DIY Retail Store Opening Checklist

Retail is detail. The success of a store often comes down to how well you've planned and executed the small things.

Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart

What is a Retail Store Daily Opening Checklist?

Opening a retail store involves more than just unlocking the doors. The success of a store depends on a detailed and consistent daily routine. A structured opening process ensures every detail is covered, creating a welcoming environment for customers and a smooth start for staff.

A retail store daily checklist is a set of procedures designed to prepare the store for opening each day. It covers various aspects of store operations, ensuring everything is operational, clean, and ready for customers. This guide outlines a daily retail store opening checklist, covering key areas from security systems, software, and safety, to  merchandising,  stock, and staff preparation. By following this checklist, retailers can ensure their stores are ready for business, improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Who is Responsible for the Retail Store Daily Opening?

Store managers and designated staff members typically execute the daily checklist. Assigning specific tasks to individuals ensures accountability and thorough completion of each item. This division of responsibility helps maintain efficiency and ensures no critical task is overlooked.

Retailers need a daily checklist to maintain consistency, ensure operational efficiency, and provide an optimal shopping experience. It helps identify and resolve issues before customers arrive, contributing to overall customer satisfaction and store performance. A daily checklist minimizes the risk of missed tasks and helps uphold the store's standards consistently.

What Should you Include in a Retail Store Daily Opening Checklist?

Security Systems

• Check Surveillance Cameras: Ensure all cameras function and provide clear footage. Verify that storage devices are recording properly.
• Test Alarm Systems: Activate and deactivate alarm systems to ensure they are operational and can be managed via mobile apps.
• Verify Access Control: Ensure digital access control systems work, restricting entry to sensitive areas like stockrooms and offices.

Software and Technology

• Internet: Verify that the in-store internet is operational. Check LAN and WiFi connectivity.
• Verify POS Systems: Ensure POS systems are operational, connected to the network, and syncing with inventory management and other software.
• Test POS Hardware: Check registers, card readers, and receipt printers before the first customer arrives.
• External Digital Signage: Ensure all digital signage is displaying accurate information. For example, is there an offer that should be on your signage? 
• Test Customer Wi-Fi: If you offer visitors access to your WiFi, verify that the in-store Wi-Fi authentication and access system is operational.

Health, Hygiene, and Safety

• Daily Cleaning Tasks: Clean floors, counters, and restrooms using a scheduled routine. Assign specific tasks to staff members.
• Restroom Supplies: Ensure restrooms are stocked with necessary supplies, such as toilet paper, soap, and paper towels.
• Sanitation Stations: Ensure hand sanitizers and cleaning stations are stocked and operational. Place these stations at strategic locations.
• Waste Management: Empty trash bins and recycling containers. Follow cleaning SOPs for disposing and managing hazardous waste. 
• Monitor Recycling Programs: If you have a recycling program, ensure that daily recyclable items have been separated and ready for disposal in the appropriate methods.
• Conduct Safety Training: Offer online safety training courses to ensure staff are knowledgeable about health and safety protocols and emergency procedures. This is usually not a daily exercise.
• Odor Check: What good is a clean store if it has an odor! Use room fresheners and toilet fresheners so that the store does not smell of musty air conditioning.

POS/Cash Registers

• Cash Register Setup: Ensure cash drawers are stocked with the correct float amount and that all registers are operational.
• Receipt Paper Check: Verify that receipt printers have sufficient paper and are functioning.

Merchandising

• Product Displays: Arrange products on shelves and displays according to planograms. Ensure displays are neat and stocked. There must be no items lying around from the previous day’s activity.
• Promotional Signage: Ensure all promotional signage is correctly placed within the appropriate sections of the store.

Stock and Inventory

• Stock Replenishment: Check that all shelves are fully stocked and that backstock is easily accessible. Never keep stock in the backroom if your display is running out of items or sizes.
• Expiry Date Check: Ensure that perishable items are within their sell-by dates and that older stock is rotated to the front.

Staff Preparation

• Staff Arrival: Confirm all staff members scheduled to open are present and ready for work. Capture attendance electronically to automate this verification.
• Uniform Check: Ensure staff are in the correct uniform and meet grooming standards.
• Morning Briefing: Conduct a brief meeting to review daily goals, promotions, and any important updates.

Customer Experience

• Entrance Presentation: Ensure the entrance is clean, well-lit, and inviting. Check that automatic doors and entry mats function correctly. Leave the door free of obstructions.
• Background Music and Ambiance: Ensure that the store's background music plays at an appropriate volume and that lighting levels are set correctly.
• Temperature Control: Check that the HVAC system works and that the store's temperature is set to a comfortable level.

Different Areas of the Store

• Front of Store: Verify that the entrance is free to access and that it is clean. Ensure customer parking spaces are not occupied by others. Make sure your valets are available, if you have any.
• Sales Floor: Utilize planogram software for product placement. Use digital shelf labels to organize aisles and update prices. Implement electronic shelf labels for real-time price updates.
• Back of Store: Use your inventory management software to make sure your stockrooms are organized. As much as possible, receive goods before customers begin arriving, especially if you do not have a separate entrance and unloading dock. 

Assets and Facility Maintenance

• Facility Inspection: Conduct a quick walkthrough of the store to identify any maintenance issues.
• Equipment Check: Verify that all equipment, such as refrigerators, freezers, HVACs, coffee machines, and display cases, work correctly.

Challenges for Multi Unit Stores

• Standardized Procedures: Implement checklist management solutions to deploy standardized and consistent processes across all your store locations.
• Unified Branding: Use approved vendors who will be responsible for deploying branding and customer experience assets across your footprint. You may need multiple vendors to support different geographies. Include store staff verification of these assets as part of your routine checklists.
• Training Programs: Develop and deploy centralized e-learning courses to provide uniform training across all stores. This approach ensures that staff in every location receive the same level of training and adhere to the same operational standards.

Conclusion

A detailed and consistent daily routine is essential for the success of any multi-unit retail enterprise. By following a comprehensive opening checklist, retailers can ensure their stores are ready for business each day, enhancing customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Utilize the right software to manage daily checklists and operational processes across multiple locations. Customize and integrate different systems for streamlined management of daily tasks. Ensure that your preferred retail store daily opening checklist software can automate the scheduling and tracking of audits and inspections. Automated reminders, tracking compliance, and compiling reports on non-adherence will help backend leaders maintain high standards across all units.

Hubler’s comprehensive suite of software for multiunit retail enterprises allows retailers to deploy their own daily opening checklists tailored to their specific needs. With features like workflow automation, real-time updates, and easy integration with existing systems, Hubler streamlines your store operations