Reimagining Retail Efficiency: How Handycart Workstation Is Changing the Game for Merchandisers
By George Goodwin | Innovar Marketing Agency | July 2nd, 2025
A Strategic Guide for Small Chains, Local Markets, and Community Stores
In an industry where time is money and employee satisfaction is everything, the simplest tools often make the biggest impact. That’s exactly what CJ Warstler discovered after retiring from a 30-year career in sales—only to reenter the workforce for fun and end up building one of the most practical innovations the grocery industry has seen in years: the Handycart Workstation.
We recently featured CJ on the GroceryPulse Podcast, where he walked us through how this mobile workstation for retailers came to life—not in a high-end lab, but in his garage with a piece of scrap wood and a desire to solve a real problem merchandisers have faced for decades.
From Bread Trays to Brilliance: The Need for a Better Retail Workspace
Walk into any grocery or retail store, and you’ll likely find employees improvising with makeshift setups: boxes, bread trays, or cereal boxes turned into temporary desks. CJ noticed this inefficiency while working a retail job post-retirement and thought, “There’s got to be a better way.”
Turns out, there wasn’t—so he built one.
The Handycart Workstation is a mobile, adjustable, durable workstation that clips onto a shopping cart, creating a structured surface for shelf labels, scanners, notebooks, and more. Designed specifically for grocery store merchandisers, scan coordinators, and DSD reps, it’s solving problems no one else bothered to fix.
Why It Matters: Efficiency, Employee Satisfaction, and Brand Image
At Innovar, we help retail innovators bring ideas like this to market—and Handycart hits all the right notes:
Efficiency: Reduce wasted time by 20–30%, according to McKinsey estimates on task optimization.
Employee Satisfaction: A small investment in tools like Handycart shows employees you care, increasing retention.
Brand Presentation: No more shopping carts with bungee cords and falling clipboards—Handycart elevates your in-store experience.
Made in the USA: Each unit is precision-milled using durable materials like PVDF plastic and aluminum composite for long-lasting use.
A Product Built on Feedback, Not Assumptions
What sets CJ apart is how he built Handycart with merchandisers, not just for them. Through multiple prototypes and in-person testing across different cart sizes and store formats, Handycart evolved from an idea to a patented, scalable product now being used by major retailers across the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest—including Texas-based chains and independents under AWG and SpartanNash.
As CJ put it: “I don’t have investors or billboards—I have store managers telling other store managers.”
That’s product-market fit in its purest form.
Handycart's Expanding Use Cases
While grocery was the launch point, the Handycart Workstation has clear applications across:
Hardware stores
Clothing retailers
Home improvement chains
Direct Store Delivery (DSD) reps
The portable setup even opens doors for branded promotions—imagine a Coca-Cola branded workstation gifted to scan coordinators in every store.
Final Thoughts: Just Start and Have Fun
CJ’s story is a reminder that innovation doesn’t come with an age limit or a perfect plan. It comes from observing, building, listening, and improving. Whether you're a store owner looking to increase labor efficiency or a startup founder searching for product-market fit, there's inspiration in Handycart’s journey.
🛒 Curious to see the Handycart in action?
👉 Watch the episode on YouTube or Spotify Video.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Audio.
Need help launching your retail product or improving your store’s in-store experience?
At Innovar, we turn good ideas into high-performing brands. Contact us to learn more about our product marketing and retail innovation support.
Retail Efficiency Q&A: Everything You Need to Know About Handycart and In-Store Tools
Q: Why do small-format retailers and grocers need a mobile workstation?
A: Most store teams end up improvising with unstable setups—boxes, trays, carts, or clipboards—which slows them down and leads to errors. A mobile workstation like Handycart gives employees a dedicated, ergonomic space to label shelves, scan items, or take notes—right where they’re working.
“Handycart reduces wasted time by up to 30%,” according to McKinsey data on retail task optimization.
Q: What makes Handycart better than just using a cart or shelf?
A: Handycart is purpose-built. It locks into most shopping carts securely, provides a flat, durable surface, and includes space for all merchandising tools (notebooks, scanners, labels, etc.). No more clipboards sliding off or balancing binders on cereal boxes.
Q: Who should be using Handycart in my store?
A:
Scan coordinators
Merchandisers
Store-level DSD reps
Managers doing resets or audits
Team members working on new product placements
Anyone managing product flow, planograms, or pricing can benefit.
Q: Is Handycart compatible with all shopping carts?
A: It was designed to be adjustable and tested across multiple cart formats, including the most common grocery and retail carts used by independents and regional chains. For specialty carts or unusual formats, custom solutions may be available.
Q: Is Handycart durable enough for daily retail use?
A: Yes. It’s made from commercial-grade PVDF plastic and aluminum composite, which holds up to heavy use, harsh cleaning supplies, and frequent transport. Every unit is precision-milled and Made in the USA.
Q: Can Handycart be branded or customized?
A: Absolutely. Whether you want to add your store logo or co-brand it with a supplier like Coca-Cola or PepsiCo for a giveaway, branded workstations are a great way to turn utility into marketing.
Q: What’s the ROI on a product like this?
A: For less than the cost of one scheduling error or damaged display, you can empower employees with a tool that speeds up execution, reduces frustration, and improves your store’s appearance. Better tools → better performance.
“Small tools show big care,” says CJ Warstler. “And employees notice when leadership invests in making their jobs easier.”
Q: Where can I order Handycart or see a demo?
A: Visit the official site or reach out via marketing@innovarmarketing.com for a product demo or retail innovation consult. You can also watch the full podcast episode for real-life testimonials from retailers already using Handycart.
📩 marketing@innovarmarketing.com
📎 Schedule a Free Strategy Call with Innovar
Written by George Goodwin
Founder, Innovar Marketing | 4th Generation Grocer | GroceryPulse Podcast Host
