3 Creative Ways to Spice Up Your Countertop Displays

Nearly every kind of business - from convenience stores and gas stations to motels and restaurants - can benefit from countertop displays.

Countertop displays are lucrative merchandise display options and it's important to make sure these displays offer both convenience and visual appeal. To achieve this, read on for the three ways you can spice up your countertop displays.

1. Use Colored Acrylic Bins and Plastic Containers in Fun Shapes

Even if you don’t already have a countertop display and are using this information to help you create your first display, chances are you already know how popular acrylic bins and plastic containers are for displays. They’re versatile and durable and, once they’ve run their course out front, you can move them to the back of your store and use them as storage fixtures.

However, what you might not have known is that you can find acrylic bins and plastic containers in vibrant colors and fun shapes! You can use these options to make your countertop displays reflect the current season or holiday, your local college’s or high school’s colors, or any specific theme or décor you’ve already established for your store.

2. Use Two or More Display Fixtures Together

It’s easy to create countertop displays with acrylic bins and plastic containers by themselves, but when you pair them with other display fixtures – such as wire display racks or convenience store racks designed small enough to rest on countertops – you not only create more visual appeal and possibly make the display more convenient for your customers, but you also increase the amount of countertop space you have to work with AND the amount of space you have for merchandise!

If you plan to use other display fixtures with your acrylic bins or plastic containers, make sure you either choose the fixtures that will work with the containers you already have OR choose the containers that will work with the fixtures you already have.

3. Use Pre-Filled Candy Displays

No matter what kind of store, restaurant, or other business you manage, chances are high your customers would appreciate a candy display.

Pre-filled candy displays take the work out of creating your own candy display and, because there are so many different kinds of pre-filled candy displays, you’re sure to find the display your customers would like the most and the one that would be most lucrative for you.

Consider:

• Gumball Machines: You can find gumball machines designed to rest on countertops and pre-filled with colorful gumballs. You can even find these machines pre-filled with other kinds of candy and snacks and even small novelty toys.
• Lollipop Trees: Just like gumball machines, some lollipop trees are also designed “short” enough that you can situate them on your countertop.
• Pre-Filled Candy Containers: Most pre-filled candy containers (which are typically just plastic containers or acrylic bins) are filled with gumballs; however, you can sometimes find them filled with other kinds of candy your customers might like.

How to Choose the Best Plastic Container for Countertop Displays

Countertops are some of the most popular places to create merchandise displays. Most countertops are in the point of sale area of a store (because most countertops are where the checkout registers are located), and as such countertop displays encourage customers to make impulse purchases as they’re checking out.

Just as countertops are some of the most popular places to create merchandise displays, wholesale plastic containers are some of the most popular display fixtures to use to create countertop displays. Because they’re available in so many different shapes, sizes, and styles, a store owner would be hard pressed to think of a countertop display that plastic containers couldn’t create.

However, it’s also the lengthy list of shapes, sizes, and styles that sometimes makes it difficult for store owners to determine which would be the best plastic containers for product displays.

Below are three considerations you can take to help you determine which plastic containers would work the best with your countertop displays.

Consider Your Countertop Space

Your countertop space is the most important factor to consider – after all, your countertop is where your display will be located.

Fortunately, wholesale plastic containers for product displays are available in numerous shapes, sizes, and styles, so even if you only have a little bit of countertop space to work with, there are plastic containers out there for you.

Evaluate your countertop space and determine what sizes, shapes, and styles of containers would work best with your space. If you have a small countertop, you might be able to use a few small containers or one or two large containers. If you have an ample amount of countertop space, you might be able to use many small containers or several large containers to organize and display your merchandise.

Keep in mind that no matter how much countertop space you have to work with, you can use additional display fixtures to help you display as much merchandise as possible (see below).

Consider Your Merchandise

Your merchandise is the second most important thing to consider. Now that you know what kinds of containers you can use for your countertop displays, you can determine which kinds of merchandise would work best with those containers.

The kind of display you create will, of course, depend on the kind of store you manage.

Consider Additional Display Fixtures

Although they work quite well by themselves, wholesale plastic containers also work well with other kinds of display fixtures.

For example, you can find traditional convenience store racks designed for countertop displays that have shelves on which you can situate your plastic containers. You can also find wire display racks that work much the same way as convenience store racks as well as revolving bucket display racks that are designed to hold plastic buckets on all sides.

Using additional display fixtures with your plastic containers helps you make the most of the countertop space your store offers. This means you can increase the amount of merchandise you display – as well as your profits!

How to Create the Best Countertop Product Displays

No matter what kind of store you operate, countertops are among the most popular areas to create product displays. Situating merchandise on a countertop not only places it closer to the customers’ eyes and more within their reach, but it also encourages impulse purchases once the customers are ready to check out.

Think About Your Countertop Space

Before you think about anything else, you have to think about how much countertop space you have to work with. Some stores have large amounts of countertop space while others just have a few square feet of room by the checkout registers.

Choose the Best Merchandise

Now that you know how much countertop space you have to work with, it’s time to think about the best merchandise for your countertop product display.

If you have an ample amount of countertop space, you can choose large items for your product displays; however, if you only have a tiny amount of space to work with, it’s best to choose small merchandise items for your countertop product displays.

Aside from the amount of countertop space you have to work with, you also need to think about the kinds of merchandise items that customers are more likely to buy as they’re standing at the checkout counter.

For example, you might have enough countertop space to create a display of family-sized bags of chips and two-liter bottles of soda, but these aren’t the kinds of items most people purchase at the checkout counter. Most customers reach for merchandise like candy and small convenience items like lighters, travel-sized bottles of over-the-counter medication, and children’s toys like small plush animals and bouncy balls.

Simply put, the merchandise you use for your countertop product display needs to work with the amount of countertop space you have as well as the impulse buying habits customers at checkout counters tend to display.

Select the Most Convenient Product Display Fixtures

The most common display fixtures for countertop product displays are wholesale plastic containers. You can find these containers in many shapes, sizes, and styles perfect displaying edible items like both wrapped and unwrapped bulk candy as well as non-edible merchandise like children’s toys and convenience items.

However, you should keep in mind that there are many other kinds of display fixtures for countertop product displays that can help add convenience to your customers’ shopping experiences. Some of these additional fixtures work well with wholesale plastic containers while others come with plastic buckets already affixed or with other ways of displaying the merchandise.

For example, you can find:

• Wire display racks perfect for as few as one or two or as many as six or eight plastic buckets.

• Convenience store racks designed small enough for countertop use and on which you can place your wholesale plastic containers or stand-alone merchandise like bottles of soda and bags of chips or other treats.

• Revolving bucket racks designed to hold plastic buckets and spin so you can display – and customers can see and access – more merchandise.

Different Types of Plastic Containers for Product Sales

When you think about plastic containers for product sales, you probably think about traditional clear plastic containers in round, square, or hexagon shapes – and for good reason. These are the most popular and common kinds of containers for merchandise displays because they’re available in a wide variety of sizes and you can even find colored versions to add visual appeal to your product displays.

However, these kinds of plastic containers generally require countertop or table space or a display rack of some sort. If you don’t have that kind of space, or, you want to increase your display space, you can turn to other kinds of acrylic and plastic containers available for product sales – specifically, containers designed to hang from walls and wall fixtures and make the most of the space you have to work with within your store.

If your store includes the tools for slat wall displays or pegboard displays – or, if you’re thinking about including those display tools – check out the varieties of plastic containers below and discover new ways you can attractively and conveniently display your merchandise.

Visi-Bins

Visi-Bins generally come in three different forms: Those shaped like bins, buckets, or cups of varying depths, those shaped like trays, and those designed to hold gift cards. Thanks to all the different styles, Visi-Bins are fantastic types of plastic containers for product sales.

Most Visi-Bins are designed to hang from slat walls, but if you don’t have slat walls in your store you can find pegboard adaptors that allow you to hang them from pegboards.

Visi-Bins are ideal for a wide array of merchandise, which makes them great plastic containers for product sales. Naturally you can use the gift card trays for holding gift cards, but you can use:

• The bucket-style Visi-bins to hold children’s toys like small plush stuffed animals, bouncy balls, or action figures. You can also use the cup-shaped Visi-Bins for holding tall, skinny items like novelty pens and pencils.

• The tray-style Visi-Bins to hold small boxed merchandise like sports cards, playing cards, or office supplies.

Hang-A-Jars

Hang-A-Jar containers work much like the Visi-Bins shaped like cups work. You can find them in different sizes and they generally come with wire hangers so you can position them on either a pegboard or a slat wall.

Hang-A-Jars are ideal plastic containers for product sales. You can use them to create displays of small children’s toys, novelty pens or pencils, and bulk wrapped candies.

Hanging Cubes

Hanging cubes are similar to Visi-Bins and Hang-A-Jars in that they’re great plastic containers for product displays on both slat walls and pegboards.

