The holiday shopping season is upon us, which means it’s time for retailers to stuff their shelves with the latest and greatest products and holiday-themed pop-up stores to emerge once more. No matter which type of shop you own or manage, you must be prepared for the increase in foot traffic that comes with the waning weeks of the year. Shopping carts are vital assets in this effort, allowing customers to gather as much as they desire before checking out and loading up their vehicles. Of course, not all carts are created equal. Providing carts for your customers is only half the battle — the other half involves selecting the optimal vessels for your store’s specific needs and goals. So, what are the best shopping carts for holiday stores?

Here we will discuss the considerations you should make when selecting carts, keeping the holiday season top of mind.

Things to Consider When Choosing Shopping Carts for Holiday Stores

Carts That Are Easily Stored and Minimally Obstructive

Many stores get cramped around the holidays, especially those that specialize in holiday items or that lack ample space to begin with. Shopping carts take up even more space when kept inside your building, and if they’re not properly stored or placed, they can become more of a liability than an asset. When space is limited, you’ll want to keep most of your carts outside of your store if possible. Ideally, your parking lot and/or sidewalk will feature cart corrals for customers and employees to place carts after use. If you have no choice but to keep your carts inside, however, invest in vessels that 1) don’t take up too much space on their own, and 2) comfortably nest inside each other to reduce the amount of space they take up collectively.

Carts for Ornaments and Other Small Holiday Decorations

Holiday pop-up stores primarily sell items that are in high demand this time of year, including tree ornaments, holiday decorations, festive souvenirs, and stocking stuffers. If you run such a store, consider purchasing carts that accommodate these smaller objects. In other words, prioritize smaller carts over larger ones. Generally speaking, most of your customers will only need the space provided by smaller shopping carts — larger carts typically won’t be necessary. You might even ditch the carts altogether and opt for baskets instead (or offer both small carts and baskets).

Carts Big Enough for Holiday Hauls

While small shopping carts are perfect matches for stores that mainly sell smaller items, large shopping carts come in handy for those bigger holiday purchases (both in terms of size and quantity). Big-box and local retailers alike do a lot of business between Black Friday and New Year’s, tempting customers with the latest technology, toys, and treasures to rest under the tree. While popular holiday gifts range in size, several options are relatively large in scale, requiring substantial shopping carts to carry from point A to point B. And even if many of your customers hold off on buying a few large items, many of them might wish to fill their carts with large quantities of smaller goods. Either way, providing larger carts is a smart move in these situations.

Carts That Can Hold Large, Long, Oddly-Shaped Presents

Even the largest carts aren’t always optimized for certain objects. Long items like posters, mirrors, and furniture are better placed in a cargo cart. These carts feature a smaller, shallow, retractable basket up top and a long, sturdy tray on the bottom that’s perfect for carrying oddly-shaped items. These carts are relatively narrow, too, so they’re easy to maneuver through aisles and tight spaces.

Carts With More Than One Basket

Sometimes the best options for holiday stores are carts that don’t take up too much space but can still carry a decent amount of objects at a given time. Double-basket shopping carts fit this bill. Not only do double shopping carts save space without sacrificing too much carrying capacity — they also allow for easy organization and separation of items. So, if a customer wants to purchase both bulky and fragile items, they can place the heftier stuff down below and keep the more precious items up top where they’re safe from harm. Customers may also use this inherent separation to keep some food items (raw meat, for instance) away from non-perishables and non-food items. Ultimately, double carts offer convenient solutions for a wide range of customers this holiday season and beyond.

Durable Carts for Busy Stores

Durable carts are desirable for every store and season. That said, if there’s any time you truly want your carts to withstand wear and tear, it’s the holiday season. A surge in activity increases the likelihood of carts crashing into aisles and each other, and winter weather can take a toll on your carts as well. If your carts aren’t up to the task, you might end up needing to repair and/or replace your fleet once the new year rolls around. To avoid these costly outcomes, invest in heavy duty shopping carts from the get-go, and do your best to keep them in great shape all season long.

Carts for Efficient Shelf-Stocking

The last kind of cart to consider for your holiday store is a tub cart. Whereas the carts mentioned above are primarily for customer use, tub carts are great for employees tasked with stocking shelves. These large, tubular carts can hold two bi-fold totes, making them perfect for transporting goods from the storage room to the storefront with minimal hassle and fewer trips. Considering how quickly items move off the shelves during the holidays, any means for expediting the restocking process are welcome, and tub carts make things that much easier.
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!