The 2 Wholesale Store Supplies You Don’t Want to Overlook

While this isn’t exactly news to veteran retail store owners, those of you just getting started or even just considering opening a store of some sort should become familiar with wholesale store supplies.

Generally, buying wholesale store supplies is a great way to save money, and sometimes you can even increase the amount of money you save when you buy wholesale in bulk. Also, it should come as no surprise that the two kinds of items storeowners most commonly purchase from wholesalers are the very two items that help make the stores exist in the first place: The store’s merchandise and the store’s display fixtures.

1. Merchandise

“Merchandise” is a generic term that covers all the items you (or other store’s) sell. You might manage a candy store that only sells sweets, a bookstore that focuses on printed literature but also offers audio books, or a convenience store that sells everything from snacks to paperback novels. No matter what you sell, it’s considered “merchandise.”

Regardless of the kinds of merchandise you sell, it’s generally best to purchase wholesale. Buying wholesale often gives you the best bang for your buck – especially when you buy in bulk – and oftentimes you can even find companies that offer special deals on their wholesale store supplies.

2. Display Fixtures

Like “merchandise,” “display fixtures” is a pretty generic, all-encompassing term. From clear plastic containers and acrylic bins to wire display racks and wooden display racks, here is such a wide variety of fixtures out there designed to help you attractively and conveniently display your merchandise that it would be nearly impossible (at the very least, extremely time consuming!) to list them anywhere except in a wholesale store supplies company catalog or on a wholesale store supplies website.

Also like merchandise, it’s best to purchase wholesale display fixtures for your retail establishment or restaurant. Buying wholesale helps you get the most product for the best price. However, because there are so many different kinds of display fixtures to choose from, and because there are so many different wholesalers to choose from, the task of selecting the right fixtures from the right wholesaler might seem daunting.

Consider these tips to make the job more manageable:

• Consider your display space. Display fixtures come in many different sizes, shapes, and styles, and the amount of display space you have to work with – as well as where in your store that space is located – will help you determine which kinds of fixtures would work best for you. Try narrowing each search down to just floor displays, countertop displays, or wall displays, and then moving on to the next category (if there is one) once you’ve made that decision.
• Decide what merchandise you want to display. Your fixtures have to be able to attractively and conveniently display your merchandise, but you won’t know if they’re able to do that until you know what merchandise you want to showcase. Once you decide what to showcase, you can search for fixtures that will work best with those items.
• Shop around with a few wholesalers. No matter who you are or what you’re looking to buy, it’s always best to shop around with several different merchants before you make a decision. Compare the variety and prices of fixtures offered by several different wholesalers before you choose the one for you.

How to Create Countertop Displays for Every Store

You might think creating a countertop display is simple: Just choose your merchandise and situate it on the countertop in question, right?

Well, sort of – but creating a countertop display actually takes a bit more planning than that. You need to understand the amount of space you have to work with, choose the right merchandise to showcase, and find fixtures that will both work with the space and the merchandise to attractively and conveniently showcase your products.

Step One: Analyze Your Countertop Space

The first step to creating countertop displays is to analyze your countertop space. You have to be familiar with how much space you have to work with before you can move on to the second and third steps; after all, how are you supposed to know what kinds of merchandise and what kinds of display fixtures will fit on your countertop if you’re not sure how much space you have?

There are two ways to analyze your countertop space: You can “eyeball” it, which might work for some folks, or you can actually measure it, which works best in all situations. When you’re ready to order your display fixtures, you’ll see what sizes they’re available in and it will be easier to choose the ones right for your countertop if you know exactly how big or small your countertop is.

Step Two: Decide What Merchandise to Display

Now that you know how much countertop space you have to work with, it’s time to decide what merchandise you want to display.

Generally, the merchandise you showcase will depend on the kind of store you manage. If you manage a candy store, for example, you’ll probably want to create a candy display. If you manage a gas station or convenience store, you might want to showcase convenience items like lighters or key chains.

No matter what kind of merchandise you sell or choose for your countertop display, make sure it’s the appropriate size for the amount of space you have to work with (see above) and will comfortably fit in whatever display fixtures you choose (see below).

Step Three: Consider Your Display Fixture Options

The third step might actually be the trickiest – or, rather, the most time consuming – of all the steps. Why? Because there are so many different kinds of display fixtures to choose from!

Companies that sell wholesale store supplies generally have many different kinds of display fixtures to choose from – no matter what kind of merchandise you’re display or where you want to situate your display. When you combine one company’s many options with the many options of all the other companies out there that sell wholesale store supplies, your possibilities seem endless!

In order to avoid overwhelming yourself, make sure you choose display fixtures that work well with the amount of countertop space you have as well as both attractively and conveniently displays your merchandise.

Keep in mind that you can also supplement your countertop space by making use of the space near your countertop. For example, gumball machines, lollipop trees, and wire display racks designed to hold clear plastic containers and other display fixtures work well to showcase additional merchandise near your countertop (in your POP area, for example) without actually taking up extra countertop space.