Crafts by the Case – How to Keep the Kids Busy When Stuck Indoors

Rainy days are never fun, especially for kids. When kids are stuck inside, it can be hard to find ways to entertain them. Arts and crafts are a fantastic way to keep your kids busy. DollarDays can help make sure you’re prepared with all the bulk craft supplies you may need.

Bulk Crafts for Everyone

At DollarDays we strive to help nonprofits, educators, and small business owners. We keep our products affordable so we can provide these organizations the supplies they need. Our bulk craft supplies are great for shelters, churches, schools, daycares and any other organization or business that involves watching children.

Crafts for Rainy Days

When it’s wet and cold outside, you often have no choice but to keep children inside. This can make them bored and restless, even more so if they’re missing out on activities like recess. You can combat boredom by engaging them with arts and crafts. DollarDays offers a wide range of arts and crafts supplies so you can always have a crafting activity ready to go.

Painting

Giving kids some paint, a brush and paper is a wonderful way to keep them busy. This will allow them to be creative, work on fine motor skills and make something they can be proud of and show off. DollarDays has a large selection of paint sets for you to choose from. Washable watercolor paint is ideal for kids of younger ages because it can easily be cleaned from clothes and tables. Acrylic paint can be given to older kids who are less likely to make a mess with it.

Sewing

Sewing is a stimulating craft activity that is sure to keep kids occupied on rainy days. We have plenty of affordable sewing kits and supplies available. This is a great crafting activity because it challenges kids and teaches them a new skill they’ll be able to use throughout their lives. If you decide sewing is a craft your kids would like, you’ll want to make sure to keep an extra close eye on them due to the use of small scissors and needles.

Cardmaking

Bad weather tends to appear during the fall and winter. With lots of rainy and snowy days, you don’t want to scramble to find ways to keep kids busy. Thankfully, fall and winter are also full of holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. This gives you a great opportunity to introduce cardmaking as an activity. We have a wide array of bulk craft supplies that can be used in cardmaking, such as stamps, stickers and stencils.

Other Crafts

Craft time doesn’t always need to have a specific activity planned out. Another idea is a free crafting time. All you need to do is give the kids some craft supplies and let them make whatever they want. This allows them to get really creative and gives them some freedom in what might otherwise be a very structured day. It’s best to have an assortment of supplies so they can work with and explore different mediums.

Buying Bulk Craft Supplies

If you’re looking for craft supplies to keep on hand, buying in bulk is the way to go. With affordable products, DollarDays can help you prepare for any future rainy days.

Bulk Baby Buys – Why it Makes Sense to Buy in Bulk for Your Little One

Baby supplies can easily get expensive. Between diapers, bottles, bath products and toys, things really add up. That’s why buying wholesale baby supplies is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a parent.

Bulk Diapers and Wipes

Babies go through a lot of diapers in a single day. Depending on their age, this number can be up to 10 or more. With this many diapers being used, you’ll find yourself making countless trips to the store and spending a lot of money on this essential baby product.

Instead of running to the store every few days and watching the cost of diapers add up quickly, consider buying diapers in bulk. This will not only help you save money, but it will also help you stock up on diapers and reduce the number of times you have to head out to a store. This also applies to baby wipes, which go hand in hand with diapers.

While you’ll want to buy in bulk to save money and time, make sure not to order too many during the months your baby is growing and quickly changing sizes.

Bulk Bottles and Sippy Cups

You probably wouldn’t think of baby bottles and sippy cups as something you should buy in bulk. They are reusable after all, right? While bottles and cups aren’t disposable like diapers and wipes are, that doesn’t mean you won’t quickly go through them.

Babies and toddlers have a habit of throwing and losing objects like bottles and sippy cups. You might even find yourself misplacing them every once in a while. If you buy these products in bulk, you’ll always have extras when they go missing. It’s also a good idea to keep extra bottles and cups at family members’ houses and in your car in case you need them.

Bulk Baby Grooming Products

Between dirty diapers, messy meals and playtime outside, babies often need at least a few baths a week. And your typical shampoo and body soaps won’t do. Babies have more sensitive skin, which requires soap, lotions and oils that contain fewer chemicals than the ones adults tend to use.

