“Bag Sale”…the very name makes resale shopkeepers salivate. Move this stuff! Let’s clear it out to make room for incoming! Sell ’em bunches of stuff, armloads, bagsful!
All very well and good, and certainly bag sales and dollar racks and BOGOs are exciting for you, your customers, and your till. But
these techniques are actually the final step
in a tiered plan of moving merchandise out of the shop and dollars into your cash register.
Step One is, as always, “regular” markdowns, the ones you use year-round. If an item hasn’t sold at its original price, mark it down. Once or twice.
Step Two: As your seasonal clearance sale time frame approaches, whet your clientele’s appetite and pique their interest and have some fun with
a Big Tag Sale.
I suggest the time for this is…now. Here’s how: Make some laminated Big Tags. Use some vibrant colors. More than one is best, to make the concept look exciting and “value” oriented. Choose 10-12 items a day to REALLY mark down. Mark the new price on the price tags themselves; your “Big Tags” are simply to call attention to the item and will be reused on other merchandise. Plan on the Big Tag staying on that item only for the day, switching them out every morning before opening. You can, if you wish, have that big price reduction only for the day, marking the item back up if it doesn’t sell, but I wouldn’t. After all, you want to get rid of it, right?
Promote the “Look for the BIG Tags for BIG Savings” concept in every possible way, even on staff name badges. It’s fun, it’s interactive, it’s unique and WOM-worthy.
Step Three: Your “regular” seasonal clearance sale. Lasting anywhere from a long weekend to 10-14 days, these sales can be a straight percentage (e.g. 75% off all winter apparel), a progressive event (50% off today, 60% off tomorrow, 70% off etc) often called a “Gamblers’ Sale” or even (my fav) a “flat-rate clearance”: all winter coats $15, all sweaters $8, all pants $7….
Step Four: FINALLY! As the end-all to your reduced-price event:
Bag Sales, Dollar Racks & BOGO Deals: Clear it Out and Clean Up
If you don’t have this invaluable Too Good to be Threw Product for the Professional Resaler, get it now!
Thanks to Cynthia of The White Elephant for her idea and to CG of Changes, who provided the photo.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
[…] The discussion about BIG TAG SALES is here. […]
please help Iam getting ready to open my Consignment/resale shop and having a hard time knowing what pricing software to get not too expensive nor complicated any ideas please Martha from Austin Texas
Martha, have a look at my web site, TGtbT.com as well as the rest of this blog (the search function works well!) and my Facebook, Pinterest, etc… for all sorts of help just waiting for you! For software, check out the Links page with my best advice and links to the companies I am comfortable with. And best wishes on your new career… I’m excited for you!
With bag sales, how do you keep track of what you owe your consignors? Each bag could have items from several different consignors. Would appreciate any suggestions.
Marsha, most shops only include store-owned or OD items in their sales. Complete how-to’s to make your sale a financial success in our Product: it’ll earn its cost in your FIRST BAG SOLD!
Hi there, just came across your site and will be getting the book delivered shortly!!!! Great site. I was wondering if you could answer a question regarding bag sales; What size bag typically is used? Thank you for all you do!
SK
Scotty, thanks for asking! I look forward to your order of the Manual and here’s the skinny on what size bag to use for a bag sale: it depends 😉 Not only on what you’re selling (smaller items= smaller bag) but primarily on what your clientele will pay. Shops sell “pick a bagful” at anywhere from $5 per bag to $25. Another aspect that I think will influence the size bag you choose will be how much merchandise you have to choose from. You want to have enough that they’ll fill several bags! More info on Bag Sales, Dollar Racks and BOGO Dealss in our Product for the Professional Resaler.
This post is actually about a debate I’ve been having with my partner…whether to do these kind of drastic, season-end sales. She’s afraid we’ll upset our consignors if their stuff is sold at rock bottom prices, that the consignors would rather have their items back than have them sell for so low a price. I have a hard time convincing her to go to even 40% off. We give our consignors the option of taking their items back if they don’t sell. We spend a TON of time and space, pulling and storing items to be returned! I would much rather sell the stuff than go through the trouble of returning it. Can you give me your POV on this subject? If I can convince her of the merits of these kind of sales, I can buy the manual on the topic! 😉
ResaleT, The Big Tag Sale idea is NOT a way to do a store-wide seasonal sale. It’s more a way to highlight a handful of goods that’s changed every day. It’s about the thrill of the hunt and how customers love to “find”… quite literally in this case… a bargain.
But as far as you and your partner: are not MDs covered in your consignor agreement? Are you talking about goods still within their consignment period, or ODs (“out of dates”)? I’m not sure I understand your “pulling and storing to be returned” remark… tell me you’re NOT doing what I think you’re doing 😉
And yes, you definitely need to have a seasonal clearance sale. How else will you ever freshen your shop and create buzz.
Oh, yes, I understand the reason for this post, but was kinda thinking about the fact that you say it’s a prelude to the big sale that I’m not allowed to have (per my partner)! That’s what got me thinking about the seasonal clearance sale. Sorry for not being clear about that. Really, she won’t agree to discounting anything more than 40% ever. As for our agreement, yes, we state that we do markdowns and have coupons, but not how much or when. Basically, two weeks before expiration, we mark down 40% and put on our clearance rack. If it doesn’t sell by expiration, we leave it there until we are totally out of room and at the end of our sanity, and then pull and bag up people’s stuff and hope that they eventually mosey on it to pick it up. So, yes, that’s probably exactly what you feared! Our back room is a wreck and we are losing our minds, but she won’t agree to a deep discount clearance sale. Please help! 🙂
So let me see. First, of course, you accept and process goods, using infallible judgment on pricing every single item. Then you spend X days giving it valuable selling space that something else could use. Then you actually move it to a clearance rack. THEN when you’re out of room, you pull it, bag it (and I assume make a note of all this on the consignor’s acct) and give it back room space… after it’s expired? And your partner doesn’t want to make some money on all this work? I think the woman needs the Manual for a Christmas present. Heck, buy two… one for you too so you both can examine more profitable ways to run your business! 🙂
Love the BIG TAG SALE idea!! I’m gonna print out my tags right now!! I have a handful of items I would love to see go before end of the month and this will be a great/simple/fun way to do it!! Thanks Auntie Kate!
Glad you liked it, reFined, and hope that it will make your shop more successful. I am blessed to have resale industry friends who share their ideas, aren’t I? Many heads make light work, isn’t that how it goes? This idea was from a Sponsor Shop at HowToConsign.com. I’m sure she’d love for you to add your shop on the Resale Directory… Many listings make public awareness of resale!
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