From snacks to spices, coffee beans to pinto beans, bulk food departments are becoming a staple of the modern grocery store experience, with shoppers increasingly expecting them.
Bulk food merchandising has evolved significantly over the years, and yet some common misconceptions still remain. We’re here to set the record straight about adopting and maintaining a bulk food department in your store. So, grab your trail mix as we take you on a journey to debunk five common bulk food department myths.
MYTH 1: Bulk foods are messy
The truth is, choosing the right bulk merchandising solution is key to creating a clean, organized, low-spill shopping experience. Spillage is the enemy of profitability—especially when it comes to high-margin items. By optimizing flow options, your store can keep aisleways clean and shrink to a minimum. Trade Fixtures Gravity Dispensers are available in three flow options.
Choose from controlled-flow dispensers for smaller items, free-flow dispensers for larger products, and scoop bins for items that are best served by hand. Matching the bulk merchandising format to the product helps reduce spills, improve presentation and create a more shopper-friendly environment.
MYTH 2: Bulk foods go stale quickly
Bulk foods are visually appealing, which helps them sell quickly. While bulk foods may not have printed expiration dates like pre-packed foods, they often spend less time sitting on the store shelves because of their high turnover.
Pre-packaged foods can create an illusion of freshness, but bulk food dispensers are specifically designed to preserve it. Trade Fixtures Gravity Dispensers are air-tight, helping keep products fresh for as long as possible.
MYTH 3: Cleaning bulk dispensers is tedious & time-consuming
Grocery store cleanliness is crucial to shoppers with 79% ranking cleanliness in their top 3 considerations when choosing a grocery store. From checkout lanes to the produce section, it’s essential for grocery store managers to establish an efficient cleaning routine to enhance shopper experience and confidence. This includes bulk food departments.
Cleaning your bulk food department is faster than many expect. That’s because Trade Fixtures’ Gravity Dispensers and Scoop Bins are dishwasher-safe up to 190° F (88° C), making cleaning quick, thorough and simple. For full fixture cleaning, we recommend fully disassembling and cleaning as needed, with more frequent wipe-downs of the external surfaces and hand-washing of scoops or tongs.
MYTH 4: Bulk food departments aren’t as profitable
Research shows 8-10% of a product’s cost is associated with its packaging. Bulk merchandising allows stores to witness higher profit margins than packaged foods while also saving shoppers 30-60%. This mutualism builds a better shopping experience and attracts more loyal customers while helping increase profit margins with bulk.
MYTH 5: Bulk food departments are hard to execute
The last myth? Rolling out a bulk food department is hard. Many retailers assume implementing a bulk food department requires significant time, labor and operational changes. When starting or upgrading your bulk food department, Trade Fixtures makes it easy and flexible. Some products are best suited for gravity dispensers, while others are more efficiently served from scoop bins. Trade Fixtures makes it simple to offer both while optimizing space with our Bulk-in-a-Box Kits. Choose from 12 preconfigured options to make rolling out bulk fast, with no guesswork, so your store can start embracing bulk’s full potential.