The holidays can be an important time of the year for businesses, especially retail stores. If you expect to service a huge number of customers during the season, you might take extra precautions to get your store ready for them. Some of the things you should focus on are your parking lots. Your parking lots should be clear, clean, and free of dangerous obstacles, such as broken or damaged asphalt. Here are problems your damaged lots can cause and how you can prevent them:

How Can Your Lots Cause Problems?

Whether your customers drive or walk to your store this season, they need to reach their destination safely. But if the pavement in your parking lots is full of holes, craters, and broken pieces of asphalt, your customers may run into some problems.

Drivers can damage their vehicles' tires and wheels on the potholes in your lots. Individuals who use wheelchairs and walkers may also incur injuries if they tip over or fall. If some of your customers decide to sue your store for damages, it may affect your future as a business owner.

To prevent incidents this holiday season and beyond, repair your parking lots.

How Do You Make Your Lots Safer?

First, use orange cones or another visible object to block off areas of the parking lot that appear unsafe to drive or walk on. Use signs to redirect customers to lots with little to no visible damage in the pavement. If necessary, have an employee meet and greet customers as they enter your store. The greeting may help calm down anyone who is aggravated by the parking conditions.

Next, have an asphalt paving contractor inspect your lots. If a contractor finds serious issues with your lots, they can repair or repave them. Although the repairs may seem inconvenient, they can help protect your customers from accidents.

After a contractor makes your lots safe to drive and walk on, monitor the lots for problems in the future. If you notice large amounts of car oil and other substances coating or pooling on the surfaces of your lots, remove them immediately. Chemicals can break down or damage asphalt over time. You can also have a lot cleaner maintain your parking lots to help prevent issues.

Keeping your shoppers safe this season isn't as hard as you might think. If you need to repair your lots before or during the season, contact a contractor today.