LESSON 7: KEEPING A CLEAN DEPARTMENT

Customers continually rate cleanliness as the most important factor in deciding where they will shop. Take the time to walk through your department and try to see it through a customer’s eyes.

Tasks to Perform Daily

• Cleaning and sanitizing — Make sure floors, cases, fixtures, and all pieces of equipment are clean.
• Department maintenance — Look for damaged or malfunctioning display units, broken or missing floor tiles, or burned-out lights, and report them to management.
• Reporting unpleasant odors — Report any unpleasant odors (such as cleaning products or garbage) to department or store management

Bakery Sets 

Bread Wall/Rack

Check the display daily, remove expired product (save for recovery baking if possible), and dust or wipe down surfaces to remove crumbs or flour that may have spilled and replace with fresh baked product.

Bakery Tables/Walls

Refreshing a set can be as simple as a quick check or a more in-depth process of removing of all items, thoroughly cleaning tables, shelves, cases, etc. and replacing items. Ideally this should be done weekly to prevent dust, and rubbish such as price/shelf-life tags or crumbs from accumulating. Keeping a log of cleaning requirements and a schedule will help keep this important step a top priority.

Chill Grab and Go

The case should be checked daily, at least once and possibly more often if the store is busy. Items should be fronted (brought to front of shelf) and restocked if needed. Shelves should be cleaned weekly as well.

Chill Showcase

A regular peek at the Chill Bakery showcase from the customer perspective can be enlightening.  Often the front of the case is not as neat and tidy as we expect or anticipate. Checking signs, wiping down shelves, removing accumulated crumbs and cleaning the front glass will improve the customers’ experience and ultimately lead to greater sales.

Self-serve cases

Pastry/Cookie cases are another display that are known for looking more shabby than chic. Regular cleaning, maintenance, and rotation of product is key to keeping this display in tip-top shape. 

Remember – a minute of prevention saves an hour of cure!