Wacky ideas for resalers welcome at AuntieKate the Blog
Today’s the start of a new feature here on Auntie Kate the Blog/ where Kate gets to hector, lecture, and browbeat the good shopkeepers of Resale-dom. It’s Wacky Wednesday!
All you have to do to be entered into our random drawing is add your helpful comment to this post. What’s your thought, your idea, your angle on today’s topic?
Today’s topic: Spring!
What are you doing to get ready for Spring business in your shop? How are you whetting your customers’ appetites for Spring goods, and how are you attracting Spring-appropriate incoming? Post a tip or hint that your resale peers will find helpful!
What we are giving away:
A copy of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill. This classic has sold more copies than any other retail book in history. Every shopkeeper have a copy in her/his resale business library to refer to again and again.
How to enter Wacky Wednesday:
Just comment here on Auntie Kate the Blog with your best suggestion on today’s topic. It can be short, it can be long, it can even be off-the-wall. What it can’t be is a “me too” type of answer. Let’s hear your imagination talking out loud!
Entries must be received by the following Sunday midnight. One entry per person please.
What happens next: If the minimum number of replies is received* we’ll use randomizer.org to choose the winner…randomly. The winner will be announced on Monday and contacted via the email she/he’s used in the reply posted. If that person doesn’t respond by Tuesday midnight, the prize is forfeited. If there aren’t enough entries to award a prize, the prize will be added to next week’s contest.
*The prize is only given away if at least 20 shopkeepers enter. So Facebook, Twitter, email, or even call your resale peers, tell them about the contest and encourage them to enter. If we don’t receive a minimum of 20 entries for a prize, it will be added to the next week’s giveaway.
So, to recap: Check Wacky Wednesday on Wednesday. Add your contribution here on the blog (not via email, not on Twitter, not on Facebook, not even on Sharing!) and make sure your industry buddies do too. Enter by Sunday. Check back Monday to see if you’ve won.
Update Mon. 1/18: The winner’s announced!
The Wacky Wednesday logo is based on a graphic from layoutsparks.com
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
I held a staff meeting this week after business hours to review some consignment procedure changes that are being implemented and to discuss issues that have arisen lately. It was an hour well spent without interruption and I always receive good feedback from my staff.
We are cleaning! Making room!
We are getting our pack aways out and ready for display!
We are telling consigners that we will start taking spring right after valentines day!
We are using non seasonal items in our windows, like pajamas, and home goods, to help with the transition.
We have been putting out spring since Jan 2nd and have already sold every bathing suit we put out. It has been unseasonably cold here in South Florida, but people always buy spring & summer. I just saw some really nice, bright Gerber daisies at Michaels and I am going to be getting bunches of those and definitely decorating with lots of bright colors and lots of green.
To prepare for spring (and our 2nd anniversary) we are closing for a few months (mostly due to some heating system issues) and are taking the time to revamp our website, do some renovations in the shop, and since there will be no in store sales during this time, we are participating in “Baby Fairs” and other fundraising events at local schools! Its for a good cause and gives us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to new potential customers! I am doing my first event tomorrow and made up a gift basket of baby goods (cost me $1 or less per item) and will be raffling it off… all a person needs to do to enter is fill out a contact form (thus providing me with contact info for a mailing when we re-open in May!)
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a common theme has been clearing out and marking down…we have also been doing this. Consignors picking up money are told we will be accepting spring Feb. 15. I have been putting out vacation wear, advertising we are your “all-inclusive fashion destination”.
I bought a large amount of spring accessories yesterday, and am heading to Vegas with Colleen in mid-Feb to buy more…
I have been putting “new for spring!” on price tags of early items, just to get them excited…something I saw in a large department store here.
Our displays are all Valentine, in sync with other retailers
Carolyn,
Love the “new for spring” idea! Do you have separate tags that you attach, along with the price tags, for this? I used to sell hangtag templates…maybe I should make something like this up for resale shops to use?
I’ll make this short. I’m tired. We officially start taking spring tommorrow morning but many items have already came in this week. I have been talking with many of my regulars(the 2-3x a week regulars) all month long about being excited for spring so they are excited about spring shopping with us. Some of those regulars are consignors too so they can’t wait to bring the spring in.
We spent all week rearranging, pulling expireds, additional markdowns on our winter clearance and spring cleaning the backrooms for incoming. I have to start fresh with each season and be 100% organized because once it starts, there is no time for the little things in the backroom.
We don’t have to decorate much because my store is very bright and colorful and springlike all the time(children’s store in case you didn’t get that from the name). We will add some sort of spring flowers in the windows after V-day.
We also have plenty of consignment fliers ready to go for all the inquires everyday. Our phone has been ringing nonstop all week too with ?’s about what is considered spring? We just make sure they know…no heavy fleece/sweaters and no tank tops yet.