Like their name suggests, these product display containers are shaped like cubes, which makes it easy for you to position them side by side and make the most of your wall display space. You can use hanging cubes to display the same kinds of items you’d display in Visi-Bins or Hang-A-Jars – including small novelty toys and bulk wrapped candies – and because you can find them in several different sizes, it’s easy to display as many or as few items as you want.

Compare and Create Retail Impulse Displays

You’ve probably seen a display of impulse merchandise in every retail store you’ve been in, and if your store doesn’t yet include one or two of these types of displays you could be missing out on lucrative revenue!

The best kinds of impulse merchandise items are generally small, low cost items customers can easily grab and not feel guilty about purchasing once they’ve left your store. Candy items and small novelty toys for their children are some of the most popular kinds of impulse purchases, but as you’re deciding what kinds of merchandise to include keep two points in mind:

1. The kinds of customers your store usually sees. For example, if your store caters to children or adults who often shop with children, candy and small novelty toys might make the best impulse purchase displays.
2. Your store’s bestsellers. If you already know of a few inexpensive, small items your store tends to sell a lot of, consider creating an impulse purchase display filled with these items.
   

Below are three ideas for creating your own or purchasing pre-filled displays or retail impulse displays for your store.

Countertop Displays Are Ideal for Retail Impulse Purchases

Countertop displays are the most ideal for retail impulse purchases, and for two reasons:

1. The customers are stationary, so it’s more likely they’ll spend a minute looking at whatever product has caught their eyes.
2. The customers are checking out, and that “now or never” feeling makes it more likely they’ll add on the extra merchandise. Once the merchandise items are in their hands at the checkout counter, they’re less likely to change their minds.
   

You can find pre-filled displays racks for your countertops filled with popular candies or novelty toys. For example, many distributors provide store owners with a selection of pre-filled lollipop trees and plastic containers filled with candies like Jawbreakers or Gumballs.

You can use common display fixtures such as colored or clear plastic containers, revolving bucket racks, post card racks, spinner racks, or pegboard displays to create your own impulse purchase display.

Create Floor Displays Near Your Countertop for Retail Impulse Purchases

Although countertop displays are best for retail impulse purchases, they’re not the only options. You can create floor displays throughout your store – and especially near your store’s checkout counter – with impulse purchases in mind.

As with checkout countertop displays, you can find floor display racks already filled with impulse purchase merchandise or you can combine the same kinds of racks with your customers’ favorite candies and novelty toys to create your own retail impulse purchase displays.

Hang Wall Displays Near Your Countertop for Retail Impulse Purchases

Wall displays of impulse purchase merchandise are similar to floor displays – they’re not quite as ideal as countertop displays but, positioned near your countertop or in an area often frequented by the kinds of customers who enjoy that particular merchandise, they can be rather effective.

You can find wall display fixtures already filled with popular candies and novelty items. Usually, these fixtures include levels of buckets filled with impulse merchandise and are designed to mount on your wall.

If you already have wall display fixtures such as slatwall fixtures and acrylic containers for hanging, you can create your own wall displays for retail impulse purchases.

Plastic and Acrylic Displays Are Ideal for Showcasing Bulk Candy

Candy stores aren’t the only establishments in the business of selling candy! So many retail locations showcase candy to create additional merchandise for customers, and the most popular – and convenient – places to showcase bulk candy using plastic containers or acrylic bins are your countertop, your floor, and your wall.

Create a Countertop Display

Countertop displays are probably the most popular way to display bulk candies (unless you manage an actual candy store, in which the entire establishment is a display!).

To create a countertop display of bulk candy, you can do one of two things (or, both):

1. Create Your Own: Acrylic bins come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and you can choose the ones that best fit your countertop and then situate them to create an attractive countertop display.
2. Get Some Help: You can find plastic bucket racks with 6, 8, and 10 buckets designed for showcasing small merchandise like bulk candies on your countertop. You can also use wire racks designed to hold acrylic radeus scoop bins. These racks usually hold a bin on the top shelf and a bin on the bottom shelf, maximizing your display space.
   

Create a Floor Display

Plastic containers and acrylic bins are just as ideal for floor displays as they are for countertop displays, and you can create attractive bulk candy displays on your store’s floor following the same two suggestions:

Consider these two ideas for bulk candy floor displays using acrylic bins:

1. Create Your Own: Creating your own floor display of bulk candy is easy! If you want to use acrylic bins or plastic containers to create bulk candy displays on the floor, you can position the same kinds of acrylic containers you would use for a countertop display on floor display racks. All you need are the acrylic bins best suited for your candy and a display rack designed for floor use. Once you have those tools, you can situate the display rack somewhere on your store’s floor that will offer the best visibility and convenience and then position your acrylic bins on the rack. Presto!
2. Get Some Help: Plastic bucket display racks designed for floor displays can help you quickly and conveniently showcase your bulk candy. These display racks come in fixed position and rotating models and you can find them with as many as 30 acrylic buckets.
   

Create a Wall Display

Walls are often forgotten when it comes to creating store displays, but creating wall displays are ideal ways to make the most of the space within a store.

If you’re considering a wall display for showcasing bulk candy, consider two options:

• Gravity Bins or Dry Food Dispensers: Gravity bins and dry food dispensers (names that are often used interchangeably) are some of the most popular acrylic containers for wall displays and excellent fixtures for holding bulk candy. You’ve probably seen these acrylic wall containers holding food items like dry cereals and coffee; however, gravity bins and dry food dispensers are perfect for displaying unwrapped bulk candies. The closed containers keep the candies clean while they wait for customers, and customers can easily access the amount of candy they want while leaving the rest untouched.
• Funnel Front Bins and Slatwalls: Funnel front acrylic bins fitted to mount to slatwalls generally include candy scoops or rakes (and side slots to hold them) for customers to push candy to a “funnel” and then open a door and catch the candy in a bag or container. Funnel front bins and slatwalls offer a lot of freedom because you can position your bins however high, low, close together, or far apart you want on the slatwall, and they’re generally easy to reposition if you ever want to change your display around.

Create Countertop Displays with Bucket Racks

If you manage any kind of retail business, chances are you have a countertop (or two!). Countertops are where most stores’ checkout registers are located, but they’re also ideal places for merchandise displays.

If you haven’t yet created a countertop display for your store, or you’re looking for ways to spice up the countertop display you currently have, consider using bucket display racks.

Small Merchandise Is Best for Bucket Display Racks

Bucket displays are best for showcasing small merchandise, whether it’s edible merchandise like wrapped candies or non-edible merchandise like novelty toys or convenience items. This works well if you’re choosing racks with buckets for your countertop displays because most stores tend to display smaller items on their countertops and near their registers.

Browse Different Kinds of Bucket Rack Displays

Now that you have an idea about the kinds of merchandise you want to display in the rack’s buckets, it’s time to think about two other facts that will help you as you browse the different kinds of bucket display racks: The amount of merchandise you want to display, and whether you want a stationary or revolving rack.

Even for countertops, bucket racks are available in a variety of sizes and with as few as two buckets or as many as ten buckets. Choose a bucket rack based on how much merchandise you want to display. Racks with few buckets, for example, are ideal for small candy displays, while racks with several buckets are great for creating an elaborate display of a number of common convenience items like key chains, lighters, pens, eyeglass repair kits, and items to keep children busy during long trips like novelty toys, small coloring books, and crayons.

Like their floor counterparts, bucket racks for countertop displays are available in both fixed position and revolving models. Personal preference will most likely help you make your decision. Fixed position racks generally position the buckets side by side and on two or three levels, or “hang” the buckets from wire or metal rods. Revolving bucket racks are great for maximizing your countertop space. When you choose a revolving rack, you’re making use of each of the rack’s sides and making your customers’ shopping experience even more convenient because they can spin the rack to see all the items.

Of course, you must keep your countertop’s size in mind. Choose racks with few buckets if you don’t have much space to work with, or choose revolving racks to make the most of the space your countertop offers.

Not All Buckets Are Plastic: Consider Wooden Basket Racks

Although they’re not typically called “buckets,” wooden baskets and display racks function in much the same way as traditional plastic buckets and containers while adding some extra visual charm to your display.

Like other kinds of bucket displays, you can find both fixed position and revolving wooden display racks. These racks generally come with anywhere from three to eight wooden baskets and are idea for showcasing everything from edible items like candy bars and wrapped gumballs to non-edible items like small children’s toys and travel-sized convenience items and hygiene products.

3 Display Fixtures for Creating Countertop Candy Displays

Countertop candy displays are lucrative merchandise options for a wide variety of businesses. Stores that already specialize in selling food items, such as candy stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores, can benefit from candy displays on their countertops, as can businesses that generally focus on selling other kinds of merchandise, like gift shops, bookstores, toy stores, and even hotels and motels.

Countertops are ideal places to create candy displays because these areas are generally the last places customers are before they checkout and leave. Countertop displays allow customers to see the available candies without having to hunt for them and, because nearly everyone loves candy, many customers are likely to make a purchase as they’re checking out.

