Showing Off Soils & Amendments

Jennifer Polanz

I’ve dedicated space before to highlighting bagged goods, but I wanted to show some more options because this is one of the harder categories to display effectively. I recall one retailer telling me a neat and orderly bagged goods section makes her tear up because it’s so hard to accomplish.

[1-2]  This display at Petitti Garden Center in Avon, Ohio, serves a couple of purposes. First off, it’s a classy and elegant (and easily changed out) way to show off what you have. Second, it encourages customers to tell the cashier what they want at checkout and the items will be loaded right into their vehicle. It creates an easy-to-understand process without having a potential mess in the store.

[3]  I saw this at Ray Weigand’s Nursery & Garden Center in Michigan many years ago, but it’s still a great example of cross merchandising. It highlights the soil right where customers should be thinking about it—in the greenhouse with the plants. From top to bottom, it’s eye-catching and informative.

[4]  I’ve seen a couple of in-store displays that look great and this is one of them. Taken during a retail tour visit to Sky Nursery outside of Seattle, it’s an example of a clean look with easy-to-read signage from a distance. You don’t have to look far to find out where to get your bagged goods. It takes work, though, to keep these bags stacked neatly, remove torn ones and clean up any messes.

[5-6]  I thought this was a unique way of letting customers interact with the bagged soils and amendments. Some people really like to dig in and get a feel for what they’re buying before they pull the trigger. This was spotted at Suncrest Gardens in Peninsula, Ohio, on a side porch. Customers could tell the cashier what they wanted and then pull up to the loading area to receive their product. GP