How do you beat the heat? ‌☀️‌

[Helen]

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal advice. 

In the last week, Californians were called on to reduce their energy consumption in the afternoons and evenings in order to avoid rolling blackouts. The increased energy use has been a result of the heatwave, affecting millions of people in California, Nevada, and even Arizona.

During a busy holiday weekend, and in the days after, how do you keep your employees and customers cool?

How to beat the heat

NBC Los Angeles shared some great tips to conserve energy when the temperatures soar:

• Turn off unnecessary lights.
• Use major appliances before 3 p.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Set air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher.
• Use fans.

Read the full article here.

What if there is a power outage?

If energy use is too high, outages can occur. Stay informed about power outages by subscribing to SMS or email alerts from your energy provider where available. For example, Power outage alerts and information, PG&E.

If you do lose power here are some ways to keep payments flowing: 

• If you lose your wifi connection due to a power cut you can still accept card payments by enabling Offline Mode. Learn more here: Process Payments with Offline Mode.

• The Contactless and Chip Reader, Square Stand, and Square Terminal can all last a business day without needing to be connected to a power source. Ensure you're getting the most out of your battery life by following these charging and battery best practices.
  
• Depending on your accessory setup, the cash drawer, printer, and bar code scanner may not work during a power outage. As a backup, you can still send Digital Receipts with your Point of Sale. You may also want to keep a drawer key handy with one of your employees in the event that they need to make change. 

What ways are you keeping cool during this heatwave? Offer frequent breaks for staff? Do you have additional fans you can use?

[PartyManiaMD]

For the first part of the summer our HVAC unit wasn't working so we used a combination of standing fans to circulate air as well as propping the doors open.

I bought my employees https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y1K3JZJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 which are a life saver when it's hot, they're great for service staff that are working in hot conditions.

If power goes out we're pretty much shut down because it's pretty much impossible for customers to shop in the dark given how large our store is and the lack of natural lighting.

[Helen]

Thanks @PartyManiaMD. Creating a draft is a great tip, where possible. I hadn't heard of neck fans until you mentioned them this summer, and now I see them all the time! 

[Lovewell]

Our shop luckily has AC so we are able to keep it a bit cooler than outside. Customers have been grateful to come work in our shop instead of in their hot house without AC. Heat wave is supposed to be over for us in the next couple days luckily!

[Helen]

I didn't have AC at home until recently - so grateful for it this year. Here's hoping the heatwave surprises us all by ending early!

[Lovewell]

Yes we don't have AC in house either so this last week has been pretty uncomfortable. One night it was 98 inside! Thankful for sun but will also be glad when it is a little less harsh.

[JUYBoutique20]

We have AC in our store but here in Anchorage it's pretty comfortable even without it most days.  Now in the winter it's a different story...I definitely blast the heat... 

[Lovewell]

When we opened in 2020 that first winter we had to have our shop doors open all day according to the CDC so the summer was super warm, but when winter rolled around there were days I wore a sweatshirt under a jacket and a beanie! Although I wasn't complaining because I happen to love the cold!

[Helen]

@JUYBoutique20 @Lovewell Just wait a few weeks and I'll be asking you to share tips about staying warm! I cannot wait for sweater weather. 😆