Sure, you hear compliments constantly about your resale shop. “Everyone says it’s so cute,” says one 
shopkeeper. “People tell me all the time how neat and organized my shop is,” says another.
But what are they not telling you?
That’s what you need to hear. Now no one likes to hear the negatives. It stings. It hurts our pride. We feel it’s unjustified and a matter of their opinion… which, natch, we don’t share.
But until you know the drift of complaints about your shop, you won’t know what to change, alter, fix. After all, you are running your shop so that others will like it. That’s the whole point of retail: to offer your marketplace something that they will give you money for.
So eavesdrop. Ask. Put on a disguise and lurk in the shadows. Whatever’s needed to find out what folks really think about your shop… including the ones who’ve been in once and never again.
I know a very successful consignment shop owner who’s picky about what she accepts except for one little blind spot. Her selection of shoes sucks. Nasty dirty run down at the heels smelly. Truly. Why hasn’t she noticed or overheard this?
Another shopkeeper, an NFP manager this time, has racks of goods in the back room ready to go…and a relatively (in resale terms!) barren sales floor. She doesn’t like things “cluttered.” Her racks and shelves are actually half-empty because she thinks things need “breathing space.” Her shoppers are denied
what many thrift store shoppers love best about the thrifting experience…
a sense of the thrill of