Capacity Restrictions: How to Limit the Number Customers In Your Store

Capacity Restrictions: How to Limit the Number Customers In Your Store

One big hurdle many businesses are facing during the phased reopens set by each state is how to limit the number of customers in the store to adhere to capacity limitations. If your customers come to your store and have to wait outside due to too many people already inside, what will you do? Let’s discuss capacity restrictions: how to limit the number customers in your store.

First things first, you need to determine the number of people that are allowed in your store at one time. Maybe your state has set this number for you like Wisconsin, having limited all stores to 5 people during the first phase of reopening. Or, if you are allowed a percentage of your capacity in the store at one time, you will need to calculate what number that is for you and make sure you abide by it. It is also important to know if capacity limitations should include the number of employees in your calculation.

Once you know the number, you need to plan out how you will enforce this at your store. Here are some ways you can reduce the amount of people leaving your business before they can even enter.

Implement a Waitlist

Have an employee stand outside of the door to greet your customers (at a safe distance) if your store is at max capacity and take their phone number. Once someone leaves the store, the employee can then text the customer to let them know they can enter. This will let the customer wait in their car instead of having to wait in line outside. The employee should also text all waiting customers when a new person enters the store to let them know where they are in line so they can anticipate when their turn is coming.

Think Digital

Go completely digital and set up an electronic marquee sign that tells customers how many people are currently in the store and how many are allowed to enter. If you are at max capacity, add a message to the sign to let people know so they don’t have to come to the door only to be turned away. You should also implement a waitlist process by giving your customers a number to call or text a number once they arrive to put them on the waitlist. Then have an employee call them when they are allowed to enter.

Keep Them Entertained

When someone wants to go out to shop, the last thing they want to do is have to wait in their car until they are allowed to enter. If your customers are facing a long wait list, you need to find a way to keep them entertained until they can enter. Ensure that you have free wi-fi that will reach your parking lot and give customers access to the password if needed. If your parking lot has space, you could create a fun maze for customers to walk through while they wait. Just make sure it isn’t too challenging so they can get out when it’s their turn to enter the store! Or, you could set up outside televisions or a projector to turn your storefront into a drive-in theater for your customers to watch a movie while they wait. Provide them a fun trivia game to go along with the movie and give them a prize if they get them all right. Be creative!

Appointments Only

Don’t want to mess with waitlists? You can implement an enter-by-appointment-only policy while capacity limitations are in place. You will need to make it very well-known to your customers that this is your new policy by marketing it on your website, social media and other local marketing channels like radio and TV, so they are clear on how to make a reservation. Depending on your type of business, you should set certain time slots for your customers to shop. Will an hour be long enough for your customers or can you add more slots by limiting them to 30 minutes? You want to be sure that you’re giving them plenty of time to browse through your store and not feel rushed but also allow for others to come in if they want to.

How will your business be limiting the number of customers in your store? Planning is essential to keep frustrations to a minimum for your customers and your employees. Make sure your plan is well thought out, is easily communicated to customers and that your employees are well trained in the process. While this isn’t what anyone wants to deal with, as business owners it’s your responsibility to make it as seamless as possible for your customers. They will appreciate the effort and it will go a long way as you continue to ramp up and get back to the new normal that we are all so anxious to see.

Capacity Restrictions: How to Limit the Number Customers In Your Store