Of course, in order to create an attractive, effective, and convenient countertop display of candy, you have to think about the best ways you can showcase the candy. Below are three common display fixtures ideal for candy displays on countertops.

Candy Containers

Some store owners opt to create their own candy displays (as opposed to using display racks; see below) and in order to do this they need to use candy containers. The most popular kinds of candy containers include:

• Plastic candy containers and plastic fish bowls

• Glass candy jars and glass fish bowls

• Wooden baskets

Note that these containers come in many different shapes and sizes. Make sure you choose the size and shape that will work best with your countertop’s space as well as the material (plastic, glass, or wood) that will work best with your store’s traffic volume. Also remember that if you’re display unwrapped candies you’ll need containers with accessories like lids and scoops.

Display Racks

Although there are two basic kinds of display racks (rotating and fixed position), when it comes to choosing display racks for your countertop’s candy display, it might feel as if the possibilities are endless!

• Revolving Display Racks: Revolving display racks include wooden racks with wooden baskets, pegboard racks with two or four sides, and spinning racks great for hanging small bags of candy. Some store owners also use turntable cereal dispensers, filling the tubes with candy instead of cereal.

• Fixed Position Display Racks: Fixed position display racks include bucket racks with buckets designed to sit or hang, and racks with shelves for placing candy containers (these racks mostly resemble traditional convenience store racks; they’re just smaller versions that fit on your countertop).

As is the case with the many different kinds of candy containers, fixed position and revolving display racks are available in an assortment of sizes and, if you’re displaying unwrapped candies you should also look for accessories like lids and scoops.

Pre-Filled Candy Displays

Pre-filled candy displays are ideal for store’s that are just getting started as well as busy store owners who don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to arranging their countertop displays.

Store owners can find pre-filled candy displays in most of the same forms of the empty containers and display racks. For example, it’s possible to order both pre-filled candy containers (plastic or glass) as well as display racks with buckets already filled with candy.

Keep in mind that pre-filled lollipop trees are also convenient options for countertop candy displays.

7 Types of Rotating Racks for Your Countertop Displays

Whether it’s a candy store, hotel, or yogurt shop, nearly every kind of business has a countertop, and each one that does has a need for countertop displays. Of course, with countertop displays come countertop display racks, and many store owners choose to use rotating display racks on their countertops for two reasons:

1. When the merchandise is located on a countertop, rotating racks offer customers much more convenience. Customers can easily spin the racks to see all the items for sale.
2. Revolving racks allow store owners to showcase much more merchandise than do fixed position racks with just one side of space for merchandise.
   

Below are seven of the most common and useful racks you can use for your countertop displays.

1. Wooden Display Racks

Rotating wooden racks for countertop displays are excellent fixtures for organizing and showcasing small items. The wooden baskets act like buckets and provide ideal amounts of space for merchandise such as small children’s toys, bags of candies or other treats, or convenience items such as eyeglass repair kits, all-in-one tools, lighters, travel-sized manicure sets, and key chains.

Most establishments that use wooden display racks are retail businesses such as convenience stores, candy stores, toy stores, and bookstores, though other kinds of businesses, like hotels and motels, can use wooden racks to create displays on their countertops, too.

2. Pegboard Display Racks

Rotating pegboard racks for countertop displays generally come in two varieties: flat racks with two display sides and box-style racks with four display sides. Store owners can display items on pegboard racks using several different kinds of accessories including pegs or “hooks” from which to hang items, pegboard trays, pegboard buckets, and divider bins.

3. Spinner Display Racks

Spinner racks for countertop displays are available with several spinning “levels” for hanging merchandise. Spinner racks are generally quite small (when compared to other kinds of rotating countertop racks) and ideal for businesses with little countertop space to work with – and small, hanging items to showcase!

4. Turntable Cereal Dispensers

Turntable cereal dispensers are ideal for any business that sells breakfast foods such as cafeterias, restaurants, and specialty food shops like bagel shops and yogurt shops, as well as hotels and motels that offer continental breakfasts. Of course, these establishments as well as other kinds of businesses can use turntable dispensers to organize and display other kinds of edible items like wrapped and unwrapped candies.

These turntables are available with several tubes of various sizes and with handles attached so customers can easily access the food items.

5. Post Card Display Racks

Revolving post card racks for countertop displays do just what their name suggests – helps you organize and display post cards on your counter! These racks are ideal for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries, such as hotels and motels, as well as other common businesses in tourist areas such as souvenir shops.

6. Earring Card Display Racks

Similar to post card racks, revolving earring card racks for countertop displays have a pretty straightforward name; however, earring racks can also display other kinds of items fixed to cards such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair clips.

7. Tiered Display Racks

Revolving tiered racks for countertop displays usually provide two or three “tiers,” or flat spaces, spin for customers’ convenience. Some tiered racks include special trays for holding items, such as tester bottles of cosmetics, perfumes, or colognes. Because of the variety of options they offer, these racks are great for several different kinds of business including gift shops, welcome centers, and cosmetics counters.

Using Plastic Fish Bowls in Your Convenience Store Display

Plastic fish bowls are classic display tools in all retail settings, and they’re especially useful in convenience stores.

Like their glass counterparts, plastic fish bowl containers are versatile and ideal for a variety of purposes; however, they’re more durable when it comes to withstanding the fast-paced, high-traffic environment of a convenience store. They’re also available in an assortment of sizes, making them perfect for everything from gumballs to small children’s toys!

Use Plastic Fish Bowls to Create Countertop Displays

Each display in a convenience store is important in its own right; without them, there would be no merchandise for the customers!

However, countertop displays are perhaps one of the most crucial kinds of displays in convenience stores. Countertop displays use a small space to showcase a vast array of merchandise just as a customer is getting ready to check out.

As you’re thinking about how to use these kinds of fish bowls in your countertop displays, consider these ideas:

• Plastic fish bowls are great for candy displays. Fill your bowls with anything from Tootsie Rolls to Jawbreakers!

• You can use these fish bowls to display small children’s toys like bouncy balls.

• Fill your fish bowls with small convenience items like travel-sized manicure sets, sewing kits, or eyeglass repair kits.

• Use your fish bowls to display common convenience items like lighters or matchbooks.

• Fish bowls are perfect for creating a display of souvenir items like key chains with your state’s logo.

Pair Plastic Fish Bowls with Wire Display Racks

Just as they work well for countertop displays, plastic fish bowls are ideal for use on wire display racks. Because wire display racks are available in many sizes and shapes, you can create larger displays and position them anywhere in your convenience store.

For example, you might want to create a display of fish bowls filled with wrapped gumballs near a larger candy display, or you might want to showcase travel-sized hygiene products near a shelf filled with full-sized bottles of shampoos, soaps, and lotions.

Use Plastic Fish Bowls in the Deli

Many convenience stores sell more than just fuel, quick snacks, and last minute items like full- or travel-sized hygiene products customers might have forgotten to pack for their trips or pick up while they were doing their regular shopping. Some convenience stores include deli-style areas where customers – whether traveling through or local to the town – can stop for a meal.

If your convenience store offers a deli-style area, you can use plastic fish bowls:

• On your deli’s countertop or on each table in the deli to collect tips from customers.

• Near the coffee machine or on each table in the deli to hold packets of sugar, creamer, and sweetener.

• On each table in the deli to hold packets of condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, as well as seasonings like sugar, salt, and pepper.

• On your deli’s countertop or on each individual table to offer customers after-dinner mints, toothpicks, or complimentary matchbooks.

Using Fishbowl Containers as Display Tools

From convenience stores to gift shops, many different kinds of retail businesses can use fishbowl containers as display tools.

Just take a look at how versatile fishbowls are:

• You can find both plastic fishbowls and glass fishbowls. Choose the material that best suits your store’s environment and atmosphere. For example, if you manage a fast-paced convenience store or gas station, use plastic fishbowl containers for your displays. If your store offers a more laid back atmosphere and you want to add elegant charm to your displays, select glass fishbowl containers.

• Fishbowls come in a variety of sizes, so you can choose which ones will work best with the amount of space you have work with. For example, if you plan to create a countertop display with your fishbowls but don’t have much countertop space, choose a few small fishbowl containers or one or two larger versions.

• Other display tools, such as wire display racks, work well with fishbowls. You can find these racks big enough for floor displays and small enough for countertop displays. You can use any kind of fishbowl with these display racks as long as they securely sit on the racks, but because display racks slightly increase the chances of accidents (such as a customer bumping into them), plastic fishbowls might be your best option.

Use Fishbowl Containers to Create a Countertop Display

Like traditional square or round plastic containers, plastic fishbowl containers are ideal tools for creating countertop displays. These spheres are perfect for displaying small candies as well as non-edible items like key chains, matchbooks, and lighters.

The size and number of fishbowls you use for your display will depend on how much countertop space you have. Choose the material of your fishbowls – plastic or glass – based on the amount of traffic your countertop area experiences as well as the kind of visual appeal you’re trying to create. Plastic works best for countertop areas that see high volumes of traffic, while glass adds more elegance to your display.

