Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

The resaler's load is easier to bear when it's Shared!

Well, it’s been a whirlwind week…hearing from so many resale and consignment shopkeepers who have such great ideas! We’ve been having a little fun and giving away some prizes during my 35th Consignment Anniversary Week. Read all the contributions for interesting and even some surprising thoughts on resale. As far as I’m concerned, all the participants are winners for taking aprt. I wish I’d had enough prizes for all.

Alas: Although not-for-profit thrifts are always a part of my articles and advice, we didn’t have a single NFP shopkeeper participate this week. That’s a shame. Not just for their job and their shops, but also for the charities those shops help fund. So, my for-profit friends: make a point this coming week to drop into your local NFPs, say howdy, and invite them over to Sharing. Better thrift shops help the overall image of resale which helps all shops, profit or NFP.

Monday’s topic was a great tip you’ve used to make your shop shimmer with excitement,

to make your clientele go Hey WOW and to want to be a part of your business. Read the comments and enjoy! The winner of the prize, by blind drawing, is Tara.

On Tuesday we tackled how each shop can help promote our entire industry.

The call to action was How are you helping improve the visibility and public perception not only of your own shop, but of our industry in general? Thanks to 10 shopkeepers who felt they had something to share, and the drawing prize goes to Kristen (Kristen, please contact me via email over on TGtbT.com, since you didn’t use yours in your comment!)

Wednesdays, we talked about where you see your business in 5 years

…and the inescapable necessity for having help in getting there. Which means training your staff or volunteers well. You were asked what you train your helper to do first, second, and third. And why in that order? I particularly like Diana’s point about register training never should be early in training a new person.  The winner of the drawing is Donna and I’ll be mailing her book out to her! Also, because Diana opened my eyes to a situation I’d never really thought about (which to my mind is the very reason for our Sharing Discussion Board at TGtbT.com), I’ll be sending her a gift as well.

On Thursday, I brought up my particular bugaboo,

shopkeepers who feel that the only way to make money is to run price-reduction events. Ten shopkeepers had the answer, just a simple yes or no, to the question Do you really think that price is the #1 reason people buy from you? We drew Julie@repeatstreet.com as the winner of a Valued Sponsor listing and map pointer for this year and this month’s “signing bonus” of a free PDQ of How to Have a FRIGHTFULLY Good Halloween, a Too Good to be Threw Product for the Professional Resaler. Since Julie is already one of our Treasured Sponsors on HowToConsign.com, we’re going to increase the value of her prize to a full year (2011-2012) Treasured Sponsorship and the PDQ as well. Thanks for your continuing support of the resale industry, Julie!

On Friday, only 5

resale or consignment shopkeepers felt that talking about their biggest stumbling block would be of interest to their peers. I knew this topic was risky when I posted it: who likes to admit they are less than perfect? Still I hope that, even if privately in a darkened room, the question will help you silently acknowledge, and resolve to take action on, whatever your stumbling block to success is.

My heartfelt thanks to the dozens of resalers who took part in this week’s celebration. Their thoughtful comments are well-worth reading. Thanks as well to those who sent me personal well wishes. And most especially, thank you to Cynthia of the 3 White Elephant shops in Virginia, who donated the prizes for her resale peers.

Onward and upward for all of us…for at least another 35 years in the business!