Retail inventory is subject to an amazing array of damaging conditions. It gets dusty, it can fall or be dropped, and its packaging can get destroyed for no clear reason. This type of wear often adds up to thousands of dollars’ worth of lost sales. What can be done to preserve the condition of the stock? How to maintain proper humidity control?
Control Dust
Stores are full of dust. This is mostly because dust comes in the front door every time it opens. It also comes from the inventory itself. Cardboard boxes are always putting off invisible dust particles. Over time, they add up until they are quite easy to see.
One way to keep dust down is to run a commercial humidifier. Our machines produce fine droplets that stick to dust and take it out of the air. The droplets are just the right size to do this without wetting your inventory. They work on cardboard dust, asphalt dust from your parking lot, and the dust brought in on people’s feet. Any other type of fine dust is controlled as well.
Other dust control methods include filtration and vestibule areas. These work by stopping the dust from outside from getting into the main part of your store. Use these as well as humidification for extra air-cleaning power.
Prevent Brittle Packaging
The packaging on retail inventory starts out surprisingly pliable. This is why a new box usually won’t split if it gets dropped or bumped. Over time, boxes get brittle. Because of this, older inventory is easily destroyed by accidental drops.
What causes this effect is the drying of the packaging. Cardboard and plastic gain pliability from being at the proper humidity. At the time of manufacture, this humidity is present. However, when the items sit on the shelf in an untreated area, their packaging starts drying out. Eventually, it becomes brittle and easy to split. Then, the slightest blow ruins the package.
Running a Smart Fog humidifier stops this from happening. Our machines allow you to set the humidification level to the perfect amount to keep cardboard and plastic like new. This will eliminate many of the problems that arise with items that are kept on shelves.
Keep Bakery Items Fresher
Bakery items usually sell fast enough to avoid packaging worries. However, bread, buns, and cakes baked in the store often dry out in just a day or two. Then, they have to be discounted or even thrown away. With the proper humidity levels, these in-store bakery items will last longer.
There’s no need to worry that too much humidity will mold your bread. Our machines allow for careful calibration of humidity levels. Not only that, they produce super-fine droplets that won’t actually get your baked goods wet. Instead, the droplets evaporate while still in the air. This raises the air’s moisture levels without leaving any damaging wet residue on your items.
Other Benefits of Humidification
Your stock isn’t the only thing in your store that needs proper humidification. Your customers and employees need it, too. Good humidity reduces nose and throat irritation and makes being in your store more comfortable. This motivates customers to stay longer and buy more things.
Good humidity also helps prevent the coughing fits sometimes caused by dry air. This will keep your employees sounding healthy. No customer wants to come into a store to see a row of cashiers coughing away, so this is important. Even better, your employees are less likely to catch colds when their throats aren’t irritated by being too dry. Sick days will be reduced and productivity will increase.
These are just some of the reasons you need good humidification in your retail store. Contact us to learn how our equipment can make it happen.
