Retail Cleaning Services

 

First impressions matter to retail businesses. Supermarkets, clothing stores and shopping malls all need to look good. Why? Their business thrives on drawing people into the business and keeping them there to make purchases. 

 Cleanliness improves the customer experience. Any retail business that is part of a franchise will be subject to strict standards of cleanliness. 

 When lots of people pass through a business each day, dirt accumulates. There will be dirt or mud from footwear, fingerprints, spills and clutter.

 Dirt, stains and clutter turn customers off. Customers may avoid areas of a store with stained carpets and floors. Surveys have shown that 94% of customers would not return to a business where they found a dirty washroom.

 These are all good reasons for retail businesses to pay attention to cleaning. 

What does Retail Cleaning involve?

 There is a range of retail businesses. You’ll need to tailor your cleaning services to the type of business. 

 The main areas to clean in a retail business are:

•  Sales floors and public shopping areas
• Entrances and exits
• Carpets and hard surface floors
•  Windows, walls, counters and cash registers
• Employee lunchrooms, kitchens and lounges
• Public and private washrooms
• Store fixtures, shelving and displays

You must thoroughly clean and disinfect washrooms, kitchens, and lunchrooms. This includes kitchen appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, coffee pots and toasters. 

You must also clean and disinfect all surfaces that people touch frequently. Light switches, door handles and counters are all high-touch areas.

Retail businesses such as stores and dealerships will want your cleaning service to:

•  Clean high traffic floors, waiting rooms and sales managers’ offices
• Keep front desks, offices, showrooms, and service bays clean
• Keep workstations and showrooms sparkling
• Remove smudges, dirt, fingerprints and streaks from smooth surfaces
• Keep windows clean (inside and out)

 Malls and shopping centres are large spaces. They will want your cleaning service to:

•  Keep the whole area clean and welcoming
• Provide daily janitorial services:
• remove trash
• clean, disinfect and service restrooms
•  dry sweep and damp mop floors
•  clean windows
•  dust and clean surfaces
•  clean and sanitize fountains
•  clean administration offices
• Do other deep-cleaning duties on a weekly or monthly schedule.

 Supermarkets and grocery stores need cleaners to:

• Provide daily janitorial service (as listed above)
• Clean doors, windows, shelves and displays
• Clean floors ensuring there are no sticky spots or scuff marks.

 One important weekly task is dusting. Remove cobwebs and dust from corners, ceilings, high ledges, windowsills, and baseboards. Dust or wipe down interior plants, pictures and blinds. 

 Make sure all lights are shining brightly to enhance the displays of merchandise. 

 It’s important that cleaners not damage any merchandise during the cleaning process. Imagine the disasters that could happen in a Lexus showroom or a liquor store!

Retail cleaning is generally done after hours so cleaners must be bonded and insured. They need to be reliable and follow safe work practices. 

 How much can I charge for Retail Cleaning Services?

 The amount you charge will depend on the size of the business, the types of rooms and floor surfaces, the amount of foot traffic and the number of staff working in the business. Do a site visit before providing a prospect with an estimate.  

You can charge by the hour at the rate of $25-$45 per hour per cleaner. Your prospect may ask you to quote a flat monthly rate.  For larger businesses, you can calculate estimates using a square foot rate, e.g. $.10 per sq. ft. for larger areas (20,000 sq. ft.) or $.12 per sq. ft for medium size businesses.

Many cleaning companies offer a range of service packages such as the following:  

Small retail business package

Retail businesses that occupy small areas (up to 1000 sq. ft.) and have little traffic may need cleaning only once or twice a week. A reasonable weekly rate for them is $225. 

 Medium retail business package

Retail businesses that cover a medium-size floor space (around 10,000 sq. ft.) who want your cleaning services three to four times a week could be charged $600 a week. 

Large retail business package

Larger retail businesses (around 20,000 sq. ft.) have many employees and visitors on their premises every day. These businesses need cleaning at the end of each workday (five to seven days a week). Depending on the cleaning tasks, you could charge a weekly rate in the range of $3000. 

Note: These package rates are just examples. Check what your local competitors charge for their services. Here’s a tip: If you have bid on a cleaning job and lost out to a competitor, ask the prospect where your bid came in compared to the winning bid. Was your bid high or low? Sometimes they may even tell you the winning price.

Design cleaning packages that make sense for your prospects. Be sure to cover your costs for labour and supplies and include some profit for your company. 

 Offer Additional Services

Retail cleaning services can also charge for extra interior or exterior services such as painting, snow removal and repairs.

 Retail businesses need the services of a cleaning company. They know that cleanliness improves their customers’ experience and brings customers back. At the end of their day, salespeople want to lock the door and return in the morning to a sparkling clean environment. Your role is vital to ensure this happens. 

 You and your clients can share one vision of success. Seeing lots of happy customers on a well-organized, sparkling sales floor will please both of you. Definitely a win-win situation!