So, You Have the Wholesale Plastic Containers - Now What?

Ordering the perfect wholesale plastic containers for your product displays is just the first step to creating your displays. Once your containers arrive, you have to make sure they’ll fit your intended display space, make sure the merchandise will fit the containers, and make sure the displays you plan to create will be convenient for your customers.

Make Sure the Plastic Containers Fit Your Display Space

Chances are, you thought about the display spaces where you wanted to use your wholesale plastic containers BEFORE you ordered them; however, you still need to double-check to make sure your containers are going to work with your countertop space, your floor display racks, or your slat wall or pegboard display fixtures.

Make Sure Your Merchandise Fits Your Plastic Containers

Now that you know your wholesale plastic containers fit your display spaces, it’s time to make sure your merchandise fits your containers. This step is much easier because if the intended merchandise DOESN’T fit, chances are you have other kinds of merchandise that WILL fit.

For example, if you purchased plastic containers with the intention of displaying children’s stuffed toys, but now that the containers are in front of you you’ve discovered the toys are actually too big for the containers, you can still use the containers to display another similar item, such as bouncy balls or small action figures.

You can even use the containers to display merchandise of an entirely different category, such as small pieces of wrapped candy or travel-sized bottles of hand sanitizer.

It basically all boils down to the kind of merchandise your store sells, but the bottom line is that even if your plastic containers are too small or too large for their original intended purposes, you can still use them to create other kinds of product displays throughout your store.

Make Sure Your Plastic Container Displays Are Convenient to Customers

No matter how much time and effort you put into creating your product displays, if your customers can’t conveniently access the displays or the merchandise, the merchandise isn’t likely to sell and your display will be a failure.

Consider these tips to make sure your plastic container displays are convenient to your customers:

• If you created your product display using plastic containers on your countertop, make sure that nothing stands between your customers and the containers. This includes any floor racks you might have near your countertop as well as additional display fixtures on the countertop.

• If you created your product display using plastic containers positioned on a wire display rack for your floor, make sure the rack is situated so that your customers can easily walk around to view each side without bumping into other display fixtures or finding that one side is blocked by a wall.

• If you created your product display using plastic containers designed to hang on slat wall or pegboard fixtures, make sure there are no other display fixtures on your floor that block these items from your customers’ view and reach. Also be sure not to hang your containers so high your customers can’t access the merchandise.

Create Fun Product Displays with Wholesale Plastic Containers

You might not know it, but choosing plastic containers for product displays within your store doesn’t consist merely of choosing containers that will work with the size of the display space you have and the merchandise you want to showcase. Additional factors go into choosing the containers – factors that can help make creating product displays much more fun that you thought it would be!

You Don’t Have to Only Use Clear Plastic Containers

Clear plastic containers are fantastic choices for creating product displays because they allow the customers to easily see what’s inside; however, you should be aware of all the different colors of plastic containers and acrylic bins you can choose from!

Red, green, yellow, orange, purple, blue – there are so many colors you can choose from as you’re selecting your product display containers. You might want to choose colors you can use with each season, such as red and green for Christmas or orange for Halloween. If the city your store is located in is home to a high school or university, you might want to create product displays with containers in colors that match the school’s colors.

You can even choose colors that will complement that kind of product display you’re creating. For example, if you’re creating a candy display, you might want to match the candy flavors with the corresponding colors.

Look for Wholesale Plastic Containers in Fun Shapes

In addition to the traditional round, fish bowl, square, and hexagon shapes you’re probably accustomed to, you can find plastic containers for product displays in popular shapes like stars as well as holiday-inspired shapes like Halloween pumpkins, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus boots.

Choose Wholesale Plastic Containers from a Variety of Styles

You’re probably used to seeing wholesale plastic containers in the traditional round, fish bowl, square, and hexagon shapes with wide, unprotected openings at the top – plain and simple. These kinds of containers work fantastic for a number of uses; however, just as they’re available in different colors and shapes, these containers are also available in a wide variety of styles.

For example, you can find plastic containers for product displays in styles with lids that are designed to help keep unprotected food items such as bulk unwrapped candies fresh and safe from debris. You can also find these containers with accessories like plastic or aluminum scoops and tongs your customers can use to access the amount of food merchandise they want without touching and contaminating the rest of it.

