Corporate Stores Cut Cleaning Services

Some of the large stores in this economy have cut back on their maintenance & cleaning services. Regardless of the condition of the stores or quality of their cleaning they are just wanting to save money. But are they really? Have you ever washed your car then took it for the first drive after the wash? Everything just felt better about it. It there was any mechanical problems they just seem to fade into the background. Your loan on the car didn't change. Gas prices didn't move but you felt better about it, and any thoughts you may have had about repalceing it dissapeared.
What about a restaurant. Have you ever went into a place to eat & it just felt dirty. There was no obvious signs of uncleaness but you just got a bad feeling about the place. Just as people do not want to buy a car from a company in bankruptcy. People do not want to buy from a retailer that seem its going down. In New York they call it Broken Window Syndrome. If you allow broken windows to exist, more will come. But by fixing them immediately, people take care of them, & criminals break less windows.
The top paying consumers will drive across town to go to the identical store just because it feels cleaner, its in a nicer area, or the service seem better. These in reality may not be the case. But customer perception seem to be the key to selling any product.
Floors are the canvas of your business. People rarely notice the floors unless there is a major spill or fault. But if overall their not clean, people just know it. They may blame their lack of buying on customer service, management, or even prices. But many in Food Service Management know they sell their products on Atmospehere as much as quality.
One high end restaurant manager told me that they were losing money but he still needed 5 receptionist at the counter. He said this made them look busy, which just as important as being busy. Their still in business and doing well. Cut back by making good economic desicions, save for down times, & plan for the future. But by all means stand tall, show leadership, keep your quality high & give your customers a reason to believe in you.