Better Shopping Carts Means Better Shopping
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by: KirtChristensen
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Word Count: 740
I am a stay at home mom of two small boys. Like a lot of stay-at-home moms, I am limited to what stores are \"accessable to me\" by a number of things. Things like the width of store aisles, the ease of parking, helpfulness of employees, and the size and maneuverability of the available shopping carts are all a factor in where I can and can't go.
Even today, most households require the woman to do most of the shopping for the family. Of course this may not always be fare, but its the reality we live in. Factors such as convenience and the other challenges mentioned above play a big role. As such, I must visit a beauty supply store later this morning. With its narrow aisles and lack of shopping carts, my time inside the store will be minimal.
I believe this is true for a majority of women in my position. If it is difficult to shop the store because the ease of maneuverability, a good number of consumers are going to avoid the store or business as much as possible, and when they do enter the store, it will be for as little time as possible. This means less money is spent, and they are less likely to purchase \"impulse buys\". They will be in and out of the store on a mission to get the few items they need and then get out before there is a public meltdown (either by mom or children!).
One of the most important factors, as silly as it may seem, when I choose a store to shop at and linger at, is the size and maneuverability of the shopping carts. The front of the cart needs to be wide enough to place a carseat without feeling like the cart would topple at any moment, and the handle of the cart couldn't be too much lower than the basket, otherwise the car seat/ infant carrier would be balanced rather precariously on the front without actually \"clipping in\", making it secure.
The ideal shopping cart for a small business should be sturdy and lightnot bulky and heavy. It should be large enough to contain the items a shopper needs, but not so large that maneuvering through aisles becomes difficult and frustrating.
There have been a number of times I have left a store out of sheer frustration and not being able to maneuver smoothly through the aisles. The shopping cart for the small businesses in question were either too large, had difficult to move wheels, or the aisles were too cramped to get around to where I needed. My frustration level would go up as I would try to navigate, and generally I end up leaving sooner, rather than later, and make every effort in the future to avoid that particular store.
Having a shopping cart large enough for a small business can sometimes be an issue. There is a fine line between convenience of the shopper, and making the cart too large to be able to smoothly transition to different areas of the store. I personally need a cart which is large enough to also allow a five-year-old to sit in the basket with whatever items I am purchasing. This makes it tricky for a small business. A lot of times small businesses are limited on space, and don't have the option of wide aisles for their inventory. There has to be a good balance of both to make it convenient for a person to shop.
To put so much emphasis on the shopping cart may seem silly, but it's necessary. There is one particular store which I have had to avoid until my child was big enough to sit up on his own. The stores carts would not accomodate my infant carrier. For my small business, I would make sure to provide a shopping cart that was light weight, probably plastic, sturdy, free turning wheels, wide enough for an infant carrier to be secure and possibly allow for a second child inside. It would be the appropraite size based on the overall size of the store, the products sold at the store and the width of the aisles. This would ensure its ability to maneuver throughout the store and would allow for customers to linger and spend more time, hence spend more money.
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