Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, the end of the year can be very hectic for grocery stores. But this time of year can also be very lucrative for your business. Your customers need food supplies for their parties and family get-togethers. Try these strategies to get ready for the holiday season:
Before the holidays begin, check the stock of all of your popular items. Especially those items that sell best during the holidays and when the weather is cold. Order as much as you can in advance, and remember to schedule additional orders around your vendors’ days off. If you plan on selling holiday products, make sure they arrive well ahead of time. If you have a POS+, you’ll be easily able to track your sales and manage your inventory before – and during – the busy holiday season.
Train Employees Ahead of Time
If you have a holiday sales plan, your employees should understand it well before the holidays begin. Once the holidays arrive, you and your team won’t have time to go over your business strategy. Even if you plan to do everything as usual, a quick overview will ensure that everything goes well when it gets busy.Schedule Shifts Around Busy Hours
When you plan your holiday shifts, make sure to staff enough people for busy times. If you have a point of sale (POS) system like POS+, you can see how many sales you make during each shift. Check these numbers to see when your busiest hours are. It is also important to keep in mind that several of your employees may want to take off for the holidays, so you’ll need to come up with a fair way of deciding who can go.
Check Vendor Availability
Food suppliers may or may not take the holidays off. Before you end up without necessary inventory items, remember to plan your orders around their vacation days. If you need to deliver something by mail, check your service’s cut-off dates. Schedule your orders and deliveries ahead of time to avoid unexpected closings.Clean and Organize
You want to know where to find everything when holiday traffic comes in. If you haven’t organized and cleaned your store, do it while you still have regular business. These tasks will keep your business running smoothly when you only have time for holiday customers.Hire Extra Help If Necessary
If you know that sales will become overwhelming during specific shifts, why not get temporary help? Holiday workers can manage some of the extra work for you so every customer gets served. Stores that see a big increase in sales during the holidays may find that temporary workers are well worth the extra cost.Manage Your Inventory
Before the holidays begin, check the stock of all of your popular items. Especially those items that sell best during the holidays and when the weather is cold. Order as much as you can in advance, and remember to schedule additional orders around your vendors’ days off. If you plan on selling holiday products, make sure they arrive well ahead of time. If you have a POS+, you’ll be easily able to track your sales and manage your inventory before – and during – the busy holiday season.
