Entrepreneurship is more difficult now than ever. From following CDC regulations for COVID-19 safety to re-evaluating your business model to adapt to current needs, clothing stores and other retailers have been significantly impacted. From casual attire boutiques to business casual outlets, there are still ways to keep every customer and staff member safe even while wearing a face mask.
Incorporate face masks more effectively
If your business is implementing a face mask policy, why not consider wholesale branded face masks from the experts at City of Angels PPE that can coordinate with your store uniforms?
Since clothing shopping is a very tactile experience, you can provide custom face masks to those visiting your store and even incorporate them into your dress code.
Face covers are one of the best ways to stop the spread of the virus and prevent germs from being transferred to skirts and dresses.
Depending on your stance, you are also free to turn away customers that don’t comply with the request for face covers, as this can harm other customers and your staff members.
Instead of the traditional 3-ply disposable face masks, you can even get fabric face covers that are washable and reusable.
Not only is providing face covers a good business policy but if they are branded, your employees and clients can wear them multiple times.
This is also a unique way of advertising your business.
Rethink your dressing rooms
Whether you’re a casual dress outfit shop or sell formal attire and business attire, the basics are the same: customers will often want to try on clothes, from khaki pants to sandals and dress shoes.
Unfortunately, letting customers try on business casual dresses, polo shirts, and dress slacks presents some unnecessary risks.
Even in a more relaxed environment, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to properly clean any of the clothing before you place it back on the floor.
This can spread germs and should be considered one of your “appropriate business don’ts.”
Instead, it may be a good idea to shut down fitting rooms and potentially consider expanding your return policy.
That way, clothing that has been returned, from work dresses to tees and casual wear, can be placed away from your general inventory until it can be properly cleaned or sanitized.
Always wear a surgical mask or fabric mask when handling customer returns to prevent any germs from spreading.
Expand curbside pickup
Especially if you have a more robust return policy in place, you can expand your curbside pickup to accommodate higher volumes on online shopping.
Whether it’s a pair of dress slacks for a job interview or a dress shirt for a wedding, provide a general sizing guide so customers know what to purchase.
If you’re noticing that a certain button-down shirt is a best-seller, you can even order additional inventory to beef up your stock.
Some distributors will even offer wholesale prices for larger orders.
Curbside pickup doesn’t truly compare with the traditional shopping experience, but it can limit contact between customers and staff members, which goes a long way towards keeping people safe.
You could even have certain hours of the day that your store only offers curbside pickups, perhaps on casual Fridays or weekend mornings.
It can limit traffic in and out of your store as well.
Your business is important, but so is the health and well-being of your staff and customers.
From offering custom face masks to rethinking some of your business processes, there are plenty of inventive ways to maintain safety and security while running your business.