And, keep in mind you can use wire display racks to make the most of your countertop space (see below).

Pair Fishbowl Containers with Floor Wire Display Racks

If your countertop doesn’t offer a lot of space, or you’d rather spread your fishbowl displays throughout your store, you can use wire display racks. Wire display racks are available in designs suitable for both countertop displays and floor displays.

Choose wire display racks designed for countertop displays if your countertop doesn’t offer much room, or you simply want to make the most of the room it does offer. These racks generally come with one to three shelves and are ideal for small fishbowls filled with small candies or mini add-on items.

Wire display racks designed for floor displays offer numerous shelves and are great for showcasing additional small items at the end of your aisles next to larger, similar displays. For example, you might want to create a display of travel-sized hygiene products next to your larger display of full-sized items.

Keep in mind that placing your fishbowls on wire display racks means they’re higher off the ground, so you might want to choose plastic fishbowls for these displays.

How Can You Use Fishbowl Containers in Your Business?

Long gone have been the days that clear fishbowl containers were intended solely for holding fish. These days, a number of businesses use fishbowls to display merchandise, collect tips, and overall make their customers’ experiences more convenient.

These tasks become even easier thanks to the variety of sizes and styles. Depending on the purpose of your fishbowl you can find small, medium, and large sizes, and depending on your business’s environment you can choose plastic or glass fishbowls.

Two kinds of businesses that can especially use fishbowl containers are retails stores and restaurants.

Retail Stores Use Fishbowl Containers as Display Tools

When you think of display containers for your retail store, traditional round or square containers made of glass or plastic are probably the first kinds that come to your mind; however, fishbowl containers are extremely popular choices and offer as much durability and versatility as common plastic containers.

Convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, hobby shops, gift shops, bookstores – these are all examples of retail businesses that can use fishbowl containers to better organize and display their merchandise. If you operate any of these kinds of stores, think about the following ways you can use these containers:

• Arrange fishbowl containers on your store’s countertop. Countertop displays are crucial for any business with a countertop. Fishbowl containers are available in several sizes; choose the one that best fits the countertop space you have to work with and create a display to showcase some of your store’s best add-on merchandise.

• Situate your fishbowl containers on wire display racks. Like fishbowls, wire display racks come in a variety of styles and sizes and you can find them designed for both floor and countertop display purposes. Choose fishbowl containers in sizes appropriate for your wire display racks, or order wire display racks to in sizes that will suit your fishbowls.

Restaurants Use Fishbowl Containers to Increase Customer Convenience

Fishbowl containers are excellent tools for storing and displaying merchandise, but they’re also great ways to increase your customers’ convenience if you operate any kind of restaurant, tavern, or “bar and grill” establishment.

If you manage one of these kinds of businesses, consider the following ideas for using fishbowl containers to increase your customers’ convenience:

• Situate a medium-sized, round fishbowl container at individual tables, along your countertop, or near your register to collect tips from customers. Many kinds of restaurants accept tips from customers, and these containers offer an easier and safer alternative to leaving tips on the tables or countertops.

• Use small fishbowls to hold additional meal items such as seasonings, condiments, and after dinner mints. Packets of salt, pepper, sugar, sweetener, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise fit perfectly inside small fishbowl containers and placing them on each of your restaurant’s tables helps ensure customers always have what they need.

• Use small or medium-sized fishbowls to hold non-edible items such as complimentary matchbooks with your restaurant’s logo or small drawing pads and crayons to keep children occupied while they wait for their food.

How Can Your Store Use Plastic Containers?

Plastic containers are ideal for organizing, storing, and displaying an assortment of merchandise types and nearly every kind of store – from convenience stores and grocery stores to bookstores and gift shops – can use these containers.

Answering the following questions will help you determine how your store can best use plastic containers for storage and display purposes.

Does Your Store Have Ample Countertop Space?

If your store has a countertop, take a look at the amount of space you have to work with on top.

Storeowners with large countertops to work with generally use this space to create convenient and visually appealing countertop displays with plastic containers. With plenty of countertop space to work with, the list of display types you can create is nearly endless. You can create fun displays of colored acrylic containers filled with food-related items like candy, breath mints, and bubblegum, or you can arrange a number of containers on your countertop to display nonfood items like small children’s toys, souvenir items like key chains, and convenience items like lighters.

However, if you don’t have much available countertop space to work with, you might still have enough room for one or two small plastic containers filled with add-on items. Depending on the kind of store you run, these add-on items might include small kinds of merchandise such as candy, key chains, or bookmarks.

Does Your Store Use Display Racks?

If you use display racks anywhere in your store – such as near the countertop and register, throughout the aisles, or close to the entryway – chances are you can increase the number of items you display on these racks by placing them in plastic containers.

Obviously, you can situate stand-alone plastic containers on racks with built-in shelves; however, you also have options if you use pegboard racks. Pegboard displays are designed to accommodate acrylic buckets and bins with pegs that fasten them in place. These kinds of displays are great for organizing and displaying a specialty shop’s hobby and craft items like beads and buttons, as well as an accessory boutique’s costume jewelry pieces like rings and hair accessories.

Keep in mind that small display racks are ideal for countertop displays, too. Regardless of your countertop’s size, these racks can help you make the most of the space you have.

Does Your Store Sell Any Kind of Food Items?

The phrase “food items” includes many different kinds of merchandise.

For example, your store might not sell meal items, but it might sell candy, in which case you need plastic containers of various sizes to organize and display the different kinds of candy. Your store might be a deli or bakery, and you need food grade acrylic containers with lids to store and display sandwich toppings or bagels, donuts, brownies, or cupcakes. You might manage an ice cream parlor or yogurt shop and need acrylic bins with handles or scoops for your toppings.

Simply consider the kinds of food items your store sells to determine the kind of plastic containers that will best do the job.

Using Plastic Containers in Your Restaurant

You might think plastic containers are only for businesses that sell non-edible items customers can access themselves, but this simply isn’t the case.

Restaurants of all sorts depend on acrylic containers for a number of food and nonfood storage and display purposes, and three of the most common areas where restaurants can use these containers are the kitchen, the dining room, and the register and checkout area.

Your Restaurant’s Kitchen

The most common kinds of containers you’ll need in your restaurant’s kitchen are food grade acrylic containers. Think of “food grade acrylic containers” as an all-encompassing name for containers designed to keep food fresh, clean, and safe for consumption. Most food grade containers come with attached lids or lids designed to snap or spin, and many times you need to pair these containers with accessories like aluminum or plastic food scoops.

The kind of food grade containers you choose for your restaurant’s kitchen basically depends on the kind of food and food preparation goes on in the kitchen. You might need bins with lids, dispensers designed to mount on the wall, or a combination of both styles.

Your Restaurant’s Dining Area

You can use plastic containers in your restaurant’s dining area in numerous ways. For example, if your restaurant is one of those that keeps its tables covered in paper for children to draw and color on, you can use acrylic containers to hold the crayons. If your restaurant serves coffee or tea, you can use small plastic containers to hold packets of sugar and sweetener and stir sticks. Of course, if your restaurant is a buffet or offers any kind of additional meal item outside of the kitchen, you’ll need food grade plastic containers to hold and display your these food items.

Keep in mind that if your restaurant is more of a fast food or deli-style establishment, you can use these containers to hold additional items customers will need during their meals such as:

• Edible items like packets of condiments like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, as well as seasonings like salt, pepper, and sugar.

• Non-edible items like straws, coffee stir sticks, cups, lids, napkins, and hand wipes.

Your Restaurant’s Register and Checkout

Just because your customers are getting ready to checkout doesn’t mean your need for acrylic containers is over. You can use plastic containers near your register and checkout area in a variety of ways!

Depending on the kind of restaurant you own, you might want to use these containers to:

• Display additional food or other related items like breath mints, lollipops, bubblegum, or even toothpicks.

• Act as tip jars or places for professionals to drop their business cards for any promotional drawings your restaurant holds.

• Display non-edible merchandise like matchbooks or key chains with the restaurant’s logo.

Remember, you can easily use colored acrylic containers near the register and checkout areas if you’d like. Think about your restaurant’s theme or color scheme and have fun with your plastic container displays in these areas!

Colorful Ideas for Neon Pegboard Displays

If you think your store display options are limited to plain white or clear convenience store-style racks, think again.

Neon pegboard racks are quite adaptable for displaying an assortment of merchandise types in various locations throughout your store. You can find these racks in numerous colors (such as classic clear, black or white as well as bright blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, and orange), which will help you add visual appeal to your display. And, because these racks are also available in both floor and countertop display models of various heights and widths, they make it easy for you to accommodate the amount of space you have to work with and most kinds of small merchandise you want to display.

Neon Pegboard Floor Racks and Countertop Displays

When it comes to neon pegboard displays, versatility is the word! You can find these displays in both floor rack and countertop rack models, making it easy for you to choose the rack that not only works the best with the space you have to work with within your store, but also the model that will organize and display your merchandise in ways that offer the most convenience to your customers.

