Winter 2023 Campus Dining Today - 21

Base deck or base shelf
Size & space
considerations
Most convenience stores (c-stores) are
in relatively small locations. Grocery
stores and big box retailers have
more room and, in some cases,
large products to display. They may
decide not to use shelving in certain
circumstances. For example, if they
have large seasonal items, they may
roll out a pallet full of merchandise and
then pull it when the product runs low
or sells out.
When it comes to shelving, it
starts with the depth and width
of the base shelf. Supermarkets
usually have a base shelf or base
deck that's 22-26 inches deep. If
you put them back-to-back, that
is about 4 feet. That's how much
space an aisle of base shelves
would occupy. Smaller locations,
however, don't have that much
ground to work with. At Michigan
State University (MSU), we have
always used base shelves that
are 15 inches deep and selected
shorter shelves to place above the
base.
Base plus six shelves
Once you have your 15-inch base
deck or base shelf, you need
to place shelving above it with
less depth (about 14 inches).
For example, if you want seven
shelves, you will order a base plus
six shelves to reach that total.
It's very handy terminology to
know when pricing and ordering
shelving units and working with
companies to outfit your space.
Height & width
For retail c-stores, I would
suggest using freestanding
shelves that are somewhere
between 48 and 60 inches high.
You can select shelves that are
up to 72 inches high if you are
placing the shelf against a wall,
but you do risk some customers
not being able to reach the top
shelf. For me, 48 inches is a bit
too short, and 60 inches can be
a bit high, as some retailers like
to be able to " see " above their
shelving. We have settled on 54
inches in many of our sites. Given
the small nature of most c-stores,
we have always based our unit
widths on 3- or 4-foot-wide
shelving. This is an important
consideration for the overall size
and space available for your
product displays.
Shelving unit
In our sites, one shelving unit is 54
inches high, with 15-inch base
decks and 14-inch shelves. Placing
the 15-inch base decks back-toback
and adding a few inches to
include the backboard measures
out to about 3 feet. This is really
beneficial in a smaller location.
Islands, aisles & end caps
If you place two shelving units
back-to-back, you have the start
of an island or aisle. When you
place the units back-to-back
and include a unit at each end,
that is an island. We refer to the
end units as end caps. End caps
not only provide aesthetics but
also present valuable display
opportunities.
Backboards & peg holes
Backboards are a part of most
shelving units. They provide the
backing that you see when you're
filling the shelves and prevent
products from potentially falling.
Additionally, most backboards
provide space for support posts.
These come in many colors with
the option to include peg holes.
The nice thing about peg holes
is that you can remove all the
shelves and attach pegs to display
products like candy or chips;
anything that already has a hole
to slide onto the peg.
Shelving sections or units
These 3- or 4-foot-wide sections
that I mentioned earlier are the
building blocks of a c-store
location. Done right, they have
interchangeable pieces and can
be taken apart and moved, then
reassembled. If parts need to be
replaced, they can be purchased,
or you may have already included
extra shelving and parts with
your original order. We have
always ordered extra shelving
to ensure spare parts were
on hand. For those who have
multiple locations, you could
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Winter 2023 Campus Dining Today

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