In the retail industry, cleaning becomes an imperative part of day-to-day working practice. Customers and staff alike want to come into a clean, healthy environment. Nobody wants to buy from a grimy-looking shop, right? Nor do staff want to work in a dingy or dirty environment. Keeping a steady supply of cleaning equipment in your retail backroom is vital to making sure staff can keep the place clean.
However, there is always the risk of cleaning supplies going missing, being misplaced or even being stolen. That’s why cupboard locks should be a priority for any retail store’s backroom. Keeping your cleaning supplies well secured reduces the risk of theft or loss, but also makes organising the retail backroom easier. To help you choose the right cupboard locks for retail backroom cleaning supplies, we asked UK ironmongery specialists at Locks & Hardware what features matter most. What should you be looking for?
Let’s take a look at the most important features of cupboard locks for keeping your retail cleaning supplies safe and well-stocked.
Cleaning Storage In Retail Backrooms: Why Does This Matter?
In a retail environment, cleanliness is imperative to creating the right impression. If customers walk into a retail store and find the place looking dirty and unkempt, they are likely to look for alternatives!
That’s why you need to have a cleaning rotation that ensures staff can stay on top of potential issues relating to cleanliness. You want to have cleaning supplies, which are:
• Clearly labelled so staff know what cleaning supplies to use in each situation
• Properly secured, using cupboard locks to avoid unwanted access to supplies
• Correctly stored, meaning there is no risk of theft, loss, leakage, or other issues
• Regularly checked to ensure they are still in date and in usable condition
Now, most retail stores will have a backroom cleaning cupboard. This is where you can store things like mops, brushes, vacuum cleaners, and essential cleaning supplies. However, you need to have suitable cupboard locks to place both on the cupboard itself and any internal storage spaces. Why?
• Access to these cleaning supplies without proper moderation becomes a security risk
• Staff who are inexperienced might put themselves – or others – at danger by accident
• Theft becomes easier, too, if your cleaning supplies lack solid cupboard door locks
• If your cleaning supplies are potentially accessible to customers, they are also at risk
• This could lead to people being harmed by falling cleaning equipment or chemicals
• Without proper cupboard locks, it becomes easier to steal from the cupboard
These reasons alone should give any retail manager pause about how they secure cleaning supplies. By investing in some simple cupboard locks, though, these problems can be quickly overcome. Where do you start, though? What kind of cupboard door locks are ideal for a retail environment?
Cupboard Locks: What Are Suitable For Retail Environments?
Of course, a retail store often has a very specific layout. Space can be at a premium. As such, finding space for your cleaning supplies can be quite the challenge. Most use any cupboard space they have.
Regardless of your choice, though, you need to select quality cupboard locks. When discussing the issue with Locks & Handles, they noted two types of cupboard locks that you should focus on:
Lockable Cupboard Door Locks
First and foremost, your storage cupboard for all cleaning equipment should be secured with a key. All keys should be kept under close surveillance by either management or in-house security staff.
Keys should only be given to unlock the storage space with permission from management. In the event of a spillage or end-of-shift cleaning, management should be the one to unlock and then re-lock the cleaning cupboard. Taking the time to create a clear rota for this is very important.
Junior staff should not have access to the cupboard without having it unlocked by management. That stops people from being able to just go in and out of the cupboard. It also reduces the risk of theft by staff. At the same time, lockable cupboard door locks stop customers from wandering into parts of the store they should not have access to – and avoid any risk of them being burned by chemicals, etc.
Adding a lockable cupboard lock would be a good idea for any management team looking to make their store more secure. However, while the backroom storage space should have a key-locked door, what about internal security within the cleaning space itself?
Magnetic Cupboard Locks
Arguably, the best choice for internal storage is to have magnetic locks fitted. Magnetic locks are only openable with the use of a specific magnet, which should be carried by supervisory staff.
These magnets are used to disable the magnetic cupboard locks you are using. Once the magnet is turned off, the doors will open with no resistance. Without the magnetic lock operator, though, the locks remain about as durable as one can get. Finding the strength to overcome a magnet is quite a rare feat, so these provide safe storage for chemicals and expensive cleaning tools like vacuums.
Magnetic cupboard locks make a lot of sense for simplifying access to cleaning equipment used daily. At the same time, they stop junior staff and customers from opening these doors and potentially exposing themselves to physical harm, chemical burns, and other potential issues.
Creating Safer Retail Spaces Whilst Simplifying Cleaning
With some simple key-operated cupboard locks and magnetic door locks, retail spaces become safer. Now, staff and customers are less likely to wander into a cleaning cupboard filled with chemicals and abrasive cleaning equipment.
Having a main cupboard door locked by key is useful, and inner magnetic locks help to create a secondary layer of protection. They remain practical and easy to use for staff, whilst preventing customers from needless risk.
Pro Tip: Remember to be sure to carry out regular maintenance reviews; the last thing you need is the cleaning cupboard seizing up when you have a clean-up to deal with on aisle three!
