Keep your store safe for shoppers

A slippery floor. A heavy item that is difficult to reach and remove from the shelf. Hoses lying around like obstacle course hurdles. All of these and more can pose safety hazards for your independent garden center customers, but some simple precautions can prevent injuries.
 

The basics

Slips and falls due to water, debris or uneven floors pose the biggest risk for customers, says Gwynn Lehigh, vice president of human resources at Armstrong Garden Centers and Pike Nurseries. Armstrong operates more than 30 stores in California, and the Pike network includes 15 stores in Georgia and one in North Carolina, so managers must be vigilant in ensuring customer safety in all locations.

Ensuring aisles are clear and water and debris are cleaned up immediately is key to keeping the premises safe, she says. Employees are aware of watering practices, time of day and customer traffic when watering. Bright cones are used to identify possible wet areas and are in place until the area is dry. Safety inspections are conducted daily, weekly and monthly, and regional managers and corporate staff follow up on safety standards as well.

Soergel Orchards in Wexford, Pa., minimizes customer falls with its cement flooring, which provides good traction, says garden center manager Randy Soergel. His employees regularly make sure that gravel is swept and kept off walking areas as well.

While water may not be much of a hazard at Soergel’s, the biggest concern is customers tripping over hoses. “You always have to be careful with hoses; you have to make sure that they are pushed off to the side,” Soergel says.
 

Merchandising for safety

Employees can’t be everywhere all of the time. It’s also difficult to monitor customer safety while trying to help shoppers with their gardening needs. That’s why detailed signage outlining safety rules is critical, Lehigh says. Customers are not allowed to climb ladders to reach products, for example, and visible signs around the stores make that clear.

Garden centers should also consider how “shoppable” displays are. “Are you creating an environment where they can’t get to [products] and are reaching around and over merchandise so that it becomes a safety issue?” Lehigh says.

Make sure customers can navigate corners without blocking their path or vision. Soergel says that it’s great when beautiful displays catch customers’ eyes, but they can get distracted and lose their footing. Lehigh echoed this sentiment. “Customers are sometimes excited and may not pay attention, so they miss what’s right in front of them.”

When it comes to product placement, she advises against nesting such breakables as pottery. Nor should you place larger items on a top shelf; grabbing those products from up high can result in an accident.

To make heavier items easier to lift for both employees and customers, Soergel recommends raising products up 18 inches from the ground.
 

First line of defense

Perhaps the best resource for keeping customers safe is employees.

Soergel believes the best way to prevent shopper injuries is to integrate customer safety issues into employee training. “Training the employees is three-quarters of it; that’s what they get paid to do,” Soergel says. In their monthly training sessions, employees are taught to bring inventory to customers and carry items for them.

Pike and Armstrong assign staff to cover retail zones so they can help spot these potential safety hazards and assist customers with heavy items. Employees have a focus area instead of trying to be everywhere, Lehigh says.

Pike and Armstrong offers employees electric carts as well to move heavy pottery or soil to customer carts to prevent injuries for both employees and customers. While parents generally try to keep an eye on their children, especially when expensive and/or breakable merchandise is in their purview, staff should not leave keys in carts or forklifts; they provide too much temptation for little ones, Lehigh says.

Being mindful of safety all year round is the goal, but in the spring season, when customers come out of hibernation and traffic increases, it is especially important. Lehigh advises partnering with vendors and insurance brokers, asking them for recommendations about how to ensure that the store is laid out in the safest possible manner.

“The most important thing is to keep your eyes open,” Soergel says.

Hilary is a freelance writer based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.