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Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Kate Holmes of TGtbT.com talks with consignment, resale & thrift shopkeepers about opening, running, & making their shop THRIVE!

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Are we any different from “real” stores?

August 28, 2008 by Auntie Kate of Too Good to be Threw

One of the things that used to amuse us at my consignment shop is that new customers used to say “Why, this is just like a real store!” in tones of awe. We workers used to silently add “as opposed to an imaginary store, of course….” and try not to smile.

All resale shopkeepers attempt, under budgetary restrictions, to be as much like a “real” store as they can be. And one way to do that is to know what customers appreciate…and what turns them off. This article, Top 10 Ways to Turn Off Customers, designed for new-merchandise stores, looks pretty darn the same as any one I could write about What Turns Resale Customers & Suppliers Off... so I thought I’d let them do the heavy work.

I’m so good at delegating.

PS Don’t be jealous of the incredible dressing room area in the photo above. It’s from a 2006 shot of a Forth & Towne store in LA. The 19-store chain, part of Gap Inc., lasted only 18 months, and the retailer estimated expenses of $40 million to close the chain.

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Posted in Shopkeeping talk | 2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. on August 29, 2008 at 9:16 pm Patty's avatar Patty

    I once went to a restaurant with the most FABULOUS bathroom – sparkling clean, cushy rugs, pot pouri, candles, fresh flowers. I spent half the night in there.


  2. on August 29, 2008 at 2:35 pm Rachael's avatar Rachael

    Dirty Bathrooms! If that isn’t the truth. I went to a resteraunt which was a small but mid to upscale place with a old yucky bathroom. Single stall/unit. For about 3-4K could have easily updated with a new sink & toilet. Paint or wallpaper. Would have made all the difference in me going back again.



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