Buying bulk baby bath products is great because babies can use them for years to come. You can even use them yourself if you wish. Buying in bulk also means you’ll have plenty of extra products on hand to give to overnight babysitters or bring with you on a trip.

Where to Buy in Bulk

If you want to buy baby products in bulk, regular stores aren’t going to cut it. Sure, you could buy ten packs of diapers at the same time, but that won’t save you money. Purchasing these products from a wholesaler is the way to go.

DollarDays offers a wide selection of wholesale baby products. We have everything from dishware and diapers to soap and toys. Plus, we offer small case packs while most wholesalers have large minimum quantities.

Bulk Products for Nonprofits and Charities

DollarDays is dedicated to helping those in need and has been serving nonprofits since 2001. With small case packs available and affordable prices, our baby products are also perfect for nonprofits and charities that serve children and families.

DIY Friday: Unicorn Backpack

It’s always great when kids are able to express themselves and a backpack can be the perfect canvas! This easy DIY unicorn backpack back is the perfect summer camp craft! Kids will love customizing their backpacks to make it a cute and fun creation of their own.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Step 1:

Begin by gathering your materials and heating your glue gun. Next, on the bottom left corner of the white felt/foam sheet make a mark with your pencil at 2.5”. (If you’re using a glittery foam/felt sheet, be sure to mark the backside so the pencil marking won’t show.)

Step 2:

Use this as a mark to draw out your first ear and carefully cut the piece out.

Step 3:

Once you have your first ear cut out, use this shape as a guide to trace around for your second ear.

Step 4:

Now it’s time to make your unicorn’s horn. The bottom of your triangle should be 3” wide. Measure 4” on one of the corners and use your ruler as a straight edge to create the trangle’s edges.

Step 5:

Use another color (we used pink) for the inner ear. This time, we’ll mark the edge at 1.5”. Repeat the process used in step 1-3 to create your inner ear pieces.

Step 6:

Glue your inner piece to the top of your outer ear piece (Glitter sides facing you, if applicable). Make sure the bottom edges of the ears are aligned.

Step 7:

Lightly draw out your unicorn’s face design on the front pocket of your backpack. Next, layout where you will glue your ears and horn and carefully glue each piece to the backpack.

Step 8:

Now it’s time to paint!

Step 9:

Allow your masterpiece to dry for 24-48 hours before moving on to the next step.

Step 10:

Glue on felt/foam cut outs to decorate your bag.

We’d love to see how yours turned out! #DollarDaysDIY for a chance to be featured on our next blog!

How Bulk Wedding Supplies Can Save You Money

Your wedding day can be one of the biggest moments of your life. So much time and money go into planning your special day, that every detail matters. With an average cost of $29,858 for a wedding, it is estimated that over $66 billion is spent on weddings in the U.S. each year*. However, not everyone has a large budget to make all their wedding festivities as grand as they want them to be. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to save money by buying in bulk for your wedding.

1. Not Just One Event

If you’ve been to a wedding, you know that the festivities go well beyond the ceremony. You might have an Engagement Party, Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding Reception or Day After Brunch that you need to shop for. Don’t forget the Bachelor and Bachelorette party supplies . There are many opportunities to save money buying bulk wedding supplies that you can use at more than one event. Even if you wouldn’t dare use paper plates at your wedding, think about your rehearsal dinner, wedding shower or brunch the day after. DollarDays has a great selection of bulk table wear that can save you tons of money. The best part is being able to use some of these party supplies across several of your events.

2. Get Creative with Decorations

As you think about decorations for your Wedding or Wedding Reception, the cost of purchasing flowers can add up very quickly. Think about other decorations you can use to help bolster the look and feel of your wedding. One popular theme is rustic country décor. You could take some basic twine and wrap it around the bottom of a glass vase or mason jar to give it that custom DIY look. Instead of standard table runners, think about using rolls of craft paper. You can leave it plain or decorate the craft paper to match your theme. DollarDays also stocks a variety of both traditional and LED candles as well that can be used to dress up your tables.