Of course, neon pegboard racks do more than just sit there, look pretty, and display your merchandise. You can find:

• Revolving or Spinning Racks: Pegboard racks that revolve or spin work extremely well for stores that have limited floor space (such as those that require you to place the racks near the store’s walls or corners), as well as atop countertops where customers can’t move themselves to view the merchandise hanging on each side of the rack.

• Racks of Various Heights and Widths: Whether you need floor racks or countertop racks, you can find them in a variety of heights and widths. If you want to create a floor display for an ample quantity of merchandise, choose a wide pegboard floor rack. If you’re creating a countertop display where space is limited, choose a tall pegboard countertop rack so you can include more items without taking up as much countertop space.

Accessories for Your Store’s Neon Pegboard Displays

Neon pegboard racks generally aren’t functional “as is”; you’ll need a few accessories before you can start using them.

• Hooks: If you want to display merchandise designed to hang, you’ll need hooks for your rack display. You can find these in wire or plastic.

• Trays and Cups: Plastic and acrylic trays and cups are available in various widths and depths and are ideal for displaying items that aren’t designed to hang.

• Extensions: Store displays often change, and sometimes this means the amount of merchandise in a display increases or decreases. Thanks to extensions, you don’t have to use a different pegboard rack every time you want to switch up your display.

• Header Sign Holders: These holders help you display signs – such as those announcing a price or a certain item promotion – on top of your pegboard rack. Sign holders are generally available in clear and in rectangle or half-circle shapes.

Hey, Store Owners: Candy Isn’t Just for Kids Anymore

Because candy is so popular, a number of retail businesses such as convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores include candy displays on their countertops or on display racks situated throughout their stores. Even establishments that aren’t generally in the business of selling food products, like hotels, bookstores, and gift shops, will create candy displays to offer customers add-on merchandise as they’re shopping or checking out.

Most of these establishments – especially gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores – sell mainstream candies like Atomic Fireballs, Good & Plenty, Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, and Mike & Ike. Chances are, you’ve never been to one of these kinds of stores and not seen some kind of candy display that included M&Ms, Laffy Taffy, Sprees, or Runts. This is due to the wide variety of customers these businesses deal with on a daily basis. These kinds of candies generally appeal to the masses.

While these common candies certainly have something to offer (they wouldn’t be so popular if they didn’t, after all), sometimes businesses cater to customers who aren’t fans of candies like Tootsie Rolls, Lemonheads, and Bit-O-Honey. Businesses that attract customers with more mature tastes in candy can still benefit from having candy displays; they just need to use candies that appeal more to these kinds of customers. Such candies include gourmet chocolates.

Consider Gourmet Chocolates

European-style gourmet chocolates are excellent additions to your store’s gourmet candy display. These candies with their fancy wrappers and wide variety of types appeal to many customers. You can find milk chocolate-covered European-style gourmet candies like covered raisins, dried cherries, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, and almonds, as well as other kinds of chocolate candies like pretzel twists, malted milk balls, coffee beans, espresso beans, and caramel corn.

Another gourmet candy to consider is rich gourmet chocolate. You can find a wide variety of rich, gourmet chocolate candies including Mint Meltaways and Peanut Butter Meltaways, Coconut Haystacks, Vanilla Caramels, and Peanut Butter Cups. For customers who enjoy chocolate-covered nuts, consider Rocky Road Clusters, Peanut Caramel Patties, Cashew Caramel Patties, Pecan Caramel Patties, and Toffee with Almonds. Also keep in mind that you can find sugar-free versions of many rich gourmet chocolate candies, too.

Displaying Gourmet Chocolates

You can display gourmet candies much the same ways as you can display other kinds of candies. You can create countertop displays for your gourmet chocolates, or you can use display racks to hold the candy containers and situate the displays throughout your store.

Acrylic or plastic containers are perfect for storing and displaying just about any kind of candy or sweet treat, and gourmet candies are no different in that respect. Of course, given that these candies are gourmet you might want to forgo colored or clear plastic containers and use glass candy containers instead. Glass candy jars provide a look of elegance that’s perfect for displaying gourmet chocolates. Regardless of the kind of containers you choose for your candy display, make sure your jars have lids if they’re going to hold unwrapped candies.

Choosing Candy for Countertop Displays

Candy is one of the most common items included in countertop displays. There’s plenty to choose from, so it’s easy for storeowners to choose a selection that will please their customers, and it’s popular among a wide variety of customers, which means you’re just as likely to please a shopping grandmother as you are to please the grandson she’s with.

As a business owner, maybe you’ve already decided what kind of candy your store will sell, as well as the kind of candy you’re going to display on your countertop; however, if you need some help, consider these two factors: the kinds of customers your store will attract and the countertop space you have to work with.

Consider Your Customers

Because they cater to a wide variety of customers, retail businesses like convenience stores and grocery stores tend to include just as wide a variety of candies in their countertop displays. For example, bulk wrapped candies like Laffy Taffy, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Starlight Mints, Jolly Ranchers, and Atomic Fireballs tend to satisfy the masses, as do bulk unwrapped candies like Mike & Ike, Good & Plenty, Hot Tamales, Jelly Beans, Skittles, M&Ms, Runts, and Sprees.

However, if your business deals with a more mature demographic, you might want to consider candies like European-Style Gold Label Chocolates and Rich’s Gourmet Chocolates. These kinds of candies work well to make your countertop displays more appealing for customers who’ve outgrown the days of Jawbreakers and Tootsie Rolls. While they’re popular in convenience stores and grocery stores, they’re also well received in more formal restaurant settings and hotels.

Consider the Size of Your Countertop

Countertop displays that feature candy require containers to organize, store, and showcase that candy. You have many options to choose from including colored and clear plastic containers, food grade plastic containers, and glass jars. The kind of containers you choose will depend on the kind of candy you sell as well as the overall environment of your convenience store.

If you have ample countertop space to work with, you can display several different kinds of candies using numerous medium-sized or small candy containers or a few large candy containers. You might want to situate your candy bins atop countertop racks, or you might want to get creative and play with the positions of the containers to form your own display.

However, if your store’s countertop isn’t very large, you’ll probably need to use small glass or plastic containers; you might also be able to situate one or two large candy containers on your countertop. Keep in mind that countertop display racks work well to make the most of the space you have to work with.

Also remember that if you opt to include unwrapped candies in your countertop display, you should store them in glass or plastic containers with lids and make sure your customers have access to aluminum or plastic scoops. The lids help keep the candy fresh and clean, and the scoop makes it possible for your customers to easily dig out the amount of candy they want without contaminating the rest of it.

Where to Position Your Convenience Store Racks

No convenience store is complete without a few display racks. Convenience store racks are ideal ways to organize and display a store’s merchandise, and because these racks are available in an assortment of styles and sizes, there’s virtually no end to the list of display and location possibilities.

Depending on the size of your convenience store, you might be able to use display racks within your store’s aisles, on the countertops, in the deli-style area, and even near the main entries and exits.

Situate Display Racks Near Your Store’s Aisles

One of the most popular places for storeowners to place convenience store racks is at either end of their stores’ aisles; sometimes, if there’s enough room, they can even place racks in the aisles.

There’s really no limit to the kinds of merchandise you can display using these racks. Some ideas might include bagged items like potato chips, peanuts, and trail mix, as well as other wrapped items like granola or breakfast bars, candy bars, and cookies. Some storeowners like to use these racks to display cases of soda and liters too large to fit in the refrigerated section of the store.

Choose Smaller Racks for Registers and Countertops

Another common place for storeowners to use convenience store racks to display merchandise is on the countertops near the registers. These displays offer customers a sort of “last chance” buying option for add-on items.

Usually, merchandise in these kinds of displays includes small, edible items like pieces of candy, gumballs, and lollipops in colored or clear plastic containers. If the countertop offers enough space, you might want to display slightly larger items like candy bars and single-serving bags of chips; with this kind of merchandise, you can generally just place the items directly on the display racks or place the entire box – such as is the case with candy bars – on the rack.

Deli-Style Areas Offer Numerous Options for Display Racks

If your convenience store provides a deli-style area, you can use display racks to organize and offer everything from sandwich dressings and condiments to trays of baked goods like cookies, brownies, and breakfast biscuits. You can also use convenience store racks to hold plastic containers of napkins, straws, and packets of coffee sweetener and creamer, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Be Careful With Merchandise Near Entries and Exits

Because it makes it easy for thieves to make a quicker getaway, positioning convenience store racks near a store’s entries and exits is tricky; however, it’s not impossible. Some stores like small gas stations and even larger convenience stores have to make the most of the floor space they have to work with, and many storeowners choose to situate merchandise-laden display racks near their establishments’ doorways.

If you choose your store’s entries and exits as locations for your display racks, make sure to choose merchandise too large for someone to easily walk away with, such as the same kind of items you’d place in your aisles – large bags of chips, cases of soda, and the like.

