When it comes to your small business, you probably know this, but every item counts, and every penny matters too. At first, it’s not really the end of the world if you have one small broken item within your inventory, but the more that breaks, the more that gets added up. Is that something that you really want to deal with? Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what type of business you have; whether you run a small boutique or manage a large warehouse, the risk of inventory breakage is ever-present.
Just think about it this way: you probably want to keep watching for puddles, water, and anything that’s a slipping hazard in the name of the customer or employee, right? Well, you need to think about the inventory, too, because, yes, even that adds up.
Not only does it incur financial losses, but it can also disrupt operations and tarnish your reputation. Honestly, it’s all far from ideal. So, with that said, how can business owners and employees completely minimize the changes of inventory breakage? Well, here’s what you need to know!
Inspect, Organize, and Secure
Before delving into specific strategies, it’s going to be a good idea to just go ahead and start with the basics. So, you and your team will need to regularly inspect your inventory for any signs of damage or wear. But on top of that, you’ll have to organize your stock strategically, ensuring fragile items are stored separately and adequately labeled. How are your shelves?
Because you might want to invest in sturdy shelving units and storage containers to securely hold your inventory in place, it’s going to depend on yout business, as sometimes those Amazon and IKEA shelves can work just fine, but if you’re managing something heavier than commercial industrial shelves, it might be for the best.
Larger Doors and Walkways
So, this one hands-down throws people in a surprise, but yes, by all means, you’re going to have to take a look at this, too! When it comes to safeguarding your inventory, don’t overlook the importance of your physical infrastructure. But how is this relevant? Are the entrance and back entrance doors fairly small? What is the size of a door in a house? Well, it’s going to be a major challenge getting anything in and out, right?
What about the walkways? How about getting to the entrance? Can that be challenging? How elevated is your business space? For example, if you operating your business in something like a trailer, it’s usually going to be high up; so, in this case, it might be a good idea to look into aluminum stairs and platforms for at least one of your business entrances if you have wooden stairs (prone to being slippery when it’s wet).
Foster a Culture of Care
Above all, it’s going to be best to just go ahead and instill a culture of care and accountability throughout your organization. This hands-down, needs to be number one! So, with that said, just go ahead and encourage all team members to take ownership of the inventory and treat it with the same respect they would their own belongings. Now, don’t make threats that broken items will come out of their paychecks; that’s usually illegal. But let them know that the business itself can be financially ruined if inventory continues to break.