3. Do Yourself a (Wedding) Favor

One of the other popular items needed for weddings is wedding favors for the guests. A popular trend for favors, is having a candy and treat bar for your guests. You can even provide small takeaway gift bags so your guests can take some treats home with them. At DollarDays, we have found the two most popular wholesale wedding favors are flip flops and fleece blankets .So, whether you are having a Winter wedding or a Summer wedding, we have lots of options in bulk that you can purchase for your guests. So, as you start to think about planning your wedding, don’t forget you can save tons of money when you buy in bulk!

*https://www.valuepenguin.com/average-cost-of-wedding

This Is the Front-End Strategy Every Successful Retailer Uses to Boost Revenue

By Elements Magazine

The margins on prescriptions are razor-thin and only getting thinner. But the merchandise in your front end is a different story. This is especially true for a particular kind of front-end product called impulse buys—items patients weren’t planning to buy when they walked into the pharmacy but put in their basket on a whim.

“Impulse buys on the front end of the pharmacy should be making 50 to 80 percent profit on each transaction,” said Mike Stringer, president of Dollar Days, a wholesaler that provides front-end merchandise to independent pharmacies. “By upselling and cross-selling customers filling prescriptions, a pharmacy has the opportunity to double or triple their average order per customer.”

The way he sees it, patients are already coming into the pharmacy to pick up their prescriptions, and pharmacists and other team members are missing out on a prime opportunity for profit if they aren’t actively encouraging front-end purchases. When a patient comes in to spend $10 or $20 on a prescription, impulse buys that double the basket size give pharmacies the ability to increase sales every day of the year.

“A pharmacy owner in today’s society needs to be retail-focused as much as they’re focused on filling prescriptions,” Stringer said. “They need to capitalize on every one of the customers they have.”

What makes a good impulse buy?

In order to convince customers to give in to their whims, you have to know what they want. While these wants can change depending on the demographics of your area, some items are tried-and-true winners.

For example, 68 percent of people in the United States own a pet, mainly a cat or a dog. “If I knew that as a pharmacy owner, then I would want to sell pet care items,” Stringer said.

Practically every single pharmacy patient has a cell phone in their pocket or purse when they come to pick up their prescriptions. Accessories for phones like charging cords, earbuds, and car chargers all make for compelling impulse purchases. “If my phone is dying and I need to charge because I have a meeting, I need to be able to get those things conveniently while I’m filling my prescription and not have to go to another store,” Stringer said.

Impulse buys should also be functional. “Does it solve a problem? I think about those little magnetic clips people put on their shirt to hold their reading glasses.” Good impulse buys often serve an immediate need. A patient is hungry, so they buy a snack. It’s raining, so they grab an umbrella. They forgot their mother’s birthday, so they pick up a greeting card.

Not every impulse item will sell well in every pharmacy. What works for an independent pharmacy in California might not work in New York or New Jersey, Stringer explained. Those geographic and demographic variations affect not only your products but also your prices. “You could have items priced at $100 and you’re in an area that can’t support that, or maybe you’re in a high-end area and you’re trying to sell items at a dollar,” Stringer said.

Wherever you are, you have to balance enticing prices with profitable margins. Stringer suggested that when pharmacies purchase an item for a dollar, they should price it between two to five dollars so they make anywhere from one to four dollars in profit.

Stay ahead of the curve

Some impulse buys may not meet an obvious need but still sell like hotcakes. They are fad items like SillyBandz, fidget spinners, and adult coloring books.

It can be difficult to know what’s going to be the next big trend. Stringer said he watches shows like Good Morning America and reads the newspaper to see what might be on the precipice of becoming a full-blown fad. But he also has another asset: his daughters.

“Kids are the greatest test market we have because they are part of that target demographic for impulse buys,” Stringer said. Toys make for good impulse buys because kids are vocal when they see something they want, pulling at their parents’ elbows and begging for them to buy it.

Right now, items related to the videogame Fortnite are flying off shelves. “There are 150 million people who play this game and are paying money to have these products,” Stringer said. “My retailers came to me specifically to ask for Fortnite items, and we were able to procure and supply them.”

‘Tis the season

To maximize impulse buys, pharmacies should be constantly updating their selection. At a minimum, Stringer recommends mixing up product selection once every season.