Preparing Your Countertop for a Candy Display

Countertop displays of candy are essential for convenience stores, and they also work well in grocery stores, restaurants and hotels.

However, whether you want to create an elaborate display along your countertop or one that includes just a few simple add-on items, you need to consider three things before you start thinking about what kind of candy you want to include in your countertop display: the about the amount of countertop space you have to work with, the difference kinds of candy containers that are available to you, and whether countertop racks would benefit your display.

1. Amount of Countertop Space

The amount of countertop space you have to work with is the key to how everything else regarding your countertop display will play out. If you have plenty of room, you’ll be able to display a much wider variety of candies using more – or larger – candy containers than you would if you only have a small space to work with.

2. Different Kinds of Candy Containers

Once you have a good handle on how much countertop space you have to work with, you can start thinking about the kinds of candy containers you want to use.

• Plastic Candy Containers: These containers are probably the most popular kinds among convenience stores, grocery stores, and other fast pasted retail settings. These containers are quite sturdy, so they’re less likely to break if you or a customer accidentally bumps into them. Clear plastic containers are common choices, but don’t forget about colored acrylic containers. These bins can help you have fun with your countertop displays!
• Food Grade Plastic Containers: Not to be confused with regular plastic containers, food grade plastic containers are designed to keep food fresh and safe from contamination. These bins generally come equipped with lids that you can either snap or screw in place or that are already hinged on the container, as well as plastic or aluminum scoops for customers to get the candy.
• Glass Candy Jars: Though they’re not quite as popular as plastic candy containers, glass candy jars are stylish alternatives for businesses that aim to give off a sense of elegance or charm. Glass jars especially work well for establishments that don’t see high volumes of rambunctious traffic, like hotels and restaurants.
  

Regardless of what kind of candy containers you think will work best in your store, remember to keep your countertop space in mind as you’re selecting them.

3. Using Countertop Racks

Countertop racks are available in a variety of styles and are ideal for countertops of nearly every size. As long as you select racks designed to hold the kind of candy containers you want to use in your display, these racks will help you make the most of your countertop space.

Once you’ve evaluated your countertop space, selected the kind of candy containers you want to use, and determined whether countertop racks will benefit you, you’ll be ready to choose the kind of candy you want to include in your countertop display!

Why Should Convenience Stores Buy in Bulk?

Convenience stores and the majority of other retail businesses benefit greatly from ordering bulk wholesale merchandise.

Bulk wholesale prices are generally less expensive than any other ordering method. Storeowners can order nearly any kind of merchandise they need in bulk, and this option also allows them to make sure their stores stay well stocked with their customers’ favorite items. Plus, ordering merchandise in bulk at wholesale prices also minimizes the amount of packaging the storeowners – and the environment – has to deal with.

Bulk Items Wholesale Are Perfect for Convenience Stores

There are so many different kinds of items you can order in bulk at wholesale prices, but especially of interest for convenience stores and other retail settings is bulk candy.

Retail businesses can order bulk wrapped candies and showcase them in countertop displays with clear plastic containers or colored acrylic bins, or put them in containers on convenience store racks or wooden basket displays designed to situate anywhere throughout the store. They can also order bulk unwrapped candies, such as gumballs and other small kinds of candies, to display in places like gumball machines.

Bulk Wholesale Prices Are Ideal for Retail Businesses

Simply put, you save money when you order your store’s wholesale items in bulk. Bulk wholesale prices are generally set to offer the storeowner a bargain. Plus, when you order bulk merchandise, you’re ordering a large quantity but you’re also order fewer times than you would be if you ordered in small quantities. This means you’re spending money at fewer intervals.

Ordering in Bulk Ensures Your Store Is Well Stocked

Retail settings – especially convenience stores – are generally pretty busy, and sometimes it’s difficult to find the time to set aside a time to take stock of what merchandise you need to replace – not to mention find the time to sit down and order it!

When you order bulk wholesale merchandise, you’re making sure of two things:

• Your store is always well stocked with best-selling items. In other words, your store is always packed with your customers’ favorite merchandise, and you never have to leave them disappointed!
• Your ordering dates will become fewer and farther between. Because you will have plenty of your customers’ favorite items, you won’t have to order as often as you would if you originally ordered small quantities.
  

Buy Bulk Wholesale Products Minimizes Packaging

When you buy candy wholesale in bulk, you have less plastic wrappers, bags, and containers to deal with. This is a big timesaver for you because you have less trash to worry about disposing or trying to figure out how to reuse. Of course, Mother Nature is happy anytime you can cut down on the amount of trash you’re creating.

And, remember: If you do find yourself with extra packaging, try to find a way to reuse it. For example, if your bulk products arrive in plastic containers, you can use those as storage containers in your store’s stockroom. If the containers are in good shape, you can use them to create countertop displays near your store’s register!

Bulk Wrapped Candies: Essential for Any Retail Business

Because they’re small, available in an assortment of brands, and wrappers protect them from the elements, bulk wrapped candies are ideal for virtually every kind of retail business. Consider these ideas:

• Convenience stores can create a number of different kinds of displays for wrapped candies.
• Grocery stores often display these kinds of candies along their checkout aisles.
• Gas stations can create small countertop displays near their registers for wrapped candies. Restaurants, like gas stations, can create small displays of wrapped candies by their registers.
• Hotels often have snack bars and dining areas, which lend themselves to wrapped candy displays.
• Amusement and theme parks, as well as carnivals and fairs, can display wrapped candies in small bins at venues throughout the entire park.
  

What Kinds of Bulk Wrapped Candies Are Available?

Retail business can order virtually every kind of wrapped candy that’s available in bulk! This wide assortment of candies makes it easy to add variety to your candy displays as well as offer something for all of your customers.

You can find wrapped candies in bulk such as:

• Atomic Fireballs
• Lemonheads
• Jawbreakers
• Laffy Taffy
• Smarties Rolls
• Root Beer Barrels
• Starlight Mints
• Sunkist Fruit Gems
• Tootsie Roll Midgees
• Jolly Ranchers
• Bit-O-Honey
• Sour Lemons
• Squirrel Nut Zippers
  

If you already know what kind of candies your customers prefer, those are the kinds of candies you should order in bulk; however, if you’re not sure which candies will be popular and which ones won’t, consider order small quantities of several different kinds of candies. Once the candies have been available in your store for a significant amount of time, you will then be able to determine which ones your customers prefer and you can order those wrapped candies in bulk.

Where Can You Display Bulk Wrapped Candies in Your Store?

Due largely to the fact that wrappers protect these candies from dust and debris, you can display them in so many places throughout your store! Consider these options:

• Countertop Displays: These displays are perfect, no matter how big or small your countertop is. You can use clear plastic containers for these displays, which make it easier for your customers to see the candies they want, or you can use colored acrylic containers that add extra visual appeal to your display.
• Floor Displays: These displays are ideal for stores that have plenty of space to work with. You can situate floor displays near your countertop and register or throughout your store near aisles, deli areas, or fountain drink machines. If you opt to display your wrapped candies in floor displays situated near your store’s entryway, though, make sure you have a clear view of the displays to help prevent theft.
• Wooden Basket Displays: Like plastic container displays, wooden basket displays are extremely versatile. You can use two or three wooden baskets to create your own stand-alone countertop display, or you can display your candies in wooden basket racks.
  

Choosing Wire Display Racks for Your Store

Wire display racks are fantastic ways to organize your store’s merchandise, as well as make the most of the space you have to work with inside your store. These display racks allow you to showcase more merchandise than you’d be able to with plastic containers alone, and because you can find display racks designed for specifically for use on countertops or floors, they offer extra convenience for your customers.

Note that you can purchase wire display racks by themselves and use the plastic containers you already have, or you can select display racks that come complete with plastic and acrylic containers and bins.

Maximize Countertop Space with Display Racks

Countertop display racks are perfect space-saving tools for any kind of store that has a countertop, big or small.

If your store’s countertop is pressed for space, using these display racks will help you make the most of the space you have to work with. Similarly, if your store’s countertop provides an ample amount of space, you can squeeze even more space from it by situating your merchandise on display racks.

There are various kinds of display racks ideal for countertops. Bucket countertop racks, for example, are great for holding as many as eight or ten plastic containers. These kinds of racks generally offer two levels, which means you can display eight or ten containers in the amount of space it would take to display four or five containers.

You can also find wire racks for displaying acrylic food containers. These kinds of racks generally come already equipped with food dispensers that are ideal for cookies, brownies, cereal, bagels, donuts, and more! Many of these food containers include openings in the front for customers and openings in the back for employees. Look for wire racks with acrylic food containers that include plastic scoops for the food as well as sign holders that will allow you to easily label the food for your customers.

