Are Shopping Carts Right for You?
Making it easy for your customers to buy your products is a critical part of the retail world. No business owner wants a customer to quit shopping because they do not have enough hands to carry everything they need or want. That is why the shopping cart was developed, to serve customers by providing all the cargo space needed to transport the goods they desire. If your store is considering an upgrade to a shopping cart system, it is advisable to learn a few things about the product you are buying to better negotiate with suppliers. Plastic or metal shopping carts dominate the shopping cart industry. The basic model is designed to store neatly by pushing through the back of one cart with another, so that they take up less space. However, not all carts are designed this way, and those that do not have this feature require a much larger storage area. Carts come in many shapes and sizes. Some are large enough to carry a child while some are specially intended to carry two children. Most shopping carts are fitted with four caster wheels that point in any direction to provide the shopper with excellent mobility. If any of these wheels becomes stuck however, the cart is quite difficult to operate, so keeping current maintenance is critical. Otherwise, there is no point in carrying shopping carts at all if the customers cannot use them easily. Some carts only have rotating wheels in the front to reduce the possibility of jammed wheels, but this is at the expense of maneuverability. Only two swivel wheels makes moving in reverse and getting to the side of an isle more difficult. You must decide whether the cost of maintenance is worth having all four wheels with rotating ability. If shopping carts are a little extreme for your retail environment, consider small handheld shopping baskets as an alternative. Smaller shops often only carry baskets, but even if you do carry shopping carts, it is a wise decision to keep both carts and baskets available for your customers to choose from. Carefully consider what your store should offer based on the average number of items customers purchase and the size of products for sale. The isle space and check out area must also be accounted for in making a decision about shopping carts. If there is not enough space, do not attempt to stock your store with carts to clutter up the shopping environment and cause unnecessary traffic problems. Shopping carts are intended to help rather than hinder. The last if not most important issue to think about when bringing shopping carts to your store is safety. Over 20,000 children are injured each year in shopping cart accidents. Make sure the seat flaps that act as child seats in shopping carts display the proper safety guidelines for carrying a child in the basket. Many stores now carry car-carts, otherwise known as “Beans” in the shopping cart world. These child-toting alternatives provide added protection from injury by restraining the child in a lower more protected cradle that resembles a car or perhaps a fun spaceship design. The importance of this issue depends on the typical clientele entering the store. With this in mind, considering the handicapped and elderly is also important. Providing at least one or two electric scooters with attached shopping carts reduces the risk of injury for those persons and creates a much simpler shopping environment for them. So is your store environment right for shopping carts? Hopefully this was a helpful guide to assist you in that decision. Whatever the final verdict, the customer’s shopping experience should be your highest priority.About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S
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