Pests are the bane of any retail environment. If your store finds itself plagued by an infestation, it can stop your business for days at a time. That means lost sales and lost customer confidence. Retail stores are especially sensitive to pests for a number of reasons. Doors constantly opening and closing, product deliveries, and the constant flow of people all increase risk. This risk can be mitigated, however, by taking a few preventative measures.

Here are six ways to make your store less vulnerable to pests in order to save your bottom line and peace of mind.
  

Use bird exclusion products on the outside of your storefront.

Nobody wants to enter a store that has a sign covered in bird droppings. No one finds a place appealing if they have to walk past aggressive birds cawing at them. Luckily, there are plenty of eco-friendly bird exclusion options available to prevent this from happening.

Put up bird netting to keep birds out of your eaves or signs. Install bird spikes to keep them from perching out front. There are other avenues you can take as well, including gel repellents, laser dispersal, or even electrical exclusion devices. Long story short: there are tons of ways to keep birds away from your store.
  

Keep your storeroom especially tidy.

This one is kind of a given, but it’s very important. Keep things tidy. Pests find their way inside stores when there’s a perfect storm of mess and opportunity. Wipe up any spilled crumbs immediately. Sweep the storeroom and wipe down surfaces daily. Pests aren’t comfortable in clean spaces like they are in messy ones. Use that to your advantage.
  

Teach your employees basic pest prevention practices.

Teach your employees the basic tenets of pest prevention. Make rules like: Don’t leave food sitting out, rinse out your drink cans before recycling, and don’t create clutter. By making sure your co-workers are invested in pest prevention, you’ll find success much easier to attain.
  

Keep doors closed whenever customers aren’t entering or exiting.

One way to keep pests out is to keep your front doors shut whenever customers aren’t coming and going. An open door to your customers is also an open door to rodents, flies, beetles, or any other pest. Take away the places pests can get in, and you take away their opportunity to infest your business.
  

Regularly empty garbage cans.

Empty your garbage cans every day. Pests need only a few things to thrive, and one of them is access to a regular food source. An overflowing garbage can is like a free casino buffet to your average pest. Don’t give them the proverbial lobster tail: take the trash out to keep the trash out.
  

Pay attention to any places pests could sneak in.

Pests will find their way in if you give them a chance. On top of keeping doors shut, pay attention to any breaches in the exterior of your building. Cracks in brick, holes in screens or window seals are all prime targets. Caulk up holes, fix any cracks, and you’ll keep pests where they should be: outside.

Sometimes pests still get in, despite your best efforts. When that happens, call the experts at Assured Environments. We’ve got your back.