Brick & Mortar
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Sunday, November 2nd, 2008Have you heard about the new Google phone? It lets you take a picture of a barcode and then it compares products against online comparison shopping sites. For people who sell products that are easily compared, it could be disastrous in the long-run. What if you owned a store with gadgets, and your customers were able to scan your barcodes and see that Best Buy is selling the item for $30 less across town? Of course, if you sell less price-sensitive items like decor items, vitamins, or Phentermine, it probably won’t matter nearly as much. How will you deal with the increase of high-tech shopping and improved price comparisons for customers?
Busy, or Nothing At All
Sunday, September 7th, 2008Lately, it seems like life gives me total chaos or nothing at all. Like I said before, I just got back from a short vacation, and now I find that I need plumbing work at the store, my sister wants help with her job search, several of my top suppliers have backordered my Christmas orders, and I still need to get some things taken care of with the accountant.
Two weeks ago, everything was dead. Why can’t life spread itself out a little better? It’s a shame you can’t put certain crises on hold and come back to them later. Of course, then it wouldn’t be a crisis, right?
In-Store Television
Sunday, September 7th, 2008Does anyone happen to know of a good cable program or network for displaying in-store television, kind of like what grocery stores do? I’d love to have some kind of Gift-TV for my store, but I’m not really sure where to look. I have two televisions now, complete with mounts and tv lifts and everything, but I don’t really know what to put on them. I’ve been told that you need to pay some kind of royalty fees to display movies, but maybe some sort of ambient content would work…like a snow globe for the television or something?
What do you think? Have you experimented with in-store TV at all?
Speaking of Vacations…
Sunday, September 7th, 2008…I spent over an hour tonight looking into Mediterranean cruises. I’m not even sure why, as that’s completely unrealistic at this point in life. I always dream of this perfect holiday season where people skip over the malls and head to little stores like mine, but I know that’s not the way things work - not in this day and age. Today, people would rather save money by going to big box stores, effectively killing small businesses and the jobs they bring…and pushing even more people into the kind of uniformed, degrading jobs that the big box stores offer.
But hey, you can’t win ‘em all, right? I guess people will just have to get a taste of the world they’re creating before they realize what they’ve done…and by then, it may be too late.
My Quick Vacation
Sunday, September 7th, 2008My apologies for the lack of updates lately. I recently took a quick vacation to catch my breath before the holiday madness, and I’ve been completely away from internet access. As for what I did? Well, I was dreaming of Lake Tahoe and Orlando vacations, but my budget made a local winery tour much more realistic. I’ve been pouring everything into holiday inventory, of course.
Did anyone else take a quick trip before the holidays kick into high-gear? Where did you go? Did you go all out, or stick with something simple this year? It’s hard to say what the economy will give us this Christmas, so I know a lot of local shopkeepers really held back this year.
Holiday Stress: Incoming
Sunday, August 24th, 2008Next weekend is Labor Day, and everyone in retail management knows what that means. Summer is officially over. From here on out, it’s nothing but Christmas up through the new year. It’s time to stock up on relaxation CDs, hot tea, and acne cream, because it’s going to be stressful.
This Christmas should be a little different than other recent holiday seasons, given the sad state of the economy and the price of gas. Last Christmas was a pretty weak season, so I can’t even imagine what this one will be like. How are you preparing? Will you be ordering less inventory than usual?
Personalized Products for Your Store
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008If you’ve ever read many catalogs, you’re probably well aware of the popularity of personalized products. Whether it’s a rug, a yard sign, or a t-shirt, personalized items go over extremely well with certain segments of the population.
Since personalization is usually something done at a factory, it might seem like it’s something you can’t offer in your store. Really, though, there’s no reason not to. Just locate a few suppliers who would be willing to do the work, then take orders from your store and have the items shipped directly to your customers. You could do personalized pens, aprons, wreaths, or even toilet seat covers (though I wouldn’t recommend that one).
Wow - Just Wow
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008I had always thought that personal auto insurance was expensive until I looked into insurance for my business. Since I occasionally send employees out on errands in my car, I thought it would be wise to just get a vehicle for the business and arrange to compare auto insurance options for the best deal.
After doing a bit of shopping, however, I’m going to have to decided against the move. With the economy the way it is now, it’s just not a smart move. Both the car and the insurance would be much more expensive than I would have expected.
Is This Legal?
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008I’m curious. A friend of mine would like to sell eyeglasses in her boutique - not the actual prescription glasses, but the frames, and possible clear lenses. She’d like to cater to those who want the look of glasses but without a prescription.
Is it possible to buy frames like that? Is it legal to sell them? If you happen to know from experience, let me know here in the comments. I’ll pass the message along to her.
Evaluating Your Clientele
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Depending on who’s coming into your store, you may actually be able to target groups that don’t come into your store. For instance, I get a lot of women in their late 30s-late 40s. After some thought about this age group, I realized that many have teenagers. With that in mind, I tested out items like acne treatment, yoga mats, and books on teaching your teen to drive safely. All three were a hit, despite that fact that they weren’t actively used by my customers. They bought them for their sons and daughters.