“Most of our pharmacy customers will order one case or one display of fifteen different items,” Stringer said. “They’re trying to find out what sells in their area.” They reorder the merchandise that clicks with their clientele and mark down the rest to sell it off quickly.

Keeping seasonally relevant items in stock is another way you can meet patients’ needs and solve their problems. “If a pharmacy has umbrellas during the rainy season, they’re going to sell a lot of umbrellas,” Stringer said. “If the items were purchased correctly and marked up correctly, they’re going to make a 50 to 80 percent margin on those items. It’s a win-win. It’s a win for the customer to have the items they need, and it’s a win for the pharmacy to capitalize on every visit from that customer.”

During the holiday season, it’s especially important that pharmacies keep their selection relevant. At a time when everyone is buying gifts and primed to spend money, stocking the right items can make your front end a one-stop shop. A comprehensive selection of holiday items can make patients’ days easier by helping them check items off their holiday to-do list. You might even have the item they forgot they needed and they’ll spend even more dollars at your pharmacy.

Attention grabber

Where you position your impulse items can be almost as important as which items you choose to stock. Placing them at the checkout counter is “the number one way” to draw attention to impulse items, according to Stringer.

Setting up your aisles so patients have to walk through the entire store before they get to the pharmacy counter is another way to ensure they see all the products that might appeal to them. You can also draw attention to specific impulse buys by placing them on endcaps, on countertop displays, or in speed bins in the middle of an aisle.

Showing products in action increases their appeal as well. “We sell a lot of LED light-up dog leashes and collars,” Stringer said. “If the workers at the pharmacy turn on a couple of them so they’re blinking, that will draw customers’ attention to the items and they’ll buy them more frequently.” If you have Bluetooth speakers for sale, have them playing a tune so patients can hear the quality of the product for themselves.

Sampling products works especially well for toys. If children have the opportunity to play with an item in the store, they will be hard-pressed to let it go, and their parents will be much more likely to buy it for them.

Make the case

Convincing patients to buy something that’s not on their list may seem like a hard sell, but it’s a necessary part of increasing your front-end sales and your pharmacy profit. Simply talking to patients about products can go a long way.

“What comes to mind is visiting my local grocery store,” Stringer said. “They ask me every time if I want ice or stamps. I always forget the ice because it’s not in the main part of the store! So it’s kind of a customer service thing.”

It also might draw attention to something the customer had not considered before but will end up making their life easier. As the saying goes, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

“Pharmacies are losing reimbursements every day, and to survive and thrive against large chains, they need to utilize any way they can to upsell and cross-sell their customers,” Stringer said. “Impulse, holiday, and seasonal purchases are imperative to stay in business, to grow, and to be more profitable.”

To read the original article, click here.

Who Are Proud To Serve Religious Organizations

Do you ever find yourself asking how you can do more for those in need? That question plays a large role in how we do business. We strive to be the partner to organizations that provide help to those that cannot always help themselves. With that goal, we often find ourselves working closely with many religious organizations. Religious groups can maximize their donation dollars to make the greatest impact by shopping wholesale. As we continue to work with churches and faith-based institutions across the country, we have been invited to see all the good that is occurring from the ground up.

By being the one-stop source of low-price, wholesale goods, we are able to provide the products that power our partners’ philanthropy. It could be the backpack for a child whose family couldn’t afford one, food for homeless teens after school, or hygiene kits to provide cleanliness and dignity to those affected by a natural disaster.

We have found so many great opportunities to help do more good by working with our religious partners. Some of the projects our religious based clients have done include:

-Back to school stuffing events with backpacks, notebooks, binders, pens, pencils and markers to set a child up with supplies.

Blanket and sock donations for the homeless

Hygiene kit packing events for those that are homeless, at-risk, transitioning between living situations or in the foster system.

-Community clean ups – Our clients source clean-up essentials, grab their congregants and beautify local parks and schools.

The list of opportunities for effecting positive change is endless. We can even source items like bibles and rosaries to be included in your giving back projects.

Let’s inspire more giving together.

For The Troops – Showing “We Care”

For The Troops is an organization dedicated to providing members of the American military with “We Care” packages. The “We Care” packages contain basic necessities, goodies and games. Simple care packages can mean a lot to those risking their lives every day overseas. For The Troops is 100% volunteer run and born out of that desire to show our troops that we care.