Floor Display Racks Help Make the Most of Your Store’s Space

Floor display racks hold many more containers than countertop display racks can hold; for example, you can find wire display racks that will hold as many as thirty containers. Keep in mind that it’s good to choose rotating floor display racks. This makes it much more convenient for your customers to browse the different kinds of merchandise. Instead of having to walk completely around the rack to view all the merchandise, your customers can just spin the rack when they’re ready for a new view.

Unlike some wire racks, c-store racks include shelves where you can place your merchandise. C-store racks have been designed with convenience stores specifically in mind; however, stores like grocery stores, restaurants, and retail locations often use these kinds of racks. C-store racks work well for holding plastic containers, but generally stores uses these racks to display items too large for plastic containers to hold. Merchandise like cans or bottles of soda, bags of chips and trail mix, and even non-edible items like large children’s toys, magazines, maps, and souvenirs are great for c-store racks.

Organizing Your Home Kitchen with Plastic Containers

When you think of plastic containers, you probably think of the kinds of containers filled with candy, gumballs, or travel-sized bottles of lotion or shampoo you see in convenience stores. Or, you might think of the kinds of food grade containers you see in restaurants, hotels, or commercial kitchens. However, these containers are ideal for home settings, as well.

Homeowners can use round or square plastic containers to organize their home kitchens and maximize space as well as preparation and cooking time.

Create a Countertop Display for Your Kitchen

You use your kitchen’s countertop more than you use any other surface or appliance in your kitchen. Your countertop acts as a place for storing food and nonfood items, preparing food, and showcasing decorations. You can use clear plastic containers to better organize your countertop as well as make the most use of your countertop space and add to visual appeal.

Plastic containers are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, so choose the containers that best suit the kinds of items you want to store as well as how much countertop space you have to work with.

Consider these examples of common uses for kitchen countertop displays:

• If you want to store baked goods and treats (like cookies, brownies, muffins, donuts, or bagels), choose a plastic container with a lid. It’s important to store these kinds of food items in containers with lids in order to keep them fresh and safe from debris and other contaminants.
• If you want to store non-food items that you’ll need quick access to when you’re on-the-go (such as packs of chewing gum or breath mints, car keys, lighters, matchbooks, or cards for local businesses you use), choose a plastic container with a wide opening. Depending on the amount of countertop space you have to work with and the kinds of items you want to store, you might be able to use one large plastic container or several small containers.
  

Remember, you can display these containers in any manner you feel is most attractive for your kitchen – have fun with your countertop displays!

Use Plastic Containers to Organize Your Kitchen Pantry

Food grade acrylic containers are excellent tools for organizing your kitchen pantry. Consider using plastic containers with lids to store:

• Baking ingredients like flour, cornmeal, and cake, brownie, or cookie mix.
• Seasonings and spices like sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Dry breakfast items like cereal and oatmeal.
  

Clear containers are ideal for these kinds of uses because they allow you to see what kind of food item is in each bin. This is ideal for homes with young children who aren’t yet able to read. Of course, you can always take extra caution and streamline your cabinet’s organization even more by labeling each container.

You can also find acrylic containers with hand grips to help you easily lift the containers when you need them and replace them when you’re finished, and keep in mind that plastic spoons are good tools to include with your containers so that you’ll never waste time looking for a way to scoop your food.

Creating Countertop Displays for Your Specialty Shop

If you’ve ever been to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, you can probably remember the thrill of gazing upon the sea of chocolate chips, multicolored sprinkles, nuts, raisins, and gummy candies neatly lined up along the shop’s countertop just waiting for you to dive in. Having the freedom to select your own toppings is as exciting for children as it is for adults, and the convenience of not having to point to each and every kind of sprinkle or nut you want is unbeatable.

Specialty shops like ice cream parlors, yogurt shops, and bagel shops create these kinds of displays on countertops to add convenience to their customers’ experience, as well as attractively display everything they have to offer. Whether your shop specializes in baked goods and pastries, desserts like ice cream, or healthy treats like yogurt, chances are you can only increase your customers’ convenience when you create a countertop display.

Displays Allow for Customer Convenience

When you display your store’s merchandise along a countertop, you’re adding convenience to your customers’ shopping experience. Not only are your customers able to take their time selecting what they want, but they’re also able to choose from an organized display of items.

Consider these ideas as you’re planning your countertop display:

• You can use food grade plastic containers to create displays of the assortment of bagels, donuts, brownies, or other baked goods and pastries your store sells. Look for containers with lids to keep your food safe from debris, and make sure to include plastic tongs with each container so your customers can easily grab the food item they want.
• You can use round or square plastic containers along your countertop to store and display the toppings you offer for any ice cream or yogurt you might sell. These containers are available in a variety of sizes and you can situate them along your countertop or you can display them using wire display racks sized to fit your countertop. Using displays racks is also a great idea for making the most of the countertop space you have to work with. You might want to purchase these containers with lids as well, and depending on the kinds of toppings you’re offering you might also be interested in plastic containers with hand grips.
• You can include items like utensils, napkins, and drinking cups, lids, and straws in your countertop display, too (or, depending on the layout of your store, you can create an entirely separate display for these items).
  

And remember: Creating countertop displays not only allows for customer convenience, but it also frees up your time to see to other customers.

Sell Additional Merchandise with Extra Displays

If your shop sells more than just food items or the kinds of toppings you’d include with ice cream and yogurt, you can create a countertop display to showcase your additional merchandise. Additional merchandise might include:

• Prepackaged food items like candy, cookies, or chips.
• Non-edible items like children’s toys, souvenirs, and handmade crafts from local artisans.
  

You can easily use plastic containers for these kinds of displays, and depending on the amount of countertop space you have to work with you might also want to situate these containers atop wire display racks.

Showcasing Candy with Counter Displays

Counter displays are popular ways to store and showcase convenience store merchandise, and probably the most popular merchandise in a convenience store display is candy.

Below are a few ideas for using counter displays to showcase your convenience store’s candy.

Break Away From The Usual Shapes

Probably the two most popular shapes for plastic containers are round and square. Of course, there are variations to these two shapes (you might find containers shaped like fish bowls with flatter sides, or containers that are more rectangular than square), but round and square shapes are the most common.

However, there are actually many different kinds of container shapes available. For example, you can choose containers shaped like holiday elements – such as Santa’s boot, a Christmas tree, a Halloween pumpkin, and an Easter baskets – and use these containers during certain months of the year. In addition to containers with holiday-inspired shapes, you can also find containers in other universal shapes that you can use anytime of the year. These shapes include hearts, stars, hexagons, octagons, and even taller, cylindrical spheres.

Consider using these different kinds of shapes to add to the visual appeal of your counter display.

Clear Isn’t Your Only Option

Just as round and square are the two most common shapes for plastic containers, clear is probably the most popular “color.” Clear containers are convenient because they make it easy for both you and your customers to see what kind of merchandise is in each container.

Yet, clear isn’t your only option. You can find acrylic containers in just as many color options as shape options! Colored containers help you shake up your counter display in a variety of ways. Think about these ways you can use colored candy containers:

• You can use colors that represent the current holiday, show team spirit, or represent your state’s colors.
• You can use colors to better organize your candy. For example, you can put mint-flavored candy in green containers, strawberry-flavored candy in red or pink containers, and orange-flavored candy in orange containers.
• If your convenience store has a certain kind of “theme,” you can use colors that represent that theme.
  

Create More Space With Wire Countertop Racks

Countertop racks are essential tools when it comes to creating an attractive and convenience countertop display. You can find these plastic or wire rack displays in various heights with one, two, three, or more shelves for your plastic containers. These kinds of racks are also available in an assortment of colors, which makes it easier for you to match them with any colored containers you plan to use.

Before you select wire countertop racks for your display, take a look at how much room you have to work with on your countertop. This will help you determine the appropriate height and width of the rack you select. If you have an ample amount of countertop space, you might want to select a large wire display rack, or even several small racks to showcase an assortment of candy; however, if you don’t have much space to work with, you might only be able to get away with one or two smaller rack displays.

Using Countertop Displays in Your Convenience Store

You’ve probably never been in a convenience store that didn’t have some kind of countertop display with plastic containers. Countertop displays are important tools in convenience stores because they allow shop owners to store and showcase merchandise that might not work well elsewhere, such as small pieces of candy, gumballs, lollipops and suckers, and even non-edible merchandise.

Plastic containers work well in countertop displays because they’re sturdy and durable, they’re lightweight, and they’re versatile. Convenience stores tend to experience a lot of fast paced traffic, and these kinds of plastic and acrylic containers help ensure nothing gets broken and displays can easily be changed when necessary.

As you’re considering countertop displays for your convenience store, ask yourself the following three questions.

Question 1: What Kind of Merchandise Will The Containers Hold?

It’s likely the merchandise in your countertop display will be fairly small, but you have several sizes of containers to choose from. You can find mini plastic containers great for small pieces of candy or gumballs and you can find larger containers perfect for children’s toys. Choose container sizes that will work best with the items you plan to showcase.

Keep in mind you can find containers with lids for those food items that aren’t wrapped and need extra protection from dust and other debris. A convenience store’s countertop and register area experiences a lot of traffic, so make sure your merchandise is protected.

