Keeping stock and tills running.
WHAT IS AT STAKE
Spoiled stock, lost sales and customers turned away.
WHAT MUST NEVER STOP
Refrigeration and freezers.
WHY
Stock loss is immediate and expensive.
WHAT TO PROTECT SECOND
Payment systems and lighting.
WHY PAYMENT SYSTEMS
Without them you cannot trade even with stock available.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT REFRIGERATION
Its running wattage Its starting surge How long it holds temperature unpowered
WHY THE LAST FIGURE
It tells you how long an outage you can absorb.
HOW TO FIND IT
Measure, during an actual outage, with a thermometer.
WHAT REDUCES LOSS DURING OUTAGES
Keeping units full Keeping doors closed Thermal mass, such as water containers
WHY FULL UNITS HOLD LONGER
Contents retain cold better than air.
WHAT TO PLAN FOR
A generator that starts automatically, or an inverter carrying refrigeration.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE PUTTING REFRIGERATION ON AN INVERTER
That it handles the starting surge.
WHAT TO ARRANGE FOR EXTENDED OUTAGES
Somewhere to move stock A rule about when to discard
WHY A RULE
Decisions about food safety should not be made under commercial pressure.
WHAT TO RECORD
Temperatures, routinely.
WHY
It evidences safe handling, and it detects failures early.