Pair Your Wholesale Plastic Containers with Other Display Fixtures

The assortment of colors, shapes, and styles they offer make using plastic containers for product displays by themselves fun; however, you can also pair these containers with other display fixtures to make the most of your display space.

For example, wire display racks are some of the most popular display fixtures around, thanks largely to their versatility and, whether you want to use them to create countertop displays or floor displays, these racks work extremely well with plastic containers.

How to Recycle Plastic Containers in Your Business

Everyone is “going green” these days, and for good reason: Taking “green” steps, such as recycling and reusing your possessions, helps cut back on the waste our planet accumulates as well as the resources necessary to produce more products.

When you purchase bulk wholesale plastic containers, you’re getting a high number of containers for an affordable price. Chances are, these containers are going to last for a long time – you’re going to get a lot of use out of them, whether your business uses them for countertop displays of merchandise or to hold prizes at an amusement park.

However, sooner or later, you might find that you no longer need those containers for their original purposes. Or, you might find that the containers are starting to look a little worn, and you’d like to buy new wholesale plastic containers.

If this happens, don’t throw them out! There are plenty of ways you can recycle and reuse your old containers. Aside from taking them to your local recycling center or donating them to another business that might just be getting started, you can find new uses for them around your own establishment.

Use Your Plastic Containers Under Your Countertop

Underneath and behind the countertop where a business’s register sits is a smorgasbord of extra items. From pens, pencils, and markers to rolls of discount and sale stickers, there are probably plenty of items under your countertop you can organize with your old containers.

Use Your Plastic Containers in Your Storage or Stockroom

Just as you can use your old containers to organize and store items under your countertop, you can use them to organize and store items in your business’s storage room or stockroom. Small items like hooks for hanging signs and extra price tags can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle, but your old containers can help you keep them organized and easily accessible.

Keep in mind also that some businesses aren’t large enough to offer their employees a dining room where they can eat their lunches or snacks on their breaks, so, these businesses often use their storage rooms or stockrooms for double duty. If this sounds like your business, you can use your old containers to help make things more convenient for your employees, such as organizing and storing packets of spices or condiments, straws or coffee stir sticks, and napkins and hand wipes.

Use Your Plastic Containers in Your Office

No matter what kind of business you manage, if you have an office, you have a need for plastic containers!

Your old containers are great tools for organize small office tools like thumb tacks, staples, and paperclips, as well as larger items like pens and pencils, scissors and rulers, and Post-It notepads. Depending on the size of your containers, you might be able to use them to store and organize even larger items like extra ink cartridges for your computer.

You can even use your old containers to create your own candy displays – for yourself or your visitors!

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.

How to Save Money Creating Product Displays for Your Store

During these economic times, everyone wants to save money on items they need. As a store owner, you need display fixtures in order to create your product displays.

Fortunately, there are several ways you can save money on these items and still create attractive and effective merchandise displays.

Determine Which Product Displays You Need

The best way to waste money is to start shopping with no idea what you need.

So, before you start shopping for product display fixtures for your store, think about you:

• Merchandise: What kind of products are you displaying? Is the merchandise edible, and if so, is it unwrapped and in need of a container with a lid or is it wrapped and able to be displayed anywhere? How large are the items? Would one or two large containers work, or do you need a few small containers or many large containers? Determine the best way to display your merchandise before you select any fixtures to place it in.

• Display Space: Some product display fixtures, such as wholesale plastic containers, work well in just about any space, while others, such as display racks, are designed for specific areas in your store like the countertops, walls, and floor. Decide for which display space you’re shopping for before you choose any display fixtures.

Shop for Wholesale Display Fixtures

When it comes to saving money with your product displays, wholesale is the best way to shop. You can find display fixtures for wholesale prices – such as wholesale plastic containers and acrylic bins – as well as product merchandise at wholesale prices – such as wholesale bulk candy that’s wrapped or unwrapped.

Look for Start Up Specials and Items On Sale

Just as shopping for wholesale items such as wholesale plastic containers, shopping for start up specials and discount display fixtures or display fixtures on sale can help you save money with your store’s product displays.

