How to prepare for the Christmas shopping chaos
If you run an e-commerce business, retail store or increasingly popular parcel pickup location you know that the busiest season of the year is almost upon us. What comes to mind when you think about how your business is going to cope with Black Friday, Christmas shopping and the January sales? Do you picture chaos on the shelves and down the aisles, long queues of impatient customers and stressed employees? Some simple tips and preparation can help you stay organised and keep your customers happy.
Having a high and steady level of work is the dream for all businesses. However, the reality for retail stores and petrol stations running a parcel pickup service may be different. That part of the business may be slow for months at a time, and then explode due to extraordinary demand during the short periods when online sales peaks. So, how do you prepare for that?
Save precious minutes
One of the best ways to prepare is to make sure the area where the parcels are stored is convenient. In addition to being close to the counter to minimise the amount of time wasted retrieving parcels, it should be easy to receive new deliveries. Of course, you also need to have a good system that makes it easy to find the right package. By facilitating the handling process, you save time and reduce the stress for employees when the queues are long.
Optimise your storage area
Looking at your storage facilities can also make a big difference. Don’t waste an inch of space in your stockroom. It you choose an adaptable shelving system you can cover your storage room walls with floor-to-ceiling shelves and take advantage of all the space available. Shelving that comes in different heights, widths and depths lets you work around obstacles such as pipes or ventilation systems. Choose a system where you can add extra shelves and change the position of the shelves to accommodate different goods.
Use shelf trolleys to gain extra space
If your shelving system doesn’t provide you with enough space or you can’t easily access parcels due to go out that day, a shelf trolley can be a helpful way to store packages that will need quick access. A picking trolley also makes it simpler to move parcels around, collect them from the shelves and bring heavier packages onto the shop floor for collection. It is an equally useful tool outside of peak shopping times, helping you stock shelves more easily.
Improve working conditions
How are the goods moved from the truck to the storage room and onto the shelves? Due to the risk of injury, heavy manual lifting should always be avoided. When there are a lot of deliveries coming in, good ergonomics is even more important. Fortunately, there are transport and lifting trolleys for almost every type of package. A sack truck takes up little space but reduces the effort required to move boxes. A folding shelf trolley with two shelves can hold many small packages. When the top shelf is folded up, it is also possible to transport large goods that otherwise would not fit. A simple, flexible and ergonomic solution.