Question 2: How Much Countertop Space Do I Have To Work With?

The kind of countertop display you create (and the containers you use to create it) will largely depend on how much space you have to work with. If the area near your register is fairly sizeable, you’ll have quite a bit of freedom in terms of container sizes and how you place them on your countertop. However, if you have limited space, you might need to choose small containers and look into wire countertop racks to help you effectively and attractively stack and display them.

Question 3: How Can I Have Fun With The Containers And Display?

Keep in mind you aren’t limited to plain round or square containers. You can find containers in holiday-inspired shapes as well as universal shapes like stars and hearts. You also don’t have to choose just clear acrylic containers. You can find containers in virtually every color of the rainbow. You might want to purchase a few traditional clear fish bowl containers for safety, along with a few colored containers and containers in fun shapes to add some flair to your displays.

One of the great things about countertop displays is that they aren’t permanent – you can switch things around as often as you like! Aside from appearances, other points to keep in mind when you think about switching your displays around include visibility and convenience. Watch your customers’ reactions to your displays. Are they able to easily access the merchandise? Does it look like they’re avoiding the merchandise because they can’t reach it? Are you sure they can see all of the merchandise?

Remember: Visibility and convenience must both come before attractiveness when you’re creating your countertop displays.

Would a Plastic Container Display Benefit Your Store?

Simply put, yes – a plastic container display would benefit your store. Whether you run a small convenience store that caters to travelers or a large chain that offers everything from grocery items to clothing, a plastic container display can help you better organize your merchandise and making shopping more convenient for your customers.

However, before you decide whether to utilize plastic containers and how you can go about creating a display, you need to think about the kinds of merchandise your store sells and how much room you have to work with inside your store.

Consider Your Store’s Merchandise

Because they’re available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, plastic containers can help you better organize, store, and display your store’s merchandise. Convenience store displays that incorporate plastic containers help keep containers of related merchandise close to one another, thus helping customers have a more convenient shopping experience.

As you’re deciding whether to use a plastic container display for your store’s merchandise, consider both the size and weight of the items. If the products are fairly small and lightweight, keeping them in plastic containers and arranging those containers on a rack similar to a convenience store rack makes sense for both you and your customers.

On the other hand, if your items are larger and you require sizeable plastic containers to hold them, a rack might not work for you; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t create an attractive display with your plastic containers by arranging them for convenient accessibility.

Consider Your Store’s Space

Plastic container displays, including wire display racks, are versatile enough for nearly every kind of store. The key is to choose a way to display your plastic containers in such a way that fits your store’s space. Oftentimes this means choosing convenience store racks or wire displays in sizes that comfortably fit in your store’s aisle, on the countertops, or near the register.

For aisles, you can find plastic container displays in a wide variety of sizes. If your aisles aren’t very wide, you might want to look at tall, narrow racks for your display. If your aisles offer more room, consider winder racks that might allow space for more plastic containers. Remember, you can also situate your plastic containers at the beginnings and ends of aisles if you don’t have enough room in the actual aisle themselves.

Countertops and spaces near cash registers generally require small display racks for plastic containers. Depending on the length of your counter, or how much space you have around your register, you might be able to get away with a slightly wide plastic or wire display rack; however, more often than not, if a store’s plastic container display is located on the countertop and near the cash register it will need to be short. This allows your customers to see any kind of merchandise you might keep on shelves behind the counter as well as keeps your view of the store clear.

Most stores can benefit from at least one plastic container display. To create the right display for your store, simply think about the kind of merchandise your store sells as well as how much space you have to work with.

Creating Stylish Displays with Inexpensive Plastic Containers

Convenience store plastic containers are inexpensive, easy-to-use solutions to organizing a variety of merchandise types; however, rather than purchasing the most common kind of container, tossing your merchandise in, and slinging it all up on your countertop, why not have some fun?

Below are three tips to help you get started creating stylish displays with inexpensive plastic containers.

1. Make Your Store’s Space Work for You

Plastic containers come in a variety of sizes and shapes, which makes it easier for you to choose the containers that will fit best in the space you plan to use. For example, if you want to create a display on your convenience store’s countertop, you might want to choose a few small, square plastic containers. On the other hand, if you have a large space to work with, you might want to choose several large plastic containers.

Also keep in mind that your plastic containers don’t have to stand alone. You can display them on convenience store racks designed specifically to hold plastic containers. Just like the containers themselves, these plastic or wire display racks come in numerous shapes and sizes. You can find convenience store display racks for countertops as well as taller and wider wire displays perfect for placing in the floor near your register, the door, or throughout your store’s aisles.

So, you can make your store’s space work for you in three easy steps:

1. Look at the kind of merchandise you want to display.
2. Choose plastic containers that are both big enough to hold the merchandise and small enough to work with the space you have.
3. Determine whether a wire display rack would better hold and display your plastic containers.

2. Keep Your Displays Organized

This might seem like common sense, but customers appreciate when similar items are grouped together. Grouping similar items together in your displays makes it easier for customers to locate merchandise, so make sure each of the plastic containers within your display holds the same kind of product.

If you haven’t yet decided where you want to create your display, take a walk through your store. Pay attention to the sections that feature numerous similar items and include several smaller items within that group.

For example, if your convenience store sells hygiene products for travelers who forgot to pack them or locals who live close to your store, consider leaving the full-sized items on the shelves and creating a plastic container display for the travel-sized items. Or, leave all the liquid items like shampoo, condition, soap, and shaving cream on the shelves and put the non-liquid items like tissues, razors, combs, and toothbrushes in the containers.

3. Have Fun with Your Plastic Containers!

Square or round clear plastic containers are the most common kind you’ll see in convenience store displays. This is because they’re the most reliable and effect when it comes to clearly showcasing your merchandise and providing customers with convenient access to the items.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t shake things up here and there! Consider these ideas for having fun with your plastic container displays:

• Choose colored acrylic containers: Not all plastic containers are clear. You can choose colored acrylic containers that are translucent enough to clearly display your merchandise but different enough to add some visual appeal.

• Look for plastic containers in fun shapes: Round and square are the most common plastic container shapes, but you can find containers in other shapes like stars, hearts, and hexagons, as well as holiday-themed shapes like Christmas trees, Santa Claus boots, and Halloween pumpkins.

• Consider wire display racks: As mentioned above, wire display racks help you make the most of your store’s space; however, they also allow you to organize your containers in visually appealing, and convenient, ways. Look for wire racks that fit the space you have to work with as well as the plastic containers you plan to use.

Which Plastic Candy Container Is Right for Your Business?

For many businesses, plastic candy containers are convenient; for some, they’re even essential! But before you start shopping for the best plastic candy containers for your business, you must first think about two points.

First, understand that not all plastic candy containers are the same. What works for one business might not work for another. Second, realize that what is labeled as a plastic candy container doesn’t necessarily have to store candy. There are a variety of uses for these containers.

Below are some of the most common kinds of businesses that can use these plastic containers and the kinds of containers that work best for each business.

Stores and Restaurants

Because of the kinds of merchandise and products they sell, store and restaurant owners are high on the list of people who can use plastic containers for their businesses.

Whether they simply place them near the cash register or create an elaborate display with wire racks and coordinating colors, convenience store owners and employees are notorious for using clear plastic containers to display food items like candy and chewing gum, as well as other small merchandise like children’s toys.

Some restaurants require food grade plastic containers to store their menu items, but many can find other uses for these containers as well. For example, a restaurant that sells items like breath mints or lollipops near the checkout counter might use a round plastic container to display these items. Similarly, bar-and-grill restaurants might use mini plastic containers as tip jars. Some restaurants even keep small plastic containers near their registers for their customers to drop business cards for future prize drawings.

Amusement Parks and Carnivals

From collecting tickets and displaying small prizes to storing candy and other food items, there are a variety of uses for plastic containers for amusement park and carnival owners and employees. Wholesale plastic containers can come in an assortment of colors, which allows festival workers to have fun with their displays.

If you own or work for an amusement park or carnival that often relocates, remember to search for lightweight and small plastic containers to make moving and resetting your booth more convenient.

Hotel Industry

You might not think people in the hotel industry need plastic containers, but many hotels and motels offer customers continental breakfast services. Food grade plastic containers with handles and lids come in handy for displaying and storing items like cereal, bagels, donuts, and fruit, as well as other breakfast-related items like packets of creamer, sugar, sweetener, straws, and stir sticks.

Fundraisers

Some of the most common types of fundraising events focus on raising money for charities, community clubs and organizations, school activities, and church events. Many people rely on fundraising activities like car washes, bake sales, and raffles to raise money for their particular causes or events, and regardless of what kind of fundraising event it is, there are an assortment of plastic containers that can help out.

For example, people organizing fundraiser events might choose plastic containers to collect tips or store raffle tickets until it’s time for the drawing, or they might need plastic containers to display small dry food products, napkins, utensils, straws, and condiments.