STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

POST COVID-19

This document has been created by Nikheel C Ranade & Akhil K Gupta 1
 Preface
Retail Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) meaning- It is a guide that defines the key habits we must
form, the various activities we must conduct while operating the Store on a day to day basis.
We already have defined norms that are being followed for years, as a Retailer these Norms form a
Part of our DNA. However due to the spread of covid-19 it is important to redefine these norms now.
This redefinition will yield the following key Benefits
1. We will be able to combat and control the Infection Spread
2. Some of these New Norms will stay with us forever, leading to creation of safer & better Work
Environment.
We are facing the new normal now, in the new normal we need to be more vigilant about
1. Safety of staff & our customers
2. Overall hygiene maintenance at the store
3. Safety of the surroundings & all the other associates.
We have created a simple to implement document based on our long-standing retail experience & our
recent discussions with a few retail industry experts.
This document is created by Nikheel C Ranade & Akhil K Gupta 2
The construction of this document covers:
1) People- Activities that all our Key Team Members must follow
2) Processes- The way we should conduct some of the Key Processes in the changed Scenario
We wish all the recipients a very safe environment
We are quite sure that owing to our inherent Indian fighting spirit we will stand the test of these
difficult times, let’s stay happy & safe. We hope that you will find the content meaningful.
A Few Terminologies we will hear in common for some time:

Sr No. New Word Common Meaning

1 The New Normal A new way of life, something which was previously abnormal becomes a normal
2 Quarantine Separation/Isolation, to be kept away from others
3 Sanitize/Disinfect To free an object from germs & dust
4 Social Distancing Avoiding close contact, purposefully staying at a distance from each other
5 Contactless Without touch of hands or any of the body parts

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Index
1 •Introduction to Covid-19
2 •Key Manual Objectives
3 •Defining the New Normal
4 •Pre Store Opening Activities
5 •Some common guidelines for Staff
6 •Key Activity definition by Job Role
7 •Basics of Customer Service Management
8 •Few Key Processes from the Current Perspective
9 •Key Takeaways
10 •About Us

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 Introduction to Corona Virus (Covid-19)
Corona virus is an infectious disease which causes respiratory illness like flu with symptoms like
cough, fever, and in more severe cases difficulty in breathing. You can protect yourself from it
by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your Face, Nose &Eyes and by
maintaining a Safe Social Distance from People, both known and Unknown.
How does corona virus spread: The Corona virus disease spreads primarily through contact with
infected persons when they cough or sneeze. It also spreads when a person touches a surface or
objects that has virus on it, and then touches own eyes, nose or mouth. You can protect yourself
& others, prevent spreading of the virus by forming a Few Good Habits As Below:
1) Maintain Social distance of minimum 4 ft at all time
2) Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, every 2 Hrs
3) Cover your nose and mouth with disposable tissue or flexed elbow while you cough or
sneeze
4) Download Arogya Setu app for active tracking

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Key objective of this Manual:
 Define the New Normal in Retail
 Prepare your store for safe Re-opening
 Creating responsibilities for each store team member
 Define & Implement the new process through the team so as to make their workplace safe & Hygienic
 Create safe & hygienic environment for the customers

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The New Normal in Retail:
1. Greeting customers, the Indian way with NAMASTE only
2. Self-examination, update and record maintenance on health status each day
3. Wear a mask & ensure social distancing at all times while travelling from home to store & back and at
the store from colleagues & customers
4. Practice utmost discipline in self-safety and cleaning norms at all times
5. Always carry home cooked food and avoid outside food, carry your own water bottle
6. Ensure hygiene practices like disinfect frequent touch points at store, use alcohol based
disinfectant, wash/ clean hands at regular intervals
7. Encourage contactless shopping
8. Create rapid response team at each store
9. Appointment based shopping for top customers
10. Shopping through what’s app and pick up through store for select customers

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Store Pre-opening Activities:
1. Store Reopening Announcement to be made at least 48 hrs in Advance
2. Ideally Commence operations with the Below 40 Years Team as they are less prone to Infections
3. The Store Team to be asked to ensure their Fitness, go through a Medical Check if required
4. Entire store to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised before opening it for customers
5. All store staff to be trained on how to use mask and how to properly sanitize their hands
6. List of nearby doctor/medical store information to be made available to store for reference
7. Stores to operate in one shift uniformly across all markets, the same to be updated on website or
follow prescribed timings by local authorities
8. Create a do`s and don’ts list for customers, the same to be put up through a standee at store entrance
9. Create a Quick Reference List of do`s and don’ts for the Staff

