Opening and Closing Procedures for Small Businesses

Why the start and end of the day matter

Opening and closing are the two moments when a business is most likely to be left exposed through simple oversight. A back door left unlatched, an alarm not armed, a safe left open or a stranger slipping in behind a staff member can all happen when people are tired, rushed or distracted. A written, repeated routine reduces these errors without relying on anyone’s memory.

Procedures also protect staff. Opening and closing are often done by one person, sometimes in the dark, so a clear plan about what to check and when to ask for help matters for personal safety as well as for property. No routine can guarantee that nothing will go wrong, but it makes common problems less likely.

Opening procedure

The following sequence can be adapted to your layout.

1. Look before you enter. Walk up to the premises and glance at the doors, windows and any outbuildings. Look for broken glass, forced locks, open doors or anything unusual.
2. Stop if something looks wrong. If a door is open that should be shut, or you see signs of forced entry, do not go inside. Move to a safe place and contact the authorities, and let the owner or a key holder know. Do not try to investigate alone.
3. Enter and disarm promptly. Go to the keypad and disarm within the time allowed by the entry delay. If the keypad behaves unexpectedly, follow the plan you agreed in advance rather than guessing codes.
4. Close the door behind you. Keep the door shut and locked if the shop is not yet open to customers, so no one can follow you in.
5. Walk through. Check the main areas, the stockroom, the back door and any place where a person could hide. Look at the safe and cash areas, and at equipment such as computers.
6. Check the system. Read any alarm messages or logs. A record of a trigger overnight, a low battery warning or a communication fault should be dealt with the same day.
7. Prepare for customers. Set up the till, unlock the public door and turn on any equipment. Note anything that needs attention.

A lone opener may wish to agree a check-in with another person, such as a text to a manager that they have arrived safely.

Closing procedure

Closing is typically longer, because every door and valuable item has to be accounted for.

1. Clear the public areas. Check that customers have left, including toilets, fitting rooms and corners that are easy to overlook.
2. Secure cash and valuables. Move cash to the safe or approved storage, and leave the till drawer open and empty if that is your practice. Cash handling details are best kept to a separate written policy.
3. Check stockrooms and storage. Lock them, and confirm anything valuable has been put away.
4. Shut down equipment. Turn off what should be off, and check that portable items such as laptops are stored securely. Consider heaters, ovens and electrical items where fire risk is relevant.
5. Walk the premises. Check that windows are closed and locked, and that rear and side doors are secured. Many people go clockwise or from back to front so that the order is always the same.
6. Check for people. Make sure no one is still inside who should not be.
7. Turn on the alarm. Set the system for the correct mode, such as full away if everyone is leaving. Make sure doors and windows are closed before arming so you do not trigger false alarms.
8. Exit and lock. Leave within the exit delay, lock the final door, and test it by pulling the handle.
9. Look around outside. Make sure outdoor lighting is working, gates are shut and nothing valuable is left outside.

Using a written checklist

Put the opening and closing steps on one page and keep it somewhere handy, ideally not visible to customers. Staff who close at the end of a long day will miss things, and a checklist catches them. Where several people close on different days, a log with initials and times shows when a step was missed and who to ask.

A good checklist is short. If it runs to many pages, people stop using it. Review it when the layout, equipment or staff change, and ask the people who actually do it what is missing.

Common mistakes

• Propped or unlatched doors, often from deliveries or smoking breaks.
• Arming with a window open, which causes a false alarm or leaves a zone bypassed without anyone noticing.
• Sharing one code among everyone, so there is no way to know who opened or closed.
• Skipping the walk-through because of a rush.
• Leaving keys in view or in a place easy to reach from outside.
• Ignoring system warnings, such as a fault message shown at the keypad.

Training and review

Show every new employee who opens or closes how the routine works, and have them do it once with supervision. Make sure they understand the keypad, the delays and what to do if the alarm sounds. Brief them on what to do if they find something wrong. Telling people it is acceptable to stop and call for help is as important as teaching the steps.

Revisit the procedure from time to time. If lock-ups are taking too long or false alarms are frequent, there may be a fixable cause, such as poorly placed sensors or an exit delay that is too short. A professional installer can adjust settings when needed.