Holiday Season Elevator and Escalator Preparedness for Retailers

By Burton Mills

The holiday season is one of the busiest and most critical times of the year for retailers. With an influx of shoppers, every part of the customer experience matters — including vertical transportation (VT) systems like escalators and elevators.

Equipment issues when store traffic is heaviest create operational challenges and frustrate customers. The good news is that most of these problems are avoidable with a proactive approach to elevator and escalator holiday readiness.

Why Problems Happen: Reactive Maintenance

Many retail portfolios are made up primarily of escalators, which bring a unique set of challenges:

• Specialized staffing needs: Most escalator work requires a two-person team, and certain tasks like handrail or step cleaning often require subcontractors with specialized skills.

• Time-intensive repairs: Major cleanings or heavy repairs can take days to complete.

• Parts delays: Materials may need to be fabricated or custom-ordered, creating delays if there’s no proactive planning.

When maintenance is handled reactively, fixing problems only when something breaks, downtime and lost revenue are almost guaranteed, especially during the holiday rush.

The Solution: Plan Ahead and Be Proactive

To avoid costly surprises, retailers need to take a proactive approach to both their contracts and their contractors. Here’s how:

• Have a clear maintenance plan: Your elevator maintenance agreements should spell out how often service is performed, how long it should take, and what tasks are included, like annual escalator cleanings and access to spare parts for flagship stores.

• Schedule work strategically: Plan major cleanings and repairs during slower periods, such as Q2 or Q3, and outside of store hours whenever possible.

• Build a strong capital plan: Map out the lifecycle of every piece of equipment in your portfolio. This helps you budget accurately and avoid deferred maintenance that could lead to sudden, unexpected failures.

• Hold contractors accountable: Regular check-ins with service providers ensure work is done properly and on time.

• Get expert oversight: An elevator consultant can act as an extension of your team, providing independent assessments, safety reviews, and advice on long-term planning.

The Benefits of Proactive Maintenance

Getting ahead of elevator and escalator maintenance issues before holiday foot traffic peaks has real advantages:

• Reduced downtime: Keep equipment and people moving when traffic is heaviest, and downtime is most disruptive.

• A better shopping experience: Ensure multilevel access for every shopper, eliminating forced stair climbs with heavy bags and removing accessibility barriers.

• Less emergency scrambling: Avoid fighting for scarce contractor availability during peak season.

• Predictable budgeting and capital planning: Gain visibility into equipment health and maintenance so you can forecast costs with confidence.

Your Escalator and Elevator Holiday Readiness Checklist

The holiday shopping season puts more demands on your elevators and escalators, with heavier traffic and longer store hours bringing more people through your stores each day. Before traffic picks up, take a closer look at the equipment your shoppers rely on.

Things to consider:

• Are inspections and certificates up to date?

• Are recurring maintenance issues being addressed?

• Do you know which equipment shows signs of trouble and what needs attention?

Our Holiday Readiness Checklist walks you through the areas to review, including safety and compliance, maintenance, reliability, and emergency planning.

If the checklist uncovers issues that need attention, ATIS can help you determine what comes next so you can keep your shoppers moving during the holidays and year-round.

Real-World Example

A national retailer with over 160 locations contacted ATIS because they were unhappy with their current service provider. Initially, they wanted to bring in new contractors across 75% of their stores, with the transition scheduled to begin November 1st.

We advised against making a major change during the peak holiday season. Instead, we helped manage their existing vendors through Q4, then ran the RFP process in Q1 of the following year. This gave us time to:

• Onboard new service providers,

• Complete site assessments,

• Develop a capital planning report, and

• Address critical repairs, before the next holiday season began.

Lesson learned: Don’t make major transitions to your VT program during the busiest shopping months. Planning ahead protects both your revenue and your customer experience.

Key Takeaways

• Review your current maintenance contracts — pay close attention to coverage, cleaning schedules, and emergency response provisions.

• Schedule escalator cleanings and repairs well before the holiday rush to avoid disruptions.

• Develop or update a capital plan that matches your equipment’s lifecycle.

• Consider bringing in an elevator consultant for expert oversight and long-term strategy.

• Communicate regularly with contractors to keep everyone aligned and accountable.

Prepare Your Elevators and Escalators for Peak Season

The holiday season doesn’t have to be stressful for your operations team. By taking proactive steps now, you can reduce risk, improve reliability, and keep your shoppers moving. Ensure your service contracts are built for maximum uptime, and learn more about our maintenance and specifications consulting.

If you’re ready to prepare your stores for the busiest time of year, connect with us to learn how ATIS helps maintain reliability and a great visitor experience.