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Archive for February, 2008

It’s nice to be mentioned….

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on February 19, 2008|

… even if the blogger doesn’t know her thrift shop from her resale shop from her Kate autographing her book consignment shop! Well, at least she spelled my name right. 😉

Thanks Shawn, and gee willikers, I got to trade my “bootstraps” for beach sandals permanently in just 20 years after opening my own shop with $900 (In current dollars, that’s $3745.05, BTW, to answer THIS blogger‘s question)

So yes indeedy-do, you too can have a wonderful shop, with a little help from your friend at Too Good to be Threw and HowToConsign.com …oh, and here at Auntie Kate’s Blog!

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OOOHHH, let’s go GREEN… by buying more STUFF

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged on February 18, 2008| 2 Comments »

Doesn’t it strike anyone else that “going green” usually involves buying more stuff, the manufacture of which is the antithesis of ecology? Do you see the irony? Go green… by buying stuff from me (and BTW, made in China, full of polluting inks and other disastrous elements, shipping across the globe making more pollution… the possibilities BOGGLE the mind.)

Take, for example, the “reusable” shopping/grocery/tote bag. Here’s the text from the first 4 sites that I got while Googling:

  • As part of the solution our store features a wide range of reusable shopping bags and other innovative, practical products all designed to help people consume less
  • Our handpicked selection represents …a wide range of styles.
  • So far, [name deleted because I don’t want you to buy their, or anyone else’s, stuff thinking that you will therefore be using less stuff] has sold over 2,381,111 reusable bags
  • We exist to provide products….that help people reduce, re-use and recycle

Take a look at those “not a bag” “neither” bags. What costs did the environment pay to make this [expletive deleted] stuff?

Well, fortunately, my buddies in the consignment, resale, and thrift industry could have the solution…and a fund-raiser and a great PR angle…at their fingertips. A way to cut usage of one-time plastic or paper bags WITHOUT causing the environment to shudder once more at the solutions that short-sighted consumers think up. Read about it here.

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Valentine’s at the Restaurant: Business super tonight but…

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on February 14, 2008| 1 Comment »

dinner.jpgTry to go out to dinner tonight on Valentine’s Day. Chances are, it’ll be impossible.

But tomorrow night? You’ll have your pick of restaurants, best tables, and attention from the wait staff.

Valentine’s Day is a biggie in the restaurant business, so I figured today was the perfect day to chastise them for overlooking the most basic of all marketing tools. One which is cheap, easy, and (more…)

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What a Croc….

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on February 12, 2008| 2 Comments »

croc.pngCrocs is going to shoe the world. Read about how they are going to recycle “worn-out” Crocs into another shoe destined to protect the feet of what’s commonly called “the third world.”* Here’s a posting of the AP story.

And here’s the Crocs site explaining it all. You will notice the Wear a Pair/ Share a Pair promotion, which invites (more…)

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Why Resale Does WELL when Consumers Cut Back

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk on February 10, 2008| 2 Comments »

ReSell, RePlace, ReJoice! What Recession?WHAT Recession?When money gets tight thrift, buy-outright, and just about every other type of secondhand business does, it’s true, look the specter of lower sales in the eye. Couple shopkeepers’ gut feelings about the disposable income floating around in their towns with news stories, higher gas and grocery prices and sprouting For Sale signs on local lawns, and yup, you have some worried secondhand shopkeepers around.

But you know what? There’s an UPSIDE to all this negative stuff. And it is two-fold, which means you, as a retail owner, (more…)

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