Using Plastic Containers In Your Specialty Shop

Plastic containers are excellent ways to display merchandise throughout your specialty shop. Not only do these containers organize and conveniently present items for sale to your customers, but they also lend themselves to easy storage should you decide to take the merchandise off the floor.

Read on for ideas for how you can use these containers in your specialty shop, no matter what you sell!

If Your Specialty Shop Sells Food Items

Specialty shops like bakeries, delis, ice cream shops, and yogurt shops, can use plastic containers in a variety of ways that are helpful to both the shop’s employees and customers. Food grade plastic containers are great for acting as ice cream topping dispensers or yogurt topping dispensers, and they can also hold the day’s fresh bagels, donuts, or croissants. You can arrange these containers to act as counter top displays so customers can easily access the food items.

These kinds of shops can also use plastic containers for nonfood items, because with every meal comes the need for things like:

• Silverware.
• Napkins, clothes, or hand wipes.
• Drinking cups, lids, and straws.
• Ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise packets.
• Seasonings like sugar, sweetener, salt, and pepper.

If you plan to use these containers for food items or for storage, make sure you look for plastic containers with lids and handles for safe storage and easy managing.

If Your Specialty Shop Sells Nonfood Items

It’s easy to find acrylic food dispensers, but note that there are many types of plastic containers that work well for nonfood items, too. Many stores prefer to keep their smaller merchandise close to the register to offer add-on items to their customers as they check out, as well as keep these items in view and less likely to get stolen. These kinds of containers are perfect for creating counter top displays for the merchandise. Convenience stores are especially fond of these kinds of displays, but any kind of specialty shop can use colored or clear plastic containers to create a display of merchandise on their counter tops.

Depending on the kind of merchandise your shop sells, you might want to:

• Create a counter top display of small children’s toys like bouncy balls, figurines, or play jewelry.
• Arrange collector or hobby items like sports cards or souvenirs specific to your area.
• Showcase specialty items specific to your location such as key chains, bottle openers, or lighters that feature the name of your state or city.
• Display helpful items like small maps or travel-sized hygiene items a customer may have forgotten to pack for his trip.

Be sure to choose containers that will work with your counter top’s space, as well as lend themselves to easy storage and handling. Check for plastic containers with hand grips if you anticipate you or your customers will ever need to pick them up, and make sure you select dispensers with lids if you think you will ever need to remove the container from the front of the store in order to use it to store certain items.

Unique Counter Top Displays for Stores and Restaurants

Counter top displays are great ways for any storeowner to showcase additional merchandise. These displays – generally constructed of colored or clear plastic containers – offer customers a look at extra items while allowing those smaller items to stay in clear view of the store’s employees and safe from sticky fingers.

Whether your store sells food, non-edible merchandise, or a mix or both, you can use these displays. Below are some of the most common places you can use counter top displays in your store, as well as ideas for the kinds of merchandise you can display.

Convenience Stores and Specialty Shops

Convenience stores are probably the most popular location for counter top displays. Convenience store customers can find a wide assortment of food and nonfood items like within these displays. Gumballs, bulk candy, children’s toys, travel-sized hygiene items you might have forgotten to pack – you can find them all within the plastic containers that make up convenience store displays.

However, specialty shops that don’t focus on convenience items can also use counter top displays. Jewelry boutiques, for example, might arrange these displays to hold samples of jewelry cleaner or small clothes designed to clean rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. At the same time, hobby shops like those that sell sports memorabilia might use counter top displays to offer customers a look at key chains or cards that feature their favorite team or player as they check out.

Bakeries and Delis

Bakeries and delis – like yogurt shops, ice cream shops, and bagel shops – can use counter top displays made of plastic containers to both display and store their food items. Deli-style restaurants can use the containers to hold and store their sandwich makings, but yogurt and ice cream shops can make extra use of these containers when they use them as yogurt topping dispensers and ice cream topping dispensers. They can position these dispensers into attractive counter top displays that are convenient for both the shop’s employees and customers.

These kinds of shops can also use clear plastic containers to hold nonfood items like utensils, napkins, and drink-related items like cups, lids, and straws. Chances are that every customer is going to need these kinds of items, and counter top displays make it easy for customers to get what they need without waiting in line or asking wait staff for assistance.

Cafeteria Environments

In most cafeteria environments – such as those you’d find in a hotel, hospital, school lunchroom, and institution – food preparation and storage goes on behind the scenes. Plastic containers are helpful in these situations – as well as for buffet-style cafeterias that place all food items out for customers – but counter top displays come in especially handy for showcasing additional food items for which customers or diners don’t need a server. Such items might include:

• Additional meal items like bags of chips, dinner rolls, and fruit.
• Dessert items like brownies, pieces of cake, cookies, or candy bars.
• Nonfood items like utensils, napkins or hand wipes, and drinking cups, lids, and straws.

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