That said, the water testing station was one of the most important areas of the store that required some renovations as a result of the pandemic.
“Customers line up and wait for the water testing station so we have placed markers every 1.8 m (6 ft) to keep people spaced appropriately,” says Clements. “To keep the line appealing and intentional, we added a new rack that promotes our new phosphate-removing products—which has become a particularly important product to our customers.
“This region of Florida was plagued by chronic phosphate issues in 2019, so our new treatment and maintenance products are a big seller this year; therefore, we positioned the rack on the 3.6 m (12 ft) floor marker in the water testing line and keep it fully stocked—making the sale of these products even more successful.”
Water testing drop off
One of the most valuable services provided by pool retailers is water testing. The placement and efficiency of the water testing station and operation is central to the renovation of any retail store during this pandemic. Crowding around the water station counter is no longer an option.
As Belcourt examined her retail renovation, she opted to move the water-testing drop off and pick up to an area outside of her retail store.
“This is something that is working so well that we will keep this renovation into the future,” she says.
In fact, Aqua-Tech Pools has found the new system to be especially helpful by providing a place for customers to drop off their water samples, label them, and leave them to be analyzed without having to worry about getting too close or having to wait in line.
“We are finding that some people feel more comfortable not having to wait in line for their water test results, not to mention, it opens up more space in our retail store.”
The store’s revamped water drop-off centre even offers new test jars for customers to take as they leave the ‘drop zone.’
“We then test the water samples and send an email with the results, including links to the products they should purchase to balance their water—which they can then order directly from our online store for delivery or pick-up.”
Clements agrees the water testing area needs to have its own space. She says prior to their retail renovation they had their water testing station and the checkout counter in the same place.
“When we separated the water testing from the checkout counter, we found the flow and spacing of customers improved greatly,” says Clements. “It gave us more room to strategically place products to sell while being helpful with social distancing, too.”
At All Seasons Pools, having the water testing station at the back of their store has been particularly challenging during this pandemic. As a result, currently employees are wearing gloves and masks to go out to customer vehicles parked in their parking lot to collect water samples and bring them into the store to be tested.
“We have four computers and four spin labs, but we couldn’t have them all together and still allow for safe social distancing,” says Lenz.
As a result, Lenz had to spread out the water testing stations and put buckets of chlorine at each station to disinfect the water sample jars, then run the tests, print out the results, and then get the customers what they need.
“It isn’t a long-term solution, but it was a short-term renovation that was required,” he says.