Well, I tried to make it short. I can’t wait to read more so I can add to my ideas!
Thanks Kate, can’t wait til next Wed 🙂
Wish I had some Spring tips but while everybody is talking winter clearance, winter just arrived in Texas! I didn’t even put on a jacket until Christmas Eve. January is my biggest month of the year because of the Stock Show and Rodeo, so I am still firmly entrenched in Winter.
I can’t even think about Spring yet.
We are a children’s and maternity consignment in central Wisconsin and even though we have a few more months of winter weather here, we are starting our Spring intake this Saturday. We have spent this week cleaning, pulling expireds and rearranging our racks to freshen up the store for Spring. We can’t wait to brighten up the store with some bright and colorful Spring displays. One of the window displays we did last year, and I’m sure we will do again this year, was to take rain boots, put some bright spring floral arrangements in them and hang a watering can over them with shiny silver raffia coming out to look like water. Even though it is cold outside we will warm the inside of the store with fun Spring displays. Can’t wait for the bright pinks, greens, blues and yellows to start coming in. I am so ready for the change.
Because people and merchants here in San Antonio, Texas are thinking “Rodeo” so much this month (with Rodeo starting the first week in February), my windows are currently full of Western wear.
I have mixed in some Spring skirts to the above display but I have yet to have Spring in the windows. We are currently having our Winter Clearance but I do have a section in the store called “Spring Preview” where I am bringing out some pak aways and other Spring items brought in by Consignors. We officially start Spring the last week in January. I have only been in the business 2.5 years and next year plan to start Spring earlier in January. I’m learning!
I have a kids buy-outright store. My best tip for spring is to use pack-aways! Last week I put out the spring dresses and suits that I had been saving. Everybody has noticed and thinks about spring pictures. One nice thing that I had not realized is that there are a couple of father-daughter dances in my area that people need these for right now!
Since I am in a colder climate, I will start accepting Spring consignments on February 1st. I have been doing spring cleaning for the past week, started adding store spring inventory the past few days and have been changing my window and interior displays. Just purchased some new displays and put them near the front door. Added spring items to the displays. Sick of looking at winter merchandise…….can wait for Spring. Bring it on!!!!!
I bought short fat square vases, and stiped and polkadot ribbon in spring colors: lavender, coral, pink, turquise, etc. and hot glued it around the vases, and then stuffed them full of all the brightest flowers I could find. We put them on top of all of our rounders.
In the midst of our snowy January, we have a T-rack with a huge sign exclaiming”Think Spring.” Naturally, we have special spring items displayed. The T-rack is located in our high traffic area. So far, the only comments have questioned our sanity.
Color! Color! Color!
Our windows and interior displays are full of vibrant colors. Mannequins are wearing bright pinks, turquoise, and greens… anything that will catch the eye and take away from the grayness of January skies. We begin accepting Spring items Feb. 1, so we’re building anticipation through our contact lists, Facebook and in our windows… and everyone who walks in is asking when they can bring their spring items in.
Can’t wait for April showers and May flowers!
I have put up a Valentines window with a variety of styles of outfits. Lightweight jacket layered over thin long sleeve shirt and jeans, and cute short sleeve dress perfect for a My First Valentine picture. Because we are in the “it will be winter coat cold “area for at least 2 more months before spring, I have everyone bringing in their spring items the beginning of February. I am taking the extra couple of weeks “catching up ” on much needed items throughout the store. I will be putting up the flowers, butterflies, and dragonflies to help put the spring in the air.
While winter clearance is happening… we are completely decked out in Spring… Themed to Alice in Wonderland. Umbrellas highlighting the spring incoming.
Our constant contact tell consignors about spring call-outs and verbally and that incoming desk and we have a magnetic calendar for the customers fridge.
We’re having our winter clearance right now. I sent out an email last week telling of the winter clearance, and let everyone know we’re taking spring now. So, when they come to shop the sale, they can bring in their spring stuff. We set up a nice 2 sided wood rack with bright spring color things–short sleeve, long sleeve, capris, etc. Put some “spring-ier” shoes in it. Since I have a children’s store, we’ll be putting out the Melissa and Doug rakes, shovels and hoes too.
Not sure I posted this in the correct spot so I am adding it here too. Thanks Kate.
Subject : Re: Wacky Wednesdays
Author: Karen
Email: karen_n@roadrunner.com
Message:
I read this a while back, took it out as a library book, I would love to win it and add it to my library. Thanks for the contest.
We started accepting Spring and Summer Jan 1. As we check it in, it goes out on the racks. Our displays reflect the lighter colors of spring. In Dec, when consignors picked up their checks, we let them know we start accepting Spring and Summer the beginning of Jan. Our advserting is geared towards getting rid of the clearance merchandise, but we try and add something about new arrivals, for the upcoming season. Weekly reminders in our e-mails, Facebook and Twitter let customers know that Spring is arriving daily.