5 Tips to Declutter Your Retail Store

Learning a few practical clutter-busting tricks can help maximize space in your business, preventing it from looking like a maze and finally making it feel like the space you’ve been dreaming of at last!

Understanding the Importance of Decluttering

Decluttering is more than just tidying up; it’s a crucial step in maintaining a well-organized retail store. A cluttered stockroom can lead to misplaced or stolen items, increasing the risk of shrinkage or theft. It can also create safety hazards, such as tripping or falling, making it difficult for staff to navigate the area efficiently. By decluttering, you can significantly improve staff safety, reduce operational shrink, and boost productivity.

Moreover, decluttering helps in identifying damaged or outdated items that need to be removed from your inventory. This process not only frees up valuable space but also allows you to spot slow-moving or dead stock, which can be cleared out to make room for faster-moving items.

In addition, a decluttered environment enhances your inventory management. By removing unnecessary items and organizing the remaining stock, you gain a clearer view of your inventory levels. This clarity enables you to make more accurate decisions about restocking and ordering, ultimately leading to better inventory management and improved customer satisfaction.

1. Create a decluttering checklist.

It’s best to stay on track when you know right where you are at a simple glance.

Create a list of your top three or so “cluttery” areas and make organizing them up a part of your weekly work routine. Considering different inventory storage options, such as self-storage, third-party logistics (3PL), and warehouse storage, can also help in creating an effective decluttering checklist.

2. Pick a decluttering strategy that best suits your business.

The best approach is to find a system that works best for your business. i.e, have limited team or resources?

Work and dedicate to one area each week.

Maybe you have more than one person helping you, so you can set daily tasks for you and your team and keep an eye on the organization.

If you have a busy business maybe your strategy can be to work all this every morning, or perhaps it is best at the end of the shift? You can craft your strategy accordingly, don’t be afraid.

Think of it like this: If your system works with you, it will work for you. Choosing the right inventory storage solutions can enhance the effectiveness of your decluttering strategy.

3. Ask yourself what items you actually use, and remove the rest!

You have to start identifying the things you are 100% sure you will use in your everyday operations. Always remember to use your energy to simplify.

Go through all items individually but quickly initially discard anything that isn’t necessarily needed right now, right there. Storing inventory effectively is crucial to keep the stockroom organized and ensure smooth operations.

4. Make sure everything has a “place”

Once you have started designing “places” for specific elements, it will be easier to keep’em in the chosen places.

Go area by area, category by category, and don’t let anything just “stand by”. An inventory storage system can help in keeping items in their designated places, ensuring organization and efficiency.

5. Keep “clutter” smartly

Invest in storage for your inventory, replacement parts, season-themed decoration, essentially everything you won’t be needing right now, right there BUT that you’ll need to have access anytime. Decluttering can help maximize floor space in your retail store, facilitating better inventory management and operational efficiency.

This will allow you to organize your clutter, so all surfaces stay clean and minimal! An organized stockroom can improve efficiency on the sales floor, allowing staff to quickly retrieve items and enhance customer service during busy retail hours.

When applicable, opt for storage solutions, not only will it help keep your spaces clear, it’ll make accessing frequently used items easier! A warehouse management system can further optimize inventory management by reducing picking errors and managing inventory in real-time.

If there are items you need to store, we're equipped to accommodate you with our multiple locations in Utah and Idaho.📍

For more details, call our main office today! We’re happy to help you find the right storage unit and at the best price you can find (435) 213-4710 📞