Progressive Grocer - March 2010 - (Page 108)

Equipment The latest tools of the trade Clean Carts Murfin’s Markets uses a “carwash”-like sanitizing system for bumper-to-bumper sanitizing of its shopping carts. By Joseph Tarnowski 1N1’s early sweep across the country did a lot to help boost sales of over-the-counter drugs and related products (see “Extended Flu Season” in the January/February 2010 issue), but the one remedy grocers may be hard-pressed to find is that which will ease shoppers’ concerns about getting the flu at all, especially from the germ-infested handles of shopping carts. Reducing Contamination H Sanitary wipes have been around for a while, and while they’re effective in sanitizing the surfaces they wipe, obviously, they do nothing for those surfaces they don’t come in contact with. This results in either germs still on other areas of the cart — areas where shoppers are placing products — or the use of many wipes, which the grocers pay for. Which is exactly what Chuck Murfin, owner of Ozark, Mo.-based four-store independent Murfin’s Markets, experienced last year. “When we first put in the sanitary wipes, five or six years ago, people hardly used them,” he says. “One canister would last you maybe half a week. But lately, with [H1N1], shoppers were concerned about how much contamination was on the grocery carts.” And when Springfield, Mo.-based Enviren called on the grocer just after the H1N1 outbreak, it was a matter of right product, right place and right time. The automated Enviren Shopping Cart Sanitizing System is a self-contained patent-pending unit developed to sanitize the entire shopping cart from top to bottom, front to back, using a biodegradable liquid solution. Think of it as a mini-carwash for shopping carts that doesn’t require water lines or drains, and plugs into a 110-volt outlet. To use the system, users push the shopping cart up a small ramp and through the entryway. The system’s internal motion detector instantly triggers the biodegradable spray.Within seconds, the shop- Grocery List Quick facts about the Enviren Shopping Cart Sanitizing System: • EnvirenMist, which is used in the system, is safe for children • EnvirenMist was developed to kill 65 kinds of germs and diseases, including H1N1, MRSA, E. coli, salmonella, staph and influenza • The system is self-contained so liquids (which are biodegradable, anyway) aren’t being disposed of in drains and sanitary systems ping cart emerges 99.9 Murfin’s Markets percent germ-free, accord- has the assurance ing to Enviren. The sanitiz- of 99.9 percent germ-free shopping ing agent uses a nontoxic, carts, courtesy of EPA-approved, fresh- Enviren. scented formula safe for adults, children and the environment. “It sprays a fine mist of solution over the entire cart, and by the time they are nested with the others, they are dry and ready to use,” says Murfin. “Some shoppers will run their cart through the system before they use it.” In addition to the end-to-end sterilization the Enviren system delivers, it reduces the need for — and the expense of — sanitizing wipes for shoppers. Even more important, however, is the benefit Murfin can’t quantify. “Shoppers feel safer shopping with us,” he says. “They feel more comfortable shopping here knowing that they’re not going to be in contact with germs.” ■ • Progressive Grocer • March 2010 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/pg_20100102/index.php#/64 https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/pg_20100102/index.php#/64 http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - March 2010

Progressive Grocer - March 2010
Table of Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/ Spotlight: Dairy/Yogurt
Green Grocer Awards 2010: Seeing Green
Multicultural Marketing: Use Your Common Census
Harold Lloyd on … “Making a Difference”: The Employee’s First 30 Days: It’s Now or Never
The Lempert Report: Enter the ‘Koodies’
Independent Retailing: Keep Cash Flowing With Trade Terms
Progressive Grocer’s 2010 Meat Operations Review: Value on a Platter
Progressive Grocer’s 2010 Seafood Operations Review: Seafood Hits its Stride
Executive Insight Series: Lasting Impressions: Forward Thinking
Produce: Tracking the Transition to Traceability
Meat: Heinen’s Freshens up Service Benchmarks
Natural/Organic: Nature’s Best on Ice: Natural and Organic Frozen Foods
Frozen/Dairy: Cold and Colder: Trends in Frozen and Dairy
Baby Food: Green to Grow On
Green Promotions: Along for the Ride
Foodservice: Loaded for Bar
Case Study: Clean Carts
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - March 2010