You know what stinks? A broken white wine vinegar bottle in an aisle of your grocery store.

It stinks in more ways than one because, well, have you smelled vinegar? Plus, the broken bottle represents a loss for your store and a fall waiting to happen. 

You have to address all kinds of accidents in your grocery store business plan. We’ll show you how to account for those risks with insurance and solid strategies.

It’s easy to see how slips, trips, and falls create big liabilities at your grocery store.

Customers and employees could take a tumble because of:

• Slick parking lots and sidewalks

• Floor mat issues

• Messes and spills in the aisles

You need to address all these dangers in your grocery store business plan.

Slick Parking Lots and Sidewalks

Check out this in-depth snow and ice removal guide from Strategic Grounds.

Also take a close look at your store’s maintenance responsibilities. You need to repair holes, cracks, or anything that could cause a customer to fall.

Floor Mat Issues

According to Cintas, bad maintenance can lead to issues with your floor mats. This includes contaminant buildup and deterioration. These can turn mats into trip hazards.

Messes and Spills in the Aisles

A bottle of white wine vinegar slips from a customer’s hand. It hits the floor and shatters.

What happens next?

The customer will fetch a store employee who takes care of it. It always helps to have a manager talk with the customer and check for injuries.

Cleanlink provides some other tips to help with response times. For example, place warning cones around the spill area. Avoid using mops, as they can spread the material to a larger area. Vacuum systems are a good alternative.

Do You Know About Our Loss Control Program?

You want to avoid any safety issues and customer injury. What if we told you we have a team dedicated to just that—preventing accidents?

Our Loss Control Program helps your business prevent many of these situations. Our team helps you avoid those safety issues through evaluation, training, and safety management.

How Commercial General Liability Helps You

Let’s change the messy vinegar scenario.

The customer doesn’t fetch a store employee after he drops the bottle. He thinks you will charge him for the vinegar, so he scoots out of there.

Another customer pushes her cart down the aisle. She has a cold, so she can’t smell the vinegar fumes. She’s absorbed in her shopping list and doesn’t see the spill.

Her foot hits a crunchy shard, and she slips. She tries to brace for impact, but she bangs her elbow and hand hard as she comes down on glass. She’ll need an ambulance.

As much as you try to prevent these issues from happening, they can be out of your control at times. This is where general liability insurance kicks in.

General liability insurance helps you pay for any hospital bills the customer might have, as well as:

• Attorney fees stemming from covered legal claims

• Settlements and judgements

• Advertising injury claims

• And more

You update your grocery store business plan as the retail world continues to change. Your local Pekin Insurance agent will stay with you every step of the way. Find an agent today and ask them about our Loss Control Program and our General Liability Coverage. These are two things that will keep you AND your customers safe!