Your hardware store is a one-stop-shop for DIY types, contractors, and more. With so many products on your shelf, you can expect customers to pick up more than a few items when they stop in. Rather than make these customers carry everything in their arms, you’ll want to supply baskets and/or carts to make the trip easier (and encourage larger purchases). That said, not all shopping carts are created equal — the carts you’ll find at the nearby grocery store or boutique won’t necessarily be a perfect fit for your hardware store. You have to consider multiple factors before selecting carts, such as size, durability, versatility, mobility, and more.

With all that in mind, let’s go over what makes for the best shopping carts for hardware stores.

Best Shopping Carts for Hardware Stores

Heavy Duty Shopping Carts

Many items found in a hardware store are hefty and potentially hazardous, so your store’s shopping carts must be able to withstand heavy loads, spills, and impact. Cheap plastic carts often won’t do. Wire carts built from quality steel, on the other hand, are often right at home in hardware stores. The best wire shopping carts are sealed with a baked enamel finish that protects the substrate from rust, abrasion, and more. Furthermore, solid wire carts feature heavy duty wheel bearings that facilitate mobility without scratching floors or producing loud noises. You’ll also want to purchase carts that can hold large volumes of product (i.e., upwards of 100 L) so customers can load up their carts while still easily maneuvering around your store.

Variable Sizes

While it’s a good idea to provide your customers with large shopping carts for those larger purchases, keep in mind that not everyone will require that much space to grab what they need from your hardware store. Consider, for instance, the customer who only plans to pick up a couple of paint buckets and some small tools — a large cart will easily carry these things, but the customer might not want to push around something so large if they don’t have to. Standard baskets are good alternatives to carts for this type of situation. However, baskets might be too small for a given purchase, and they may become too heavy for someone to carry after a little while. Perhaps the best solution is providing a variety of carts for different kinds of trips. In many hardware stores, you’ll find fleets of both larger and smaller carts for this very reason. As long as you have the space, offering more options to your customers will enhance their experience and increase sales.

Carts with Multiple Tiers

Speaking of options, hardware stores can also benefit from double shopping carts — that is, carts that feature two baskets (one above and one below). These multi-leveled carts are perfect for customers purchasing a variety of items from your hardware store, making it easier to organize and separate purchases during the trip. Depending on the size and shape of the double basket cart, these carts can allow customers to haul larger, longer items on the bottom while collecting smaller items on the top. And because these carts favor verticality over width, they’re slimmer than their larger, single-basket counterparts, making them easier to maneuver through narrow aisles.

Basket Carts

You might go even further with this notion of two-tiered shopping carts by investing in basket carts. These carts feature removable baskets so customers can more easily switch between carrying their stuff by hand or rolling it around via cart. Basket carts are essentially frames with wheels that feature openings in which the right-sized baskets can be placed. Offering this level of versatility lets more of your customers shop they way that’s most practical and comfortable for them.

Rolling Shopping Baskets

Another hybrid option, a rolling shopping basket, is a large, deep shopping basket outfitted with wheels and a retractable handle so it can be rolled along the floor like a cart when things get too heavy. These roller baskets might be slightly more basket than cart, but they still provide the superior mobility of carts without sacrificing the convenience of baskets. Rolling baskets are also solid choices for hardware stores since they can carry large volumes of product and help customers get around without taking up too much space.

Tub Carts for Restocking

Some shopping carts are good for more than just helping customers do their shopping. Indeed, most hardware stores will find certain carts useful for restocking shelves. Tub carts, in particular, are large and sturdy enough to carry big, heavy tubs filled with items so employees can easily bring products from the backroom upfront. These tub carts are similar to basket carts in that they feature two tiers, each with an opening in which tubs can be placed. With the right-sized baskets, customers can also use these tub carts if need be. In this way, tub carts are multi-purpose, highly versatile vessels for your hardware store.

The Verdict

So, what’s the best shopping cart for your hardware store? There’s no single answer to this question, but there are multiple criteria to consider when selecting new shopping carts for your location. To sum up, you want carts that are heavy duty, optimized for the types of products you sell (and the size of your store), versatile in terms of shape and functionality, and useful for both stocking and shopping purposes. At Good L Corp., we offer a wide variety of carts and baskets that can fit each of these requirements so you can optimize your hardware store for maximum sales.

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!