Retail Paper Bags – Making Your Company’s Selection
If you are the purchasing agent for a store or are otherwise in charge of buying retail paper bags your clerks can use in bagging customer purchases, the decision about which ones to purchase may not be as simple as you think. As it stands, many stores are moving away from the common use of plastic in their bagging materials. Out of genuine concern for the environment (and in deference to a national trend in environmental consciousness), many stores are changing their practices. If you've decided to make the move away from plastic, here are some things to consider when deciding what to purchase.
- Your Products
The retail paper bags purchased by a store selling large bottles of wine may differ substantially from a store selling candy. Take your products into consideration when deciding the appropriate bagging materials. Not only do you need to take weight into account, but also how your products are purchased. Are you primarily selling large individual items, or are you selling multiple smaller items? If you sell both, you may want to make sure you have different sizes available to suit these purposes. It can be frustrating, as a customer, to have your pack of gum thrown into a container more appropriate for an armful of groceries.
- Marketing
90% of stores put absolutely no thought into using their retail paper bags as a marketing opportunity. If you use this outlet, you can gain an edge on your competition. Just a simple name and logo can brand your business so much better than a brown sack that says "Thank you" or nothing at all. Yes, most of these sacks are going to be thrown in the trash as soon as the customer arrives home; but this is not always the case. Even if they are to be thrown out, there may be advertising opportunities before the customer arrives home. For a good example of this type of marketing done right, look no further than Macy's and Target.
- Your Budget
While purchasing nice, sturdy retail paper bags should be a priority worthy of some deliberation, the bottom line for any store will always be profit. A budget only extends so far, and it's easy for niceties such as a remarkable sack for customers to carry out their purchases to fall fairly low on the importance spectrum. So don't go overboard when it comes to spending your money. Try to find a happy medium between making sure the product is secure and sturdy and spending a fortune on top-of-the-line materials.