Only Purchase a Few Display Fixtures at a Time

The best way to get the most bang for your buck is to buy only a few display fixtures at a time; that way, if it turns out the items you purchased weren’t the best for the displays you wanted to create, you won’t be out much money – nor will you have a bunch of useless fixtures on your hands.

Don’t Overlook Pre-Filled Display Racks

It might seem like it’s more expensive to purchase pre-filled display racks than it is to purchase fixtures like wholesale plastic containers and merchandise like wholesale bulk candy, but in reality, purchasing the containers and merchandise separately generally costs more than just purchasing the whole shebang.

Keep in mind, though, that in terms of saving money, pre-filled display racks are best for stores that are just getting started. If you rely on pre-filled display racks as your only source of product displays, you actually won’t save money. Display fixtures like wholesale plastic containers can be used again and again so, eventually, you’ll want to look into these kinds of display tools.

How to Use Plastic Containers for Product Sales and Displays

As a store owner, or as someone who’s hoping to open a store soon, you probably already know that plastic containers are excellent fixtures for creating product displays and generating sales.

What you might not know, however, is how to get started choosing the right containers.

First, Choose the Best Plastic Container for Your Display

You might think the first thing you need to think about is your product, but it’s actually easier to think about your display space first. After all, there’s no point in finding the perfect container for your product if it turns out that container isn’t going to work with the space where you plan to create you display.

Most product displays are located in three areas throughout a store: The countertops, the floor, and the walls.

• Countertop Displays: Nearly every kind of plastic container works well for countertop displays. To get started, look at traditional round, square, and hexagon containers as well as fish bowl containers. These containers are perfect for countertops of all sizes because they’re available in an assortment of sizes.

• Floor Displays: Naturally, you can’t create floor displays using just plastic containers; you’ll also need additional display fixtures to hold those containers. Consider using traditional convenience store racks with shelves on which you can place the containers, or look at fixed position and revolving bucket racks that already include the containers attached.

• Wall Displays: If you plan to create a wall display, you’re going to first need display fixtures like slat wall equipment or pegboard racks. Once you have those, you can choose from a variety of plastic containers designed for wall displays, including Visi-Bins, Hang-A-Jars, and hanging cubes. These containers are designed to attach to the slat wall or pegboard fixture and work much like freestanding containers in that you simply place the product inside.

Next, Choose the Best Plastic Container for Your Product

Now that you know where you want your display located and what kinds of display fixtures are available, it’s time to think about which of those display fixtures would best hold your product.

• Size: The size of your product is going to help determine the size of your container. For example, if you’re display jumbo gumballs, you’ll want a large container so you can display more.

• Amount: Just like the size of the product, the amount of the product will help determine what kinds of containers to use and where to place them. If you have a small amount of a certain product, your countertop might be the best display space. On the other hand, if you have a large amount of a certain product, you might want to dedicate an entire wall to displaying the merchandise.

• Weight: If your product doesn’t weigh much, you can use just about every kind of container and display fixture in just about every area of your store; however, if your product is heavy, you’ll probably want to stick to countertop displays and floor displays using sturdy fixtures like convenience store racks.

Different Ideas for Clear Plastic Containers

You’ve undoubtedly seen a variety of businesses using clear plastic containers. Businesses often use these containers to store and display everything from candy and other dry foods to small children’s toys and travel-sized convenience items.

Because they’re available in such a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and styles, these kinds of plastic bins are some of the most versatile tools available for any kind of organization; however, retails businesses aren’t the only kinds of businesses that can use these containers. Below are just a few ideas of other organizations that use plastic bins for organizing, storing, and display items – as well as an assortment of other uses!

Businesses Use Clear Plastic Containers at Tradeshows

Clear plastic containers are lightweight and generally rather small when compared to other display tools, which makes them perfect for tradeshows. Any kind of professional who attends a tradeshow can use clear plastic containers to display his products, hold his business cards and collect the business cards of other organizations, and even offer freebies and prize drawings to spectators.

