It’s the dreaded screaming child in the middle of the produce section; the parent has to pull the tomato out of little Johnnie’s hands. The meltdown ensues, and mom and dad race to the checkout line, with only half of the items they were planning to get. As the store manager, you shake your head because you know exactly what this means. The customer leaves purchasing fewer items than planned, spending less money at your store. Unhappy kids mean unhappy customers, and that directly affects your numbers. This post will go over the one product out there that can solve this problem and potentially increase your sales.

I recently visited the Stop and Shop in Wayland, Massachusetts and spoke with Store Manager Mike Bussel. One year ago, Mike purchased the McCue Bean child shopping cart. Since the purchase, Mike has seen more parent shoppers than ever before, and they are all in the store significantly longer than they used to be.

“It [the Bean] eliminates moms leaving with only half the items they came to get because the kids aren’t running around and being chaotic,”

Mike explains. Parent shoppers choose his store over the local competitors simply because they can rely on the Bean child shopping carts to get them through the store.

But what store managers like Mike may not realize is that the Bean does more for his store than just create happiness for its customers—it also directly impacts sales. Studies by FMI in 2001 have shown that those who shop with child carts spend 20% more. When kids are safe and entertained, moms have the ability to spend more time in the store to complete their list. Moms like Valerie Friedholm, a regular customer of the Stop and Shop in Wayland, expressed many of the same notions:

“I am able to get at least an extra 10-15 minutes in the store to complete my grocery list. The more time I spend in the store, the more I buy.”

When asked if she feels that the Bean directly relates to how much she spends, she agreed.

Now that you know the Bean can drive business to your store and potentially increase sales, you’re ready to stock up on a slew of them yourself. If you want to learn more, take a look at our Bean infographic!