Have you ever had indirect success like that? Do share!
Trends I Won’t Be Accomodating In My Store
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Despite the fact that we’d all love to be able to profit on every single consumer trend, it’s just not possible. We each have to assess our stores and investment abilities to determine what’s going to be most profitable for each of us. Below, check out some of the trends I won’t be hopping on this year.
Home theater seating - I love it, but I just don’t have the capital or the space.
Colon Cleansers - I’m not prepared for this one.
Video Games - My customers just won’t go for this.
What about you? What are you passing on for now?
Dreaming of a Green Christmas
Sunday, July 27th, 2008It’s only July, but already I’m dreaming of the holidays - not just the money they’ll bring in, but the general hum of the season. I love happy customers. Of course, once December rolls around, I’m sure I’ll be totally stressed out and dreaming instead of St. Barts villa rentals - we always want what we don’t have, right?
That’s why I need to be sure to take a vacation before the holiday season starts. It’s best to work hard during the summer, then take a nice long vacation in the fall, and get back to the real work with a fresh mindset. How do you mentally prepare for the holidays?
Memory Fitness
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Another item that’s been popular in my shop is a memory fitness kit. I noticed earlier this year that games like Brain Age and Su Do Ku have been really popular in recent years. Although they can be a little intimidating for the older clientèle that I serve, I reasoned that they might like a kit or book on the topic of memory improvement or mental fitness. With that in mind, I decided to locate a kit and it’s been selling like hotcakes ever since.
Have you ever had one of those moments of merchandising brilliance?
More Ideas for Your Store
Sunday, July 27th, 2008I’ve been thinking about holiday inventory, and I just thought I’d include a few notes here on things I’ll be putting in and pulling out of my shop for the upcoming holiday season (can you believe it’s already almost August!).
Going Into the Shop:
Stockings
Christmas Trees
Red & Green dishes, decor, and textiles
Coming Out of the Shop:
Diet Pills
One section of books on summer recipes
Gardening Items
Outdoor entertaining housewares items
What about you? What are your plans for merchandising this holiday season?
What Are Your Trophies?
Sunday, July 27th, 2008In every business, there are certain trophies that you display to your customers. Maybe you’ve won a local award, maybe you’ve been honored in a trade publication, or maybe you’ve actually won a trophy for some reason or another. In other cases, the store itself is the trophy, demonstrating serious time and commitment to excellence. Regardless of how it’s expressed, your store should display some kind of trophy.
Does yours?
Dreaming of a Vacation
Thursday, July 17th, 2008I’m trying to get away. I’ve been working non-stop for months now, and I’m in desperate need of some time away. I’ve been dreaming about Vegas vacations, Caribbean cruises, and European backpacking trips. I really can’t decide, though.
If you could go anywhere for 2 weeks, where would you go? And tell me why, too. I could use a bit of inspiration here, as my own mind is just overwhelmed.
Cards, Gifts, and…Weights?
Thursday, July 17th, 2008Recently, I went to a friend’s store and noticed she had started carrying weight equipment. At first, I was a little surprised. She runs a tiny gift shop that’s most often frequented by little old ladies.
Then, I saw two little old ladies chatting about dumbbells. My friend went over and helped them patiently, and they thanked her for being so nice. They explained that the sporting goods stores scare them and they never get help. For looking at things differently and being patient, she managed to open up a whole new market.
College Town Tips
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008If you run a gift store in a college town, you may be able to capitalize on your location by offers items commonly pursued by college students. Remember, if you can get them in your store once or twice, you stand a great chance of getting them to come back at Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas. A couple of tips that can help make that happen:
-Make a “dorm supplies” section. Depending on your preferences, this could include stuff like extra long twin sheets, college apparel, gadgets, or even crazier items like beer pong tables.
-Start an e-mail list and reminder service. Use a provider like Aweber to manage your e-mail list, but also include reminders to students a week or two before gift-buying occasions like friends’ birthdays or major holidays.
-Contact student groups to see if you can work out some kind of deal to get promoted in their e-mail lists. One cheap way might be to offer up a prize and let the list publicize the contest.
If you have additional suggestions, let us know in the comments!
Furniture Stores That Carry Pet Furniture
Friday, July 11th, 2008I came across a furniture store that struck me as absolutely brilliant the other day. Instead of merely carrying human couches and chairs and beds, they offered animal versions of most styles. I’m not sure where they sourced the products, as it’s a unique concept I’ve never seen before, but it definitely had an effect. I saw several people weighing sizes of pet pieces right alongside the human pieces. Not only does the store get a chance to upsell you on something like a cat condo, but they make it more likely that you’ll buy from them, given that no one else will have that particular piece to match.
For a pet lover like myself, it’s absolutely brilliant.
More Product Ideas
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008Looking for product inspiration? Have you considered the following for your gift store?
Weather Stations
wieght loss pills
Dishware
Accent Pillows
Lamps
Accent Lights
Wall Decals
Just search Google for something interesting and see what pops up. You shouldn’t have too much trouble finding the manufacturer.
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