Updated January 20, 2025
What to do when your retail employees are standing around during those quiet store moments?
Sure, you're fine with them taking a quick breather after dealing with a demanding customer or wrapping up a task. We all need that.
But there's still that line between taking a break and just plain standing around – and as managers, we know exactly when it's been crossed. It's a line between a break and just being lazy, and a good manager knows that a break quickly devolves into we're waiting for customers attitude to take over. Then watch how fast your store's energy tanks.
We've all heard that, If you can lean you can clean from restaurants forever but it is a fun quote to say but doesn't mean much to front lines these days. Yes, it should always be first priority during downtime. And before you skip ahead thinking "my team knows how to clean," stick with me here.
Trust me – customers notice way more than your employees do, so being specific about cleaning tasks actually matters.
And outside of special events or holidays, without direction, employees' interests are bound to turn to their phones, not someone walking into your store for the first time.
In an ideal world, your crew would naturally find constructive ways to use their downtime for growth and development, like calling customers to inform them what is new or just to followup.
But sometimes, they need a little direction. Here's the thing though – you don't want just random tasks to keep people busy. Many of these activities can only happen when your store is empty, making slow periods the perfect time to tackle them.
While it's great to get your team working together, sometimes that's not possible when someone needs to stay up front. No problem – both employees can still be productive, just separately.
What you're about to read is about half of our complete guide, which you can download for free.
What retail employees can do when they are not busy
The first group of actions is store cleaning tasks that tend to be forgotten and in some cases need to be done throughout the day, not just when you open:
- Clean the glass on the entry doors and front windows.
- Sweep the front sidewalk.
- Knock down cobwebs in the corners of the ceilings and floors.
- Check the bathroom for cleanliness and clean if necessary.
- Check for moldy stuff in the staff refrigerator and toss it. Clean if necessary.
- Wipe the counters and all machines clean.
- Check the dressing rooms for pins in the carpet, not just hangers and clothes.
Here are things your associates can do when it’s just them on the sales floor:
- Check that all remnants of holiday decorations and promotions, including tape, wires, and strings are removed.
- Process returns.
- Put merchandise holds back.
- Size a stack of pants or shirts, largest waist/longest length on the bottom.
- Pick a rack and make sure every item is priced and tagged accordingly.
Here are what retail employees can do when there are more than two of you in the store:
- Role-play a sale. Be specific with product and give someone varying degrees of objections and resistance.
- Role-play a return without receipt.
- Give another employee a list of ten items to find in your store; time them while they look.
- Create a scenario where employees find the biggest add-on to a sale in just five minutes.
- Find the ugliest item in the store and devise an idea or two for how you could sell it.
Here is what a retail manager can do when it is not busy:
- Analyze your sales figures and mark down those items rarely sold, overbought or dated.
- Analyze your store’s online reviews on sites like Yelp, then find a solution to stop the bad comments from recurring.
- Teach an employee with good organizational skills how to order supplies, check-in shipments, make a call tag, etc. to increase employee engagement and productivity and so those employees can take on more responsibilities and see a path to the next level of employment.
Of course, once a customer comes in, all of this stops to greet the customer.
See also, 11 Ways Your Retail Employees Convert Buyers Into Lookers
In Sum
When it is slow, There are hundreds of tasks to give retail staff that will help you when business picks up. That’s why you need to develop a specific list like this for your store instead of using the old saw, “If you can lean, you can clean.”
To increase your employee performance management skills, remember your employees are human beings who want to do work that is challenging and important, so giving them time to develop and educate others on your team should be equally balanced with chores.
If you accomplish both of these things, you will find that you have a sales team with more of a sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction, which in turn improves morale, motivation, and retention.
Be specific and have fun with it – you’re paying them anyway, so why not find ways to keep them engaged, learning, and moving – not only sweeping and straightening.