Nonprofits and Charities Use Clear Plastic Containers In and Out of the Office

Nonprofit organizations and charities can uses clear plastic containers both inside and outside their offices.

These containers are great for organizing office tools as well as collecting donations, and many nonprofit organizations and charities use these containers to passively collect donations at other retail locations throughout their area. For example, you can choose a few popular businesses throughout your city, ask the store manager if you can place a container on the store’s countertop, and start collecting donations.

Fundraisers Use Clear Plastic Containers for Organization and Collection

Whether you’re organizing a car wash or managing a bake sale, clear plastic containers are great tools for collecting proceeds as well as organizing and display your tools or the items you’re selling.

And, just like nonprofits and charities, fundraiser organizations can use these bins to collect donations at retail locations. Just ask the store manager if you can place a container on the countertop near the register and wait for donations to roll in.

You Can Use Clear Plastic Containers in Your Home

You don’t have to offer a professional service to have a need for clear plastic containers! Homes have many uses for these containers:

• Kitchen: Use plastic bins in your kitchen or pantry to organize food items or odds and ends like extra plastic utensils, hand wipes, and toothpicks.
• Bathroom: Plastic bins are great for organizing, display, and keeping clean hygiene items like cotton balls and cotton swabs. You can even use these containers to store trial- and travel-sized products you’ve collected and hung onto for emergencies like small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and mouthwash as well as tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes.
• Children’s Room: Use these containers to store small children’s toys like bouncy balls and jacks, building blocks, crayons, play jewelry, and miniature cars.
• Garage and Basement: These two home areas are common locations for storage and work, and you can use plastic containers to organize and store nuts, bolts, nails, screws, and other small extras.
  

How to Order Wholesale Plastic Containers

If you run any kind of retail business or restaurant, chances are you know you can use wholesale plastic containers. Maybe you’re not quite sure how you can use them, but you know they’d be handy if only you’d order some and start using them.

The problem with wholesale plastic containers is the phrase itself. It obviously encompasses a vast assortment of containers, and you might not know how to begin ordering these containers.

Below are three easy steps to help you order wholesale plastic containers for your business.

Step 1: Look at Your Merchandise

What kinds of merchandise do you want to store and display in your plastic containers?

If you plan to display edible merchandise – like candy, gumballs, cereal, or pastries – you’ll want to choose food grade plastic containers and containers with lids. For items like cereal, trail mix, and coffee, you can find plastic food dispensers designed to mount on your store’s walls or aisles.

However, if you plan to store non-edible items – or even edible items in wrappers – you can select traditional round or square plastic containers with openings large enough for your customers to easily access the merchandise.

Step 2: Look at Your Store’s Space

How much space do you have to work with inside your store? Do you plan to place your containers on your store’s counter tops and near the registers? If so, look at how much counter top space you have to work with, and then compare that to the kind of merchandise you plan to display on your counter top. You might find that several small plastic containers will do the job, or you might need one or two larger containers.

If you’d rather showcase your merchandise elsewhere in the store, you can look at accessories like plastic and wire display racks, detailed below.

Step 3: Look at Available Accessories

Candy display racks are great tools for showcasing merchandise throughout your store. (Of course, you don’t have to fill your containers with candy; you can fill them with anything you want.)

These kinds of convenience store racks are available in a variety of sizes, which means you can situate them on your counter tops or throughout your store near the entryway, aisles, or your store’s deli area. Wire display racks are useful if you need to make the most use of very little counter top space because they allow you to stack containers on top of one another. You can also find taller and wider display racks that work well to hold even more merchandise throughout your store.

In addition to traditional round and square plastic containers, you can also find containers in holiday-inspired shapes and other popular molds like stockings, Christmas trees, pumpkins, hearts, and stars.

Also keep in mind that acrylic containers come in a variety of colors. You can use colored acrylic containers to organize your candy (for example, you might want to store lemon-flavored candy in a yellow container and cherry-flavored candy in a red container), or you can choose colors that coordinate with the seasons, your area’s local sports team, or even your store’s “theme.”

Discover the Versatility of Square Plastic Containers

Square plastic containers are staples in the retail world. Virtually every kind of business – from convenience stores to specialty shops to bakeries to amusement parks – can use these containers to store and display their merchandise.

