When a customer uses a cart in your grocery store, it should provide them with a convenience that makes their shopping trip quick, easy, and satisfying. But if you don't take proper care of your store’s carts, they may fall into such disrepair that it makes shopping difficult for them. Read below about how to provide essential preventative maintenance for your grocery carts.
Why Preventative Maintenance Is Important
There are several reasons why performing maintenance on your shopping carts is critical. In addition to the fact that it will help your store have more satisfied and loyal shoppers, it will aid your business when it comes to costs.
By providing proper care for the carts now, you’ll be able to get the most out of your investment in the cart. You can put off the need for future repairs and even postpone the time when you must eventually replace it.
These practices can even help when it comes to liability. If you maintain your carts, you will reduce the chances of incidents where people experience injuries using the carts.
In such cases, they may hold you responsible. Taking care of your carts will allow you to take better care of your business and yourself.
Areas To Maintain on Your Carts
You can ensure that your carts stay in top condition by examining them regularly to see if they have any damage and need repairs. There are multiple areas you should look at on your carts, which you will find below.
The Wheels
Who hasn't had the unfortunate experience of using a shopping cart in a grocery store and finding that one of its wheels wobbles? You’ve also probably had a cart’s wheels move so slowly that it felt like a Herculean effort to push it around the store as you shopped.
You can prevent your customers from suffering these same experiences by properly maintaining your carts' wheels. Although a day may come when you must add a new wheel, try making it tighter or greasing it first to solve these issues. By providing these repairs, you might keep a customer from becoming so unhappy that they go to another store.
The Bumpers
Checking the bumpers on your shopping cart is good for cart maintenance and taking care of your store. Whenever a cart slips out of a customer's hands, it can end up colliding with one of your counters or your shelves.
These impacts can make marks, dents, or other damage. But if your employees ensure those bumpers are in good condition, they’ll reduce the amount of damage and wear those areas experience over time.
The Wire Frame
No one wants to have an experience in a grocery store where they suffer a cut or scratch due to a broken wire on the frame of a metal shopping cart. As you inspect your carts, see if there is any damage to their wire frames so that you keep your customers and employees out of any harm. You may have the option of making the cart safe again for use through welding.
The Child's Seat Belt
Not every person that comes into your store will be an adult. They will often bring their kids in with them, who they must place in the child's seat on their shopping cart.
But when you see a cart with a broken seat belt, take it out of circulation immediately and have it fixed. That way, no parent can use the cart with their child, and their little ones will be safe from harm.
The Child's Seat
The child’s seat is another component you should maintain on your shopping carts. It provides a comfortable place for the child to sit as their parents push them around your store.
The seat itself can also feature your store's name and logo. Fixing this part of the cart will help keep your brand on the customers’ minds and keep them coming back.
Tips for Cleaning Your Shopping Carts
Another aspect of essential preventative maintenance for your grocery carts is keeping them clean. This practice will give the customer the satisfaction of using a sanitized cart and ensure that dirt and grime do not accumulate and hurt its operation.
How Often Should You Clean a Cart?
Since customers use your shopping carts daily, you should do your best to clean them every day. However, stores can get busy. If your store has a surge in sales that prevents employees from cleaning them that day, make sure they wash them as soon as they can.
Start With Degreaser
When your employees start the cleaning process, have them begin by using a degreaser on your carts. As they do, they should remove any dirt or grime that they find in the process.
Be Thorough When You Clean
Your employees should also be thorough during the cleaning process. Although they may think they only need to clean certain parts of the cart, that is not the case. They should scrub it completely so it will be germ free everywhere before it reaches the shopper.
Finish the Cleaning With a Pressure Washer
You can also better guarantee that the cart is bacteria-free by using a pressure washer on it. The temperature of the water eliminates any germs. It can also wash off the rust that you were unable to remove.
Make Sure the Carts Are Dry
Now that you have finished cleaning the cart, you may think the process is complete. However, you need to take one more step. You must make sure your carts are dry before you put them out for customers to use.
Although the water was key in sanitizing your carts, the remaining droplets can help transmit bacteria. Your employees should wipe them thoroughly so that there’s no chance of this happening when your shopper finally grabs one.
Following these tips will help make sure your carts last longer and provide a better experience for your customers. If you are looking for used grocery store carts to expand your current fleet, contact Carriage Trade Service Co. We offer high-quality refurbished carts that you and your customers can depend on.
