CHICAGO -- Store cleanliness is an ever-moving target, and sometimes solving one problem leads to another. Loop Neighborhood moved its pump-side trash cans at a few of its locations to the storefront, beside the compost bin and recycling bin, in hopes that customer trash would also move away from the pumps. But not every customer made it to the front of the store.
“What we found in these stores is that people were just not motivated to go [to the trash cans by the store entrance]. If they’re just filling gas and not coming in, they don’t want to go all the way to the front of the store,” says Pervez Pir of Loop.
Loop earned the No. 3 spot for pump island maintenance in this year's mystery shop.
At Rutter’s, technology helps keep restrooms clean. Many restrooms have buttons that customers can press to alert employees to the condition of the restroom without having to go into detail. Many of the appliances in Rutter’s restrooms are also hands-free, including urinals, faucets and hand driers. “Obviously, it’s one of the most important rooms in the store,” says Jere Matthews of Rutter’s. “If a customer enters planning to purchase food and the restroom is dirty or smells, they’re less likely to buy food than if the restroom is clean and smells good.”
Rutter's and Loop both scored 100% for restroom cleanliness.
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