However, there are many more ways you can use your square plastic containers than just putting your merchandise in them and placing them on your counter top. Thanks to a variety in sizes and styles, you can also create a variety of displays!

Find Square Plastic Containers in Various Sizes

Square plastic containers come in one shape – square. However, you can find these containers in a variety of heights and widths, which makes creating displays and storing numerous kinds of items easy. Being able to choose from among a variety of sizes also helps when you’re determining the space you have to work with once you’re ready to start creating your displays.

Choose Containers with Lids

If you plan to display edible merchandise, especially uncovered candy items like gumballs, choose square plastic containers with lids. The container lids will keep the candy fresh and safe from dust and other debris, as well as discourage sticky fingers from grabbing a few pieces when you’re not looking.

You can find these containers with snap-on or screw-on lids, or you can find them with clasp-on lids. Containers with clasp-on lids add a bit more visual appeal, but they’re also handy in that you can’t lose the lid – it’s always attached to the container!

Create Numerous Kinds of Displays Square plastic containers lend themselves to a variety of display options. Consider these possibilities:

• You might only need one or two containers to hold items on your counter top and near your register. You can choose from a variety of sizes depending on the space you have to work with and the kinds of items you want to display.
• You can purchase wholesale plastic containers and arrange several on your counter top to organize similar types of merchandise. If you have a small counter top, you might want to choose several mini square containers or one or two large containers. If you have ample counter top space to work with and numerous kinds of merchandise to display, you might get away with several large square plastic containers.
• You can situate these containers atop plastic or wire display racks and position them throughout your store. This is a great option if you have small kinds of merchandise that you’d like to display with other similar, larger merchandise. These kinds of convenience store racks also come in a variety of sizes, so you can easily work with your containers and merchandise.
  

Whether you plan to place them atop counter tops or throughout your business on display racks, you can choose colored square plastic containers to add visual appeal to your displays. You might want to choose colors that match your state’s colors, your local high school or college colors, or even colors that coordinate with the time of year (such as red and green during the Christmas season or pastels during spring).

Get Creative with Fish Bowl Containers

Sphere containers, also called “fish bowl” containers due to their shape and common use, present a variety of possibilities for storing and displaying items. Most every kind of business, from convenience stores to amusement parks, can order these wholesale plastic containers and use them alone or as part of attractive displays to hold merchandise. Adding to their versatility is the fact that these containers are available as plastic or glass.

Sphere Containers Are Ideal for Convenience Stores

Aside from a home with a goldfish as a pet, convenience stores are probably the most common place for fish bowl containers. These stores can use sphere containers in a number of ways:

• Display food items like small pieces of candy, gumballs, or lollipops.
• Hold non-edible merchandise like lipstick, key chains, pens, pencils, lighters, and travel-sized hygiene products.
• Create attractive displays along the store’s counter tops. (“Cookie jar” style containers are great for these displays because their shape allows the containers to sit more closely which makes the most use of the counter top’s available space.)
• Situate the sphere containers on display racks throughout the convenience store. Because of the containers’ shapes, racks that offer the most space are best for these displays.
  

Keep in mind that convenience stores aren’t the only retail businesses that can use fish bowl containers. These containers also work well in drug stores and pharmacies and other specialty shops.

Keep Sphere Containers Near Your Restaurant’s Register

Whether you run a fast food restaurant or a more formal establishment, you can use sphere containers. Consider these ideas:

• Sphere containers near your restaurant’s register can display additional merchandise your customers might purchase on their way out. Fast food establishments and family-friendly restaurants often use these containers to hold promotional items such as small toys for promoting whatever popular movie happens to be in theaters at the time.
• Some restaurants also act as distributors of additional merchandise from national or local companies. You might use sphere containers near your register to hold lip balm, hand lotion, or small candy pieces.
• Bar-and-grill restaurants are popular among businesses, especially those that often take clients to lunch, and these kinds of restaurants often use fish bowl containers to collect business cards for contest and giveaway drawings.
  