For the Troops sources everyday necessities from DollarDays to make consistent packages for each recipient. The most common items include nail clippers, soap, flip flops, shaving cream and body wipes. Items are then drop-shipped to the For The Troops facility in California where volunteers assembly the “We Care” packages. A handwritten letter is included in every box, many from students and seniors.

Upon receiving a “We Care” package, a soldier said, “Being stationed so far away from family and friends has definitely been a hard pill to swallow. However, the care package you sent allowed me that moment of joy that was much needed. Seeing that someone has thought enough to put these together is simply priceless.”

For The Troops work has grown from an idea of providing support and compassion, into a passionate mission for countless volunteers. To get involved or to donate to For The Troops visit,
https://www.forthetroops.org/ .

Share the Warmth – Socks and Blankets

HomeAid Phoenix shared the warmth this past week by calling on Valley companies to support their inaugural Share the Warmth Drive. The Share the Warmth drive collected blankets and socks to help the homeless during the winter months. The donation drive was an opportunity to raise awareness about this issue in our community and kick off HomeAid Phoenix’s presence in the Valley.

Socks and blankets are incredibly valuable to the homeless population because they provide warmth and dignity to those who in need. Luckily, HomeAid Phoenix was able to bring together 22 companies and 145 collection boxes from across the valley to share the warmth and provide socks and blankets to those in need.

This past week, volunteers came together to count, sort and pack all of the donations. HomeAid Phoenix distributed over 13,000 pairs of socks and 2,500 blankets to six Valley nonprofits serving the homeless. The nonprofits that received donations are The Sojourner Center, A New Leaf, Circle the City, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Child Crisis Arizona and The Andre House.

HomeAid Phoenix’s mission is to help the homeless by building new lives through safe and dignified housing. Additionally, they plan to have more donation drives like this one to support the community.

Visit their wish list here to see how you can help and what to donate:

To learn more about HomeAid Phoenix, visit http://homeaidphoenix.org/

Top 4 Products for Your Small Business in Q1

While holiday shopping may be in full swing, it’s time to think forward to Q1 and what your customers will need. From health and wellness to Valentine’s Day, we have got your retail business covered. Here are the top 4 products for your small business in Q1:

1. Holiday Items

It’s very important to have the right products for the major holidays in Q1 like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

Source fun impulse and gift items for the first few holidays of the year here.

2. Health and Wellness Products

Blender bottles, vitamins, pill storage and eye masks are perfect for your customers to start 2020 on a relaxed and healthy note.

Shop Health and Wellness here.

3. Winter Weather Essentials

As the temperatures continue to drop, keep items to help battle the conditions outside your store. Glove displays, scarves and blankets are ideal for keeping your shoppers warm and happy.

Shop Winter Wear here.

4. Pet Supplies – Don’t Forget Fido!

Our furry friends deserve the best. Stock toys, leashes, portable water bowls and treats to keep your pet section full for man and woman’s best friend.

Shop Pet Supplies here.

Explore here or call 877.837.9569 to begin stocking your shelves!

Sleeping Bags Provide Comfort and Warmth to Homeless in New York City

By Shari Rudolph, Good360

• World Roma Federation
• New York, NY
https://www.worldromafederationinc.org/
• Lives Impacted: 10

World Roma Federation (WRF) is a nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid to minority and ethnic people from at-risk or poverty backgrounds. We recently received a donation of sleeping bags from Good360 and DollarDays that we used to distribute to the homeless living on the streets.

As the weather grows colder, the sleeping bags provided warm, comfortable, temporary solutions for the homeless in the community. The recipients were very appreciative, welcomed the tidings and respected the act of human kindness provided by our organization, Good360 and DollarDays. It is because of the generosity of our partners that we are able to help those who feel as if they are forgotten.

To read the original article, click here.

We at DollarDays would like to add that, in certain weather conditions, a sleeping bag may not be enough to keep a person warm. When someone is able to get close to a fire or other heat source but is not able to sleep near it all night, it would be helpful for them to use that heat source to heat up a water bottle and then keep it with them in their sleeping bag for extra heat.