here are some great tips to help you declutter your retail store, space, or office
Table of Contents
Simple Tips to Keep A Retail Store Office Clean
Here are five simple things you can try to reduce clutter and optimize space in your retail store.
1. Go digital!
Physical files and mountains of paperwork can quickly manifest into some serious clutter, especially in a small space. By scanning those files into folders on your computer, you eliminate that physical paperwork that may be taking up too much space.
Maybe you want to keep the hard copies for a while just in case, and that’s fine too. Just be sure to take them off your desk and file them away in a secure location.
Or, if they’re old files you have no more use for, shred them! Shredding is more secure than simply throwing a document away, because it obliterates the sensitive information in the document. (Plus – it’s fun!)
Another way to eliminate paper clutter is by moving those to-do lists into an online task manager. There are plenty of great options out there such as Asana and Monday to help you and your team stay on track.
Create tasks, manage your work calendar, invite team members, and communicate with each other all through these task management tools. It’s a great way to stay organized and keep your desk clear.
2. Print double-sided, or stop printing altogether.
Ink and toner cartridges are expensive, and they never seem to last as long as you expect them to.
Imagine the savings if you stop printing altogether!
If it’s not possible for you to completely digitize your operation, try printing necessary reports or documents double-sided. This will save on paper and help you reduce the amount of paper clutter on your desk.
3. Give everything a home and remove ‘just in case’ items.
To keep clutter off your desk, start by giving everything a “home”.
For example, the stapler’s “home” might be at the top right corner of the desk, between the lamp and pencil cup. It may seem a bit extreme, but organization tactics like this will help eliminate clutter and give everything a purpose.
Speaking of purpose, it’s time to get rid of those “just in case” items. You don’t need that extra stapler that doesn’t work or those scissors that are completely dull. They may have had a purpose at one time, but now they’re just taking up space.
4. Get creative with storage!
In a small space, it may seem like you have nowhere to store things. Any options you do have are probably already being used to store inventory or important files. That means, it’s time to get creative! There are other storage options you may have never considered.
For example, adding shelves to vertical wall space is a great way to get inventory off the floor and make it easy to see. The space under your desk can house a small filing cabinet or set of drawers.
You can even hang employee mailboxes, keys, or a dry erase board for quick notes on the back of your office door. Thinking about your space from a different perspective can help you maximize every inch of space you have in a creative way!
5. Complete a regular decluttering exercise.
If you feel like your office is out of control with clutter, try completing a regular, 10-minute decluttering exercise. All you have to do is grab two bags – one for trash, one for recycling.
Then, sweep the office inch by inch and sort everything in your path. Trash goes in the trash bag, recycling in the recycling bag. If you have other items that could be donated, feel free to grab a third bag.
You don’t have to get through the whole office in one day, either. Start with one corner and work for ten minutes, then move on to the next section for ten minutes the next day. Pretty soon you’ll have a clutter-free workspace!
Organize and Optimize Your Retail Space
Now what we’ve talked about your office, how about your store itself? Does it seem cluttered, or is it clean and inviting for customers?
To organize and optimize your space for the best customer experience, you need to be strategic. You don’t want customers walking into your store and instantly becoming overwhelmed with the amount of merchandise there is to peruse.
You want to ease them in to the store, and allow them plenty of opportunity to consider each item on the shelf.
If that sounds complicated, don’t worry!
There are some simple tricks you can try that have big results. For example, add various shelves at different levels on a display wall. This will allow you to display items in creative ways, and creates the sense of a larger space.
Clear Your Retail Checkout Counter
You should especially be sure to remove clutter from your checkout counter.
After all, completing their purchase is the last experience customers will have while in your shop. If it’s a good experience, they are more likely to return.
Keep extra merchandise off the checkout counter, and make sure it is wiped clean regularly. The only item with permission for a permanent “home” on your checkout counter should be your cash register, and even that shouldn’t need to take up too much space.
If you're struggling to navigate around a bulky cash register, we can help!
A countertop point-of-sale (POS) terminal through Electronic Merchant Systems reduces clutter on your checkout counter and can help take your business to the next level.
Our countertop POS terminals accept credit and debit cards and can handle checks, EMV, EBT, gift cards, and loyalty cards. Plus, they’re simple and compact, perfect for your impeccably organized store!
To learn more about the solutions we offer retail businesses, contact us today. For more retail cleaning tips, check out these posts:
