Helping Customers Prepare For Cold And Flu Season: Tips For Expanding Your Convenience Store Inventory
Whether customers in your convenience store's neighborhood are worried about the spread of coronaviruses or dealing with the annual cold and flu season, expanding your inventory can provide much-needed help during troubling times. Here are some ways you can use an expanded inventory to meet the evolving needs of your customers to help them stay safe and healthy.
Germ Mitigation End Cap
Fighting the spread of germs is essential during cold and flu season and during a pandemic. Work with your vendors to add FDA-approved hand sanitizers to your inventory to provide a convenient way for customers to protect themselves while out and about. Look for both travel-size bottles and large pump bottles to meet an array of needs. Sanitizing wipes and spray cleaners are also good options for your germ mitigation end cap, and traditional bleach can be used in a number of ways to sanitize and clean surfaces. You may also want to order more paper towels from your vendors to fill out this merchandising area, as they pair perfectly with sanitizing spray cleaners.
Symptom-Fighting Shelves
Customers may also need to find symptom relievers should they become ill during cold and flu season. If you don't already carry over-the-counter pain medications, this may be a good time to add them to your inventory. Fever reducers, pain relievers, and decongestants are all good options to help combat certain symptoms associated with colds and the flu. Use peg hooks above the shelves for boxed and bottled medications to provide space for throat lozenges, cough drops, and single-use heating pads. You can also add some holistic options to this area of your store as well, such as bottles of vitamin C to help boost immune systems. Work with your vendors to select an array of inventory items you can carry throughout cold and flu season. You may also want to keep a smaller supply of these items on hand throughout the year for added customer convenience.
Comfort Food Section
Expanding your inventory to include a range of comfort foods can make it easier for customers to find all the items they need to stock up on for cold and flu season in one store. Canned soups, crispy crackers, and herbal teas are perfect for this section of your convenience store. Shelf-stable protein drinks and nutritional shakes are ideal for people who might be on an all-liquid diet due to illness. Consider adding bulk packs of sports drinks to help with hydration during illnesses as well. You may also want to add canned chili, stew, and vegetables to round out this section. Having nonperishable canned goods on hand makes it easier for customers to stock up before getting sick to ensure they have a lasting supply of foods while they are self-quarantining.
To learn more about items you can stock in your convenience store, contact a company like Instant Inventory Service.
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