Finding Retail Equipment and Supplies

Maximize profits with the right displays, fixtures, POS systems and anti-theft devices

To create a successful retail store where products fly off the shelves, you need more than great products — you need shelves, too. In fact, retail stores require a wide variety of equipment and supplies to ensure a profitable operation. Essentials for any retailer include displays and fixtures to show off your products, a system for ringing up sales, a pricing system, packaging supplies, anti-theft devices and security products. With the right equipment and supplies you can:

1. Reinforce your image
2. Encourage sales and impulse buys
3. Promote sale merchandise or featured items
4. Speed up the checkout process
5. Reduce errors in the checkout process
6. Reduce employee and customer theft
7. Increase store safety

Fixtures and displays

Store fixtures and displays are a must for any retailer. The display cases, racks, shelves, gridwalls, slatwalls and showcases you choose speak volumes about your store, so make selections that reflect your company image — modern, upscale, elegant or budget-conscious.

Mannequins

Mannequins can help transform a ho-hum window display into a work of art and can be instrumental in increasing sales of featured items. Mannequins come in a variety of styles, including torsos on stands, full-body, heads, hands and feet. Some feature flexibility so you can pose them any way you like.

Point of sale (POS) systems and cash registers

In a retail environment, your POS system or cash register is your most important piece of equipment. POS systems include a computer, cash drawer, receipt printer and monitor. For a more basic checkout system, a computerized cash register will do.

Barcode scanners and systems

Barcode technology is becoming increasingly popular with retailers. It's about 15 times faster than entering information by hand on a keyboard and about 10,000 times more accurate. The technology speeds up point-of-sale transactions and reduces errors.

Security and anti-theft products

Every retailer needs to think about loss prevention and security. Fortunately, there are dozens of products on the market designed to help keep your store safe and minimize employee theft and customer theft.

Bags and boxes

The shopping bags or boxes in which your products leave your store play an important role. With your store name imprinted on the sides, they can serve as walking advertisements. The style and quality of your packaging should reflect and reinforce your store image.

Supplies

To keep your retail operation running smoothly, you need a wide variety of general supplies.

• When buying equipment, take your time and plan well. Making a mistake due to a hasty decision can be costly.
• If you are ordering supplies, especially supplies that need to be customized, do not buy more to save a little. Buy enough to test to see if they fit and what changes you want to make…and you will want to make them.
• There is no such thing as a perfect layout of a store. Over a period of time, the type of merchandise you'll be carrying may change, requiring some display units, especially those that are moveable, to be replaced.

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