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Materials to be Procured before Store Opening:

Digital Infrared Thermometer for staff & customers

Protective gear such as Mask & Gloves

Apron for Temporary HK Staff

Wet tissue wipes for customers

Sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content

Chlorine/Alcohol based disinfectant spray

Mop, Bucket, Cleaning cloth

Washroom disinfectants
Garbage bags & dustbins with lid
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Some common guidelines for store team (1)
Activities - During Transit from Home to Store
 Ensure that your Mask is properly Washed
 Ideally Carry an Extra Mask and an Extra
Handkerchief
 Ensure that your Uniform is properly Washed
Home  Carry Freshly Cooked Food Tiffin
to  Carry Only a Small Hand Bag or Ideally only a
Store Tiffin Bag
 Wash the Handbag/Tiffin Bag Everyday
 Wear Mask all the Time During Transit
 Maintain a Safe Social Distance during Travel
 Do not mingle with/speak to strangers

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Some common guidelines for store team (2)
Activities – After reaching the store before getting
to the floor
 Have your Body Temperature checked by the
Security Guard @ the Entry
 Change into Uniform if already not wearing one
 Keep your Clothes/Tiffin in the Designated Area
After  Ensure that Your Tiffin’s/Bags are not Mixed with
reaching others
store  Ensure that Your Mask, Sanitizer Bottle &
Handkerchief is there with You
 Keep Wearing Your Mask & Gloves all the Time
 Before Starting the Work Ensure that all the Touch
Points are properly sanitized
 Keep a Safe Distance from your Team Members
 Wash your Hands at least once every 2 Hours
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Some common guidelines for store team (3)
Activities – During Transit from Store to Home
 Wash Hands thoroughly as soon as your job hours are
over
 Change the Clothes If required
 Sanitize your Hands before leaving the Store Premises
 Follow the Same Travel & Social distancing Norms
followed while reaching the Store
Store
to  Call your Family just before Reaching Home so that they
can Open the Door for you and you can avoid touching
Home any objects
 Keep things (Vehicle keys, Pen, Sanitizer bottle, phone) in
a box Outside, wipe them well with a Tissue Paper and
Sanitizer
 Soak all your Clothes including Innerwear into a Bucket
with Detergent
 Take a Bath with Shampoo & Soap
 Wash your Clothes & Dry them in a Bright Sunlight
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 Key Guidelines by Job Role

Security Guard Sales Staff Store Manager

• 1st point of check & Prevention • Welcome customer with Namaste • Store Manager has a pivotal role to
• Welcome with a Namaste • Understand the requirement well & play
• Check the body temperature of assist them with the right • Keep the team motivated, well
every entrant to the store merchandise informed & secured
• Allow entry only if temperature is • Use body language well as wearing • Arrange for all the cleaning & other
less then 100.4 F mask will limit the communication necessary materials in advance
• Prevent unfit people & politely • Conduct short team briefings,
request to come back once well maintain social distance
• Effectively use whatsapp group for
common announcements

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Key Guidelines by Job Role

House Keeping Cashier

• To ensure that the store is • To ensure that the store cash is
seen as the cleanest, safest & secured
most hygienic place • Conduct utmost activities in a
• Understand the New SOPs well touchless manner
• Ensure 100% Compliance • Maintain Hygiene at Cash Till &
• Prepare a simple checklist to for the Currency
record & ensure that the job is
done on time and in full

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List of Key Activities
Store Manager

List of Activities:
 Take a self declaration from all the staff about health & travel history upon joining
 Get all the staff to download Arogya Setu App for active tracking
 All staff to be provided one time reusable pair of 3 nitride gloves & 3 washable masks for daily use. Staff to clean the
same on daily basis before reusing it the next day
 All staff briefing to be conducted maintaining 4ft distance
 Lunch break to be allowed between 12.30 PM to 3.30 PM to ensure that there is no crowding in Lunch Area
 Advise the staff with detailed guidelines about commute from & to home
 Staff to drink water only in separate bottles or disposable glass
 Biometric attendance to be stopped and physical attendance registers to be maintained
Create Stock Receipt Procedures as below:
 All stocks received to be disinfected before opening and all boxes to be quarantined for 48 hrs
 Inter store stock transfer to be discontinued for time being
Discontinue the Following Services for now:
 Home Delivery Service
 Washroom facility for customers
 All VM related work
 All project related work unless critical
 Serving arranging tea/coffee/soft drink for customers
 Providing drinking water to customer on the floor
 Alteration Services, in case of emergency alteration to be offered only through dedicated store tailors
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 Store Manager…

