Commercial Generators for Grocery Stores & Supermarkets
Grocery stores & supermarkets are a major hub for shoppers to stock up their homes with the expectation to get fresh produce, meats, seafood, dairy products, and other necessities. But have you ever wondered what happens when there is a power outage?
Every grocery chain and location has a different protocol to follow in the case of a power outage, but the ultimate goal is clear – to save as much of the produce and products that require either refrigeration or freezing as possible to mitigate loss of goods and inventory.
Commercial backup generators in grocery stores & supermarkets are becoming much more common, after a series of storms and natural disasters have crippled many grocery chains across the U.S. in recent years. Though purchasing backup commercial generators has been a trend, many grocery store & supermarket chains are increasingly adopting this strategy to help mitigate and avoid loss of profits and mitigate loss of inventory.
The Importance of Backup Generators for Grocery Stores
In 2011, a major grocery chain experienced a power outage. While the grocery chain had an emergency backup generator, the generator did not keep the refrigerators running. This resulted in many dairy products and juices being discarded, due to being out of temperature. Not only did this grocery chain lose profits due to lack of sales from the power outage, but the grocery chain also took a financial hit on lost inventory and gained the scorn of many customers who found it wasteful to simply discard these food items.
This story does not strictly adhere to this one particular grocery chain in question, but is surprisingly a common story across the entire U.S. and still continues to this day.
Believe it or not, there are even some grocery stores & supermarkets that do not have emergency backup generators installed and in place at all, which results in greater impact to their businesses due to loss of inventory and profits.
Grocery stores & supermarkets that have their own pharmacies will also be negatively affected by a power outage. Pharmacies usually have a small refrigerator located in the back that refrigerates medications, such as insulin and vaccines. These medications are often expensive and if they were to spoil, it will be an added expense and can be considered a heavy loss in inventory and profits.
Is There A Protocol for Grocery Stores In the Event of Power Outages?
When the power goes out, there is a general protocol for grocery stores that have a commercial generator used for backup power and emergencies. These generators are able to power the lights and the registers running for about 2 hours. Some grocery stores & supermarkets also have an additional UPS system connected to the registers, so customers can finish their checkout process uninterrupted for a slightly prolonged period of time.
When facing a long duration power outage, different grocery stores have different protocols to handle a long power outage. While some grocery stores & supermarkets may send refrigerator trucks, there may be many instances where trucks are unable to journey to the destination. Due to inclement weather, trucks may be unable to arrive to store locations or roads could even be closed down by a state of emergency.
Adding all these factors together, grocery stores may face major crisis, loss of business, loss of profits, and loss of inventory that could negatively impact them. Compounding these issues with grocery stores having to re-stock shelves, re-stock inventory, and service customers in the aftermath of a power outage can bring serious harm to your grocery store/supermarket, brand, and reputation.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Losses Due to Power Outages?
There are a number of ways to mitigate damages during a power outage.
First and foremost – create a checklist and protocol, so your staff knows what measures to take in the event of a total power outage. This is a high priority item that should be addressed, so that employees will know what to do and will be prepared to face the challenges of a power outage.
Install a UPS on every register. In the event that the main power fails, the UPS can provide extra time for customers who are shopping to complete their transactions and be on their way without delay.
An emergency backup generator for your commercial business is also vital. Even if the generator is not able to power the refrigerators and freezers, the generators will be able to power the lights and registers. This not only allows customers who were caught in the power outage check out and leave the store, but it enables employees to go through the protocols of pulling items from shelves or transporting temperature sensitive goods and products to the allocated storage. Without lights inside the grocery store, employees will be either working in the dark or will be unable to complete the necessary tasks to save perishable goods.
If you’re looking for a complete solution to prevent any downtime and avoid losses, the best option would be to install a commercial generator that can keep everything running smoothly. Depending on the generator size and power rating, the generator will not only power the lights, but also the doors, registers, refrigerators, and freezers.
In order to effectively leverage these commercial generators, it would be best to install a large fuel tank that can hold enough fuel to last for days. In the off-chance that power cannot be restored to the grid for more than a day, these commercial generators paired with a large tank can keep your store up and running without a hitch.
Alternatively, a natural gas generator may be an option depending on where your facility is located. A natural gas generator connects directly to the main natural gas pipeline in your area, but this is only feasible if there is a natural gas pipeline located nearby.
Most importantly, it is absolutely critical to properly calculate power needs & requirements in order to determine what size generator you would need to install. A professional electrical engineer may be needed in order to correctly calculate the power needs & requirements. After you select what equipment needs to be powered by the generator, the electrical engineer can help calculate what size generator would work best.
Installing a commercial generator for your business operations is no simple task. More information regarding commercial generators and the installation process can be found here:
As an added measure, grocery stores & supermarkets could follow in the footsteps of a popular Florida grocery chain, which had not only invested hundreds of millions of dollars into backup generators, but they also had their buildings rewired, which will allow portable generators to be connected quickly in the event that their stationary generator needed to refuel, experienced damage, or did not have enough space at their facility’s site to install a permanent generator. This was done to ensure that all their lights, refrigerators, freezers, heat, A/C, and registers were all functional in the event of a power outage to help prevent loss of profits & inventory and to ensure the safety of all their employees and customers.
Portable rental generators are an excellent solution for grocery stores that want to have a backup to their contingency plans or are unable to install a stationary standby generator in or near their facility. There are many benefits to a portable rental generator, which can be found here: Benefits of Portable Rental Generators
Conclusion
Grocery stores & supermarkets that may be unprepared or underprepared to face power outages could incur millions of dollars worth of damages in profit and inventory loss.
As natural disasters such as hurricane, earthquakes, tornados, flooding, and winter weather can bring a lot of unexpected challenges, don’t let a power outage be one of them.
There has been an increasing trend of commercial property owners, commercial property management companies, and commercial landowners purchasing backup commercial generators for use in emergencies to help safeguard their businesses.
If your business operations, industrial real estate, commercial real estate, or facilities are located in areas that experience inclement weather such as hurricane-related storms or Winter storms, in an area that experiences natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes, or even an affected by the aging power grid that causes power outages, it may be a good decision to invest in a commercial generator for backup and emergency situations.
The Woodstock Power Company Experience
We have industry experts that focus on commercial generator sets, with in-depth industry knowledge to help you choose the right generator that fits your needs.
We are industry leaders in buying and selling used generators to fit the needs of many businesses, including commercial, industrial, medical, agricultural, and university. This includes facilities like hospitals, better living centers, nursing home, airports, hotels, restaurants, retail centers, manufacturing, production, grow ops, and more.
Our experts are ready to assist you from answering any questions you may have about power generator sets to helping you find the best selection in our inventory based on:
- Peak & Average Power Requirements
- Fuel Preference (Natural Gas or Diesel)
- Portability & Stationary Power
- Prime & Standby Generator Requirements
- Available Space & Exhaust Restrictions
We carry only the most top rated new, used, and surplus power generator sets for sale, providing you with a great value generator that will fit your budget.
Our generators have been thoroughly inspected, serviced, and verified, which ensures that you will be buying a quality generator that you can depend on. If a generator is not up to par with industry standards, we make all necessary repairs or modifications, and fully test every generator before we sell. This ensures a full turnkey generator that’s ready to fire up and go!
Due to our wide selection of generator sets, we’re confident that we can find the model that best suits your operational needs and budget.
We also buy used generators in good quality, if you have already upgraded and you’re looking to sell your older model.
Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or inquiries to learn more about the Woodstock Power Company experience and the quality level of products & services we provide.
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