(Episode #2 in a series: read Episode #1)
It’s time to get serious with your consignment, resale, or thrift business. You can’t afford to fail now. Plus, with all the interest the media is fostering, folks are ready to explore consignment, resale, and thrift shops. A multi-episode blog entry.
Episode #2
With the explosion of interest in thrifty, value-oriented shopping, you’ll be seen with new eyes: the eyes of consumers who are used to seeing mall shops, department stores, even the big-box discounters. Yes, we’re all tired of hearing journalists refer to “the dusty musty thrift shops of yore” (especially those of us who’ve been running bright, appealing shops for longer than those reporters have been able to read and write!) but it’s perception that counts. And if public perception is that shopping secondhand is a worn-out, tacky, less-than pristine environment, you’ll lose all that interest before they step one foot over your threshold. If you suspect, deep down in your heart, that your shop leans just a mite towards the lemonade-stand image instead of La Boutique Citrone, which you’ve always meant to shoot for, now’s the advantageous and thrifty time to…
Expand and refine your presentation.
You are no longer necessarily selling to those with a resale mind set. The true used-merchandise shopper will overlook details which the newly-thrifty cannot and will not and don’t WANT to.
It’s time to do away with secondhand crumbled grocery sacks, mal-fixtured stores, duct-taped carpeting, the melange of hangers and wide-necked tops secured to those hangers with clothespins.
Banish shoes on the floor in the shadow of the dresses. Do something more appealing than dusty, sticky small appliances in cardboard boxes tucked under the guano-splattered outdoor furniture. Get some real size rings to replace those grimy, marker-smeared ones. Ditch the dollar rack and show your better merchandise in a better light. (And dust those light fixtures!)
Okay, so your shop is not that bad. I know it isn’t. But you’re used to looking at your business with thrifty, forgiving eyes…and those are NOT the eyes of this new group of eager and excited consumers discovering you now.
You’re playing to a new crowd now… and you stand to make a fortune off of it. But first, you have to fulfill that crowd’s expectations of presentation, professionalism, and cleanliness.
That probably means spending money.
Gasp. The economy’s going down the tubes and she wants me to spend money?
Yes. Make your shop look as fresh and intriguing as you’ve always wanted. For every $10 you spend on fresh hangers, carpet-cleaning, and fresh dressing-room curtains, you stand to gain thousands of dollars in future sales. Why…that’s a better return than the stock market. And for every $100 you spend on advertising, marketing, and promotion, you stand to gain thousands of new and loyal customers who appreciate not only your value-oriented pricing, but your varied selection, crisp ambiance, and local flavor.
Now is the time to be bold in your business. Now is the time to invest in your dream.
Create Shop Sizzle to woo those never-before-secondhand shoppers. Don’t know where to start? Here.
The photo’s from babyclassroom.com.Here’s Episode 3.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
as a shopper at this point in time, I prefer going into a neat tidy well lit shop because I think they will also care as much for the merchandise they stock and it should also be in neat, tidy, immaculate condition whether it’s a sweater or a chair or table. I will not return if the quality merchandise is not there.
You’re right, Debbi: good housekeeping and display shows that the shopkeepers care… and if they care about that, they’ll be equally as picky with the merchandise they choose to present to their clientele. Thanks for your input!
Presentation is everything!! My store is extremely well-lit and always organized and immaculate! That is my big selling point! Every single day I have customers comment on how neat, clean, and organized the store is. I advise other store owners to spend the extra money and reap the rewards!!
[…] (Episode #3 in a series: read Episode #1 and Episode #2) […]
Usage suggestions are HUGE in our shop
We find that whenever we give “other” ideas for baskets, wine racks, buckets, tins, candle holders they sell and ppl ask for more of them
We try to take the unique item and think of other ways to use it
Things like this matter
thanks as always Kate for the next level
Patricia
Glad you enjoyed this blog entry Jillbeth, and welcome to the wonderful world of resale!
You’re absolutely right about presentation. The great thing about presentation is that it is SO EASY to learn. Between other retail examples, magazine layouts and ideas, online decorating how-to’s, anyone can learn to make an intriguing and attractive display of for-sale goods. And when every the humblest items are massed with an eye to appeal and usage suggestions… the casual browser becomes a definite buyer!
I have been built a small home business from abandoned self-storage units and estate auction finds, and my next step is to open my own secondhand shop. These are really good tips; an attractive, clean presentation will surely bring in customers who aren’t only interested in saving money, but finding some real treasures!