Other important activities Ensure Installation of Sanitizer Dispenser at

 Create a 2 member Rapid Response Customer

Entrance
Team, their job will be to maintain a
Trial Room
tracker of people showing Back Office Bays
symptoms & who they would have
come in contact with
 Maintain a visitor book for tracking
in case needed with details like Locker Sanitizer Cash Till
Name/Age/Gender/Contact No
 Washroom to be cleaned 3 times a
day
 Incase customer forces himself into Lunch Area
Store
Entrance
the store and doesn’t adhere to the
store guidelines, please call the Warehouse
Police

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List of Activities
Security Guard Sales Staff

List of Activities: List of Activities:

 Always wear Gloves & Mask while  Sanitize hands before touching
interacting with customers merchandise
 Check body temperature of all and  Arrange merchandise in your section
permit those with below 100.4 F  Greet consumer with a Namaste
 Request consumer to maintain a  Encourage hands free shopping, open &
Minimum 4ft distance show garment to the consumer
 Dispense sanitizer for each consumer  Encourage consumer to exercise 30 days
 All customer to wear mask at all time exchange, avoid Physical Trials
 Ask consumer to self pick the shopping  Wear Mask & Gloves all the time
bag  Share your new learning towards
 Baggage counter service to be avoided consumer interaction with the team
except emergency  Sanitize high touch points every 3 hrs
 Wash your hands every 2 hrs

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 List of Activities
House Keeping Cashier-Billing Staff

List of Common Activities:

 Provide E bills to avoid cash memos if the facility is
List of Activities:
available
 Ensure Personal Hygiene & Safety
 Maintain safe distance from the customers
 Wear Apron, Mask & Gloves
 Handle garments with care
 Understand the new SOP, Cleaning & Sanitizing
 Dispose off residuals like price tag, packing materials
Process
 Quarantine the residuals for 48 hrs & reuse it post
 Ensure 100% Implementation, put small stickers
sanitization
with time for tracking
Regular Cash Counters:
 Each trial room to be wet mopped & thoroughly
 Encourage contact less payment like Google Pay, Paytm
cleaned every 3 hrs
 Alternatively ask for plastic currency like Debit/Credit
 High touch surfaces like, trial room, cash counter,
cards. Sanitize the card before use
sofa, door knobs, Display tables, Staircase railing,
 Cash should get the last priority for payment
Door Handles, Baggage rack, Storage rack, store
Exchange Counters:
keys, locker & electronic devices to be sanitized
 Accept goods in paper bag only
every 3 hrs
 Check Physical E Cash Memo
 Clean the store 30 mins prior store opening and
 Process exchange as per existing process
after store closure for customers
 Store the exchange merchandise in separate bag &
quarantine it for 48 hrs
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A Few Tips for Customer Management

Our Role from a customer’s perspective:

 Continue to treat our consumer with utmost warmth & respect
 Make them feel comfortable in the current slightly inconvenient
atmosphere
 This is the time to create the everlasting bond by giving them an
exceptional experience

