Crucial Grocery Point of Sale Features and How They Prevent Spread of Disease
Grocery stores have been on the front lines of the pandemic for the past several months. Store owners have been trailblazers in coming up with innovative grocery point of sale and other precautions to protect both customers and employees from the spread of disease.
As parts of the country start to return to some semblance of normalcy, other retailers can take note and follow the example that grocers have set the standard for.
Here are five grocery point of sale and other precautions that grocers have put into place:
1. Inventory Management and Ordering
Because certain items like toilet paper, antibacterial wipes, and fresh produce have been getting completely wiped out by customers, grocers have placed customer limits on hot ticket items. This ensures at least some longevity to the stock of these items while additional orders for them are placed. It also allows grocers to meet the needs of more customers, rather than just the one or two who single-handedly bought out the entire toilet paper roll display.
Additionally, grocers have used their point of sale data to accommodate ordering practices in order to keep up with the strange new demand. Point of sale data can indicate top sellers as well as which items are selling out more quickly than normal. Equipped with this data, grocers can anticipate customer needs more accurately and make better-informed ordering decisions.
Grocers have also experimented with shifting stocking hours to off-times. This ensures that stockers won’t be exposed to demanding customers and protects more of the grocer’s workforce. A healthy workforce is a productive one.
2. Partitions with Pass-through Opening
Grocers have provided further protection for their employees with plastic partitions or sneeze guards that have an opening at the bottom allowing for groceries to pass through. These partitions can be used for more than just checkout lanes. They can be accommodated for customer service desks, pharmacy and liquor store counters, and more.
Download the Ultimate Guide to Specialty POS
3. Open Every Other Checkout Lane
Social distancing practices have become a regular part of our new normal. Ensuring that there is enough space between customer checkout lanes can be as simple as opening every other checkout lane, rather than lanes side-by-side with one another. This is an easy way to increase the distance between cashiers and customers.
4. Signage and Visual Cues Throughout Store and In Breakrooms
Another way to remind customers and employees about social distancing guidelines is with signage and visual cues. Visual reminders throughout the store and breakroom have proven to be effective at keeping social distancing top-of-mind for both customers and staff.
Visual reminders can be things like floor decals or colored tape placed on the floor to indicate to customers where they should stand during checkout. In the breakroom, management can remove or rearrange chairs and tables to support social distancing between employees during their breaks.
5. Move Pin Pad Farther Away from the Checkout Employee
Some grocery stores, when it is possible, are moving the pin pad farther away from the cashier to increase the social distance between the customer and the employee. This may not be something that is feasible within every retail environment.
Retailers to follow Grocery’s Example
Grocers, deemed essential, have been operating during the pandemic during the past several months. They have served as an example for other retailers to follow as regulations and restrictions on business operations start to loosen. Contact the experts at NCC for assistance getting point of sale, contactless solutions, and other precautions in place as you reopen your doors to customers.
