How to Order Wholesale Plastic Containers

If you run any kind of retail business or restaurant, chances are you know you can use wholesale plastic containers. Maybe you're not quite sure how you can use them, but you know they'd be handy if only you'd order some and start using them.

The problem with wholesale plastic containers is the phrase itself. It obviously encompasses a vast assortment of containers, and you might not know how to begin ordering these containers.

Below are three easy steps to help you order wholesale plastic containers for your business.

Step 1: Look at Your Merchandise

What kinds of merchandise do you want to store and display in your plastic containers?

If you plan to display edible merchandise - like candy, gumballs, cereal, or pastries - you'll want to choose food grade plastic containers and containers with lids. For items like cereal, trail mix, and coffee, you can find plastic food dispensers designed to mount on your store's walls or aisles.

However, if you plan to store non-edible items - or even edible items in wrappers - you can select traditional round or square plastic containers with openings large enough for your customers to easily access the merchandise.

Step 2: Look at Your Store's Space

How much space do you have to work with inside your store? Do you plan to place your containers on your store's counter tops and near the registers? If so, look at how much counter top space you have to work with, and then compare that to the kind of merchandise you plan to display on your counter top. You might find that several small plastic containers will do the job, or you might need one or two larger containers.

If you'd rather showcase your merchandise elsewhere in the store, you can look at accessories like plastic and wire display racks, detailed below.

Step 3: Look at Available Accessories

Candy display racks are great tools for showcasing merchandise throughout your store. (Of course, you don't have to fill your containers with candy; you can fill them with anything you want.)

These kinds of convenience store racks are available in a variety of sizes, which means you can situate them on your counter tops or throughout your store near the entryway, aisles, or your store's deli area. Wire display racks are useful if you need to make the most use of very little counter top space because they allow you to stack containers on top of one another. You can also find taller and wider display racks that work well to hold even more merchandise throughout your store.

In addition to traditional round and square plastic containers, you can also find containers in holiday-inspired shapes and other popular molds like stockings, Christmas trees, pumpkins, hearts, and stars.

Also keep in mind that acrylic containers come in a variety of colors. You can use colored acrylic containers to organize your candy (for example, you might want to store lemon-flavored candy in a yellow container and cherry-flavored candy in a red container), or you can choose colors that coordinate with the seasons, your area's local sports team, or even your store's "theme."