List of Activities:
 Help them sanitize their hands at the entrance
 Provide a mask if he or she is not wearing one
 Check the body temperature & provide them with a polite entry
 Mostly people will come with a genuine shopping intent and not for
browsing hence ask them for their requirement
 Guide them to the right section
 Provide them a hands free browsing service, show them the
merchandise from distance with coordinates
 If they are shopping for multiple categories through various sections
then guide them through the process
 Ideally avoid trials by recommending the correct size & a 30 day
exchange facility
 Incase trial is essential then assist them with the size & colour
 Help them sanitize their hands once again, sanitize the trial room
before customer entry and post customer exit
 Assist them to the cash counter & help in quick billing
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Stock Inward & Stock Management Process
 Create a Daily Token System to limit the number of Deliveries in a Day & avoid Crowding
 Allot these tokens to the Suppliers a Day in Advance to help them Plan
 The Driver/Delivery Executive to Wear a Mask before entering the store premises
 Security to check the Body Temperature before allowing an Entry
 Allocate a Separate Team of Two to receive the Materials
 Rotate the Team every Alternate Day if Possible
 Make Ample Sanitizer Available at the Warehouse/Stock Room, ensure adequate Sanitization
 Ideally Leave the Cartons Untouched overnight
 Disinfect the Cartons before Handling/Opening
 Sanitise the Merchandise before Placement in the Storage Racks
 Jiffy Iron/ Steam Iron the garments inside – out before putting them on to the floor
 Store all apparel in poly bag in the store room
 Quarantine the Entire Packing Material in a Designated Area
 Attempt a Physical as well as a System Inward in as much Contactless manner as Possible
 Placement of the Store Bar Codes in a Manner that it can be Scanned at the Cash Desk without a Touch
 Use a Mix of Global Count & System Count to keep Track of the Inventory, avoid physical Stock Takes for time being

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Merchandise Quarantine Process:
 We need to Quarantine the Merchandise on the Following Occasions
1. Post Delivery by the Supplier
2. When Left Behind by The Customer Post Trial
3. When Returned & or Exchanged
 Post Delivery by the Supplier
1. Quarantine the Merchandise Overnight inside the Cartons itself, do not Touch the Cartons,
disinfect them First & then Unpack
2. Once the Merchandise is Unpacked, sanitize it before Placement on the Bin
 When Left Behind by the Customer Post Trial & When Returned & or Exchanged
1. Move the Merchandise to a Designated area in the Store Room/Back Office
2. Let it remain there overnight
3. Steam Iron it & bring it back to the Floor the Next day
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 Key Takeaways:
Do`s & Don`ts for quick reference

Do`s Don’ts
Wash your hand regularly for 20 seconds, with soap & Touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not
water or alcohol-based hand rub clean
Cover your nose & mouth with a disposable tissue or
flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze Forward unauthenticated videos or articles
Avoid close contact with people Handshake & hugging while greeting
Stay home and isolated from others if you feel unwell Sharing of Food & Water

Important Points to remember

 Any government notifications pertaining to COVID norms should be validated by Store Manager before display
 We should position ourselves as the safest and cleanest store for shopping
 The current situation is temporary in nature and business will attain normalcy soon
 Follow the 4S principal
 Give Utmost Importance to Safety of customers, staff and Store Premises
 Secure supply of employees
 Ensure right Sourcing &Display
 Secure the trust & confidence of customers
This document is created by Nikheel C Ranade & Akhil K Gupta 22
About Us:

Nikheel C Ranade Akhil K Gupta

I am a Sales & Retail professional with over 27 Years of I am a Sales & Retail professional with over 15 years of
experience, I worked for Aditya Birla Group (Madura experience. I worked with Aditya Birla Group for over 13
Garments Div) for over 25 Years, in various senior years. I was responsible for formulating and leading the
positions like Retail Head Peter England, Regional launch of brand Peter England in Large Format Retail
Director Western Region, Head Retail Business Stores across India. I had strategized and executed trade
Development. I was Privileged to work with Iconic & retail networks along with franchising for brand Peter
Brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, England. I was the Large Format Store Sales Head for
Peter England, Planet Fashion and the Collective. brand Louis Philippe.
During the long Retail Journey, I was fortunate to I have a rich experience in managing end to end business
interact with various Franchisees, Large & Small operations across retail, sales & distribution. I have
Format MBO’s, this interaction gave me a hands-on sound understanding of business development,
understanding of all the Key Retail Processes. franchising, recruitment and training & development.
I was a part of the team that designed & upgraded I now operate a new age retail solutions company by
the Retail SOP & Customer Service Policies during name Rapidus Retail, which provides key services in
my employment. Retail is my Passion. I now work as a retail where we have expertise.
Corporate Retail Consultant.

We have developed this manual as a small contribution to aid your efforts in resuming the stores. Please accept it with
our genuine compliments. For any suggestion or feedback - Please reach us on
nikheelranade@gmail.com Cell- 9702722266
akhil@rapidusretail.com Cell- 9594433377
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Thank You