The holiday season is a busy time of year for retailers, but being busy comes with an increased risk of insurance claims. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to prepare for the extra demands that come with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the Christmas period, and one of the most important tasks on your list should be to check that you have appropriate retail business insurance in place.
Be vigilant
The festive season means crazy deadlines, long hours, and people rushing around to get everything done in time. While the holidays should be enjoyable, it is important as a business owner to maintain high standards and not let your guards down or shirk any duties, however stressed or tired you may be feeling. As soon as usual business operations or safety measures slip, you put your customers at risk.
With larger crowds of customers and increased stock inventories, the holiday season is ripe with opportunities for crime. Whether you work from a computer or have a spare room holding your stock, you’ll need to apply extra vigilance at this time of year.
Train staff
You may have called upon a team of seasonal staff to help with increased demand during the holiday period. It’s essential that these employees have received a proper introduction and the necessary training to perform their role in a safe and efficient manner, potential job hazards should be clearly identified and guidelines provided so that everyone is able to carry out their duties in the safest way possible.
Take safety measures to prevent injuries
Slips and falls are said to account for a third of all business injuries. While there are many potential root causes that lead to these incidents – from damaged flooring, debris, and other obstructions – there is usually one common factor in that the issue could easily have been prevented. When it comes to avoiding injury, you can never be overly cautious so it’s therefore essential to carry out health and safety checks and risk assessments to identify and alleviate the risks that could lead to injuries occurring at your business premises.
During the holiday season, the injury risks are much greater – your customers and visitors are likely to be in a rush to get their shopping and errands ticked off their to-do lists in time, which when combined with extreme winter weather conditions could quickly become a recipe for disaster, topped off by an incredibly costly claim.
Check your insurance policies
Finally, before you start your holiday season, it’s worth checking over the details in your insurance policies, and updating them as appropriate. If you are selling limited edition seasonal goods, a different service offering, or taking on any additional clients, then your insurance policies may need updating in order to reflect your circumstances. Always thoroughly check the wording in your policy documents, and if you are still unsure, seek advice from a professional.
Happy holidays!
general liability insuranceretail