The end of October marks the beginning of the holiday season, two jam-packed months of family gatherings, feasts, and shopping trips. For most retailers and grocery stores, there’s no busier or more lucrative time of year. This typical spike in sales doesn’t happen all on its own, however. To get the most out of the holidays, store owners and managers must make a concerted effort to improve and streamline the customer experience — this means gearing up for increased foot traffic, stocking the shelves to their maximum capacity, hiring seasonal help, and providing the right vessels for those ambitious holiday hauls.

Let’s break down some of the best shopping carts to stock your store with to handle the holiday rush.

Best Shopping Carts for the Holidays

Large Shopping Carts

It’s no secret that people like to spend a bit more than usual around the holidays. Between large holiday meals, decorations, gift exchanges, and major sales events like Black Friday, you’ll see plenty of full shopping carts between November and the new year. As a business owner, you want to encourage these large purchases in every way possible, and providing large carts is a great way to make sure every customer can comfortably carry everything they’re looking to buy. If you already offer big carts, you should be in decent shape for the holiday rush, though you might want to invest in some additional carts to accommodate the extra foot traffic.

Heavy Duty Shopping Carts

You should always try to provide your customers with highly durable carts — this is especially true during the holiday season. Heavy duty carts are built to last, able to withstand years of wear and tear from environmental threats, impact, and more. As it turns out, the holidays present the most dangerous time of year for your shopping carts — cold air, snow, and rock salt can corrode steel materials, and increased occupancy makes cart collisions all the more common. If your shopping carts aren’t up to the task, you might end up needing to repair or replace a significant number of them by the time the new year rolls around.

Double Basket Shopping Carts

We’ve already established that carrying capacity is vital when it comes to making the most of the holiday rush. And while large carts can carry large loads, they’re not always optimized for traversal or organization. This is where double shopping carts come in handy for the holidays. Double basket carts offer similar overall capacity as larger, single basket carts but divide this space into two tiers, one above and one below. This dual design allows these vessels to retain a slimmer shape that’s easier to maneuver (which is key when your store gets busy). As an added bonus, double shopping carts allow customers to separate items as they shop so they can, for instance, keep raw meat away from other items and reduce the risk of crushing smaller, fragile items under larger, heavier ones. Considering the wide variety of goods people purchase over the holidays, this level of control and organization is a major boon for shoppers and stores alike.

Cargo Carts

People aren’t just known to buy large quantities of items during the holidays — they’re also known to buy large items, such as TVs, gaming consoles, sound systems, and more. Depending on the exact size and shape of a given product, it might not easily fit in a regular cart, even a large one. Traditional double basket carts are sometimes too restrictive for these purposes, too. A cargo cart, however, is sometimes the perfect vessel for these situations. Like double carts, these carts feature two tiers. The difference between cargo carts and double basket carts is that the bottom portion of cargo carts is more of a tray than a basket, and the top basket is longer and more shallow. What’s more, the top basket can fold in on itself to make even more space for whatever is placed below. This unique and flexible design makes it much easier to haul large, long, and/or awkward packages around.

Roller Baskets

Perhaps the best cart for your business’ holiday rush isn’t even technically a cart but rather a basket that can act like a cart. As its name suggests, a rolling shopping basket is a basket with wheels. These baskets feature two handles — one that acts like a standard basket handle and one that pulls out telescopically so the vessel can be easily rolled around the store. The versatility afforded by these hybrid devices allows customers to customize their shopping experience as they go. One shopper might solely use their roller basket as a regular basket, carrying it off the ground, while another might switch into roller mode when the basket becomes too heavy. It’s always good to give your customers options. Plus, roller baskets are taller than normal baskets, offering increased capacity for larger holiday shopping trips.

Tub Carts

The shopping carts you purchase for your store aren’t all necessarily for your customers. The right kinds of carts can also be useful for stocking shelves, transporting merchandise, and more. And with so much happening during the holiday season, you can expect an increased need for efficient stocking. Tub carts are highly useful in this regard, able to hold two bi-fold totes so employees can keep shelves stocked with fewer trips back and forth between the warehouse and storefront.

The Right Carts for Holiday Hauling

The holiday rush is about to begin. Is your store prepared to accommodate the increase in activity? Make the most out of this holiday season with new shopping carts that satisfy your customer’s and your business’ needs.

Good L Corporation delivers innovative shopping cart and basket solutions for retailers on a global scale. Good L Corp. can configure the right carryall strategy to boost your retail business, from a fleet of new custom carts to launch your store opening to replacement baskets that supplement your existing shop supply. Let’s get started! Contact us today for a no-pressure sales quote!