Arcades, Carnivals, and Theme Parks Can Use Fish Bowl Containers

Many carnivals, theme parks, and amusement parks offer goldfish as prizes to patrons who win games; naturally, small fish bowl containers come in handy for these businesses. Some of them even give the fish to the winners in plastic bags full of water and then provide fish bowl containers for sale, which is convenient for the patrons because it saves them a trip to the local pet store.

These businesses, as well as establishments such as arcades, can also use sphere containers to hold tickets, tokens, and small prizes for winning games.

In these instances, plastic containers are generally more popular than glass containers. These kinds of settings are usually quite active, and plastic containers prevent the possibility of unsafe broken glass.

Ideas for Displaying Merchandise with Plastic Containers

As a storeowner, you know you need to purchase wholesale plastic containers to display your merchandise. What you might not know – or might not fully understand – is exactly how these containers can help your business. You can use these containers to create attractive, convenient displays in a number of locations throughout your store.

Create a Counter Top Display

Because they’re available in a wide array of shapes and sizes, plastic containers are great for creating counter top displays. You can use one or two by themselves to hold small pieces of candy or gumballs, or you can set several atop a wire display rack to showcase numerous kinds of merchandise. Displaying merchandise on your store’s counter top is also a great way to:

• Keep the items within your view. Merchandise in acrylic containers is usually small, and having it on your counter top and near your register discourages thieves. You can also purchase canisters with lids to add extra protection for merchandise.
• Up-sell. The kinds of merchandise store’s keep in these counter top displays are usually the kinds of products nearly everyone likes and can use (think candy and gum, or convenience items like travel-sized shampoos and conditioners), but not items each customer always thinks about when he or she enters the store. Keeping these items near the register puts them in the customer’s view as he or she is checking out.
  

Display Extras Near Your Store’s Deli Area

If your store includes a deli area, you can use square plastic containers to hold extra edible items like condiments and seasonings, or non-edible items like straws, cup lids, napkins, hand wipes, and utensils. It’s best to choose square plastic containers for these purposes as they offer your customers easy accessibility.

Showcase Merchandise In Your Store’s Aisles

Your store’s aisles are undoubtedly equipped with shelves; however, you can situate wire display racks on opposite ends of the aisles that feature plastic containers full of additional items. Maybe you’d like to display candy throughout the store, or perhaps you’d like a better way of organizing the smaller convenience items such as lighters, combs, and key chains. Plastic containers on convenience store racks are great for all these ideas.

Keep in mind that you can also find acrylic dry food dispensers designed to mount to your store’s walls or the aisle’s shelves. If your store sells dry food items like cereal and coffee, these dispensers will work well for you. You can also use them to display small candy items!

Greet Customers at the Entryways

Because placing merchandise near your store’s entryway and making sure it stays safe can get tricky, gumball machines are your best bet. These tools have come a long way since the days of the classic single head gumball machines; these days, you can find machines with as many as six or eight heads. You can even order these machines already stocked with gumballs!

If you’d prefer to use traditional acrylic containers near your store’s entryway, make sure you select large plastic containers that can hold sizeable items. You might even want to look into canisters with lids. And remember: Placing these containers on convenience store racks is a great way to create an attractive, organized, and convenient display.

Restaurant Owners: Don't Forget the Wholesale Plastic Containers

As a restaurant owner, it’s crucial for you to stock your establishment with all the equipment necessary to make both your employees’ jobs and your customers’ dining experiences as easy and enjoyable as possible. Wholesale plastic containers are included in the list of necessary equipment. Because you can display and store your merchandise in these containers, they help keep your restaurant organized and sanitary as well as help your cooks and wait staff perform their jobs efficiently.

Below are a few of the most common places in your restaurant where you can – and should – use plastic containers.

In the Kitchens

Whether it’s a fast food joint or an elegant establishment, your restaurant needs plastic containers in its kitchen. A restaurant’s food grade containers can:

• Store ingredients when your cook isn’t using them.
• Organize ingredients when your cook is preparing meals.
• Hold food that your cook has already prepared and is ready to serve.

You can also use large square plastic containers in your restaurant’s kitchen to hold your cook’s tools when they’re not in use, such as tongs, spatulas, and ladles. If you plan to use these containers to store food, make sure you choose food grade dispensers with lids. Likewise, if you think your staff will need to transport these containers often, select dispensers with hand grips for convenience.

On the Sidelines

During business hours, you will probably have a cart or two set up along the sidelines where your wait staff can easily access any additional items your customers might need during their meals. Such items might include extra silverware sets, napkins, straws, or condiments. Plastic containers work well to organize these items so your waiters and waitresses can easily find and retrieve them for your customers.

In Closets and Storage Rooms

Wherever your restaurant stores its nonfood supplies, you’ll need plastic containers.

These containers are great for organizing cleaning supplies such as counter, floor, and window cleaners, as well as rags, extra mop heads, and extra spray bottles. You might also want to use these containers to store bathroom items such as paper towels, soap, and toilet paper. You can also use these containers to organize and store customer items, such as all the extra utensils, napkins, straws, and condiments your wait staff keeps handy during business hours.

Near the Registers

If your restaurant is designed for customers to pay at a register on their way out, you can use these containers to display extra merchandise.

For example, you might use small plastic containers to offer your customers free breath mints, toothpicks, or hand wipes. At the same time, your restaurant might act as a retailer for certain companies and you might use a few containers to display additional merchandise from those companies, such as lip balms or hand lotions. Some restaurants with themes even have “mascots”; if your restaurant falls into this category, you might use a plastic container sizeable enough to hold merchandise in your mascot’s form, such as plush toys, key chains, or stickers.

Making the Most of Your Store's Plastic Containers

Whether you’re running a convenience store, thinking of opening a specialty shop, or manage a hotel’s dining hall, plastic containers are beneficial for your business. Before you start shopping for wholesale plastic containers, though, you must first determine how you can make the containers work best for you. This includes choosing the plastic container most appropriate for your merchandise and the location where you plan to place it.

Choosing the Appropriate Plastic Container

The first thing you must do is think about which of your store’s merchandise you plan to hold and display in plastic containers. If you own a convenience store, you might purchase bulk candy wholesale which means your merchandise might include candy or bubblegum. If you own a specialty shop, you might want to place some of your shop’s smaller items in the clear plastic containers.

Once you’re sure about the merchandise to put in the containers, consider the following factors:

• Size: Choose plastic containers in sizes that work with your merchandise and the space where you plan to display the containers. Small plastic containers are great for countertops and checkout aisles, while containers made for wire display racks are ideal for displays in other parts of your store.

• Shape: Most plastic containers are round, square, or some variation of the two, but you can also find containers in common shapes like stars as well as holiday-inspired shapes like Christmas trees. Choose shapes that will work best with your merchandise, but keep in mind you might want to add a bit more visual appeal later on.

• Color: Clear plastic containers are probably the most common kind; however, colored acrylic dispensers are certainly popular choices for convenience store displays and you can find colored containers that are translucent enough for your customers to see the merchandise inside.

Location, Location, Location!

Your store is a piece of real estate property, so treat it as such. This includes realizing the benefits, or perks, of each location within your store. Where you place merchandise throughout your store will depend on the merchandise itself and the various spaces you have to work with.

Consider these possible locations throughout your store as you decide which kinds of plastic containers will work best for your store and its merchandise:

• Registers: Placing merchandise near registers is a popular choice among convenience store owners. Make sure you choose plastic containers and wire displays that are small enough to effectively showcase the merchandise and not get in your or your customer’s way.

• Countertops: Your countertop might be large enough so that the merchandise isn’t directly beside the register, which means you can store and display larger items. You might choose more sizeable plastic containers and wider wire display racks for these areas.

• Aisle: If your store has an aisle or two, this is a great place to utilize large convenience store racks to display multiple plastic candy containers or wire display racks for bagged items like chips.

• Entrances: Because you don’t want to make it difficult for your customers to enter and exit your store, choose displays for this area that take up little space and discourage thievery, such as gumball machines.

• Delis: Many convenience stores have deli areas to serve customers fountain beverages and quick snacks. In these situations, small plastic containers are ideal for holding condiments, utensils, straws, stir sticks, and napkins, but you might find that small wire displays and cereal dispensers work well for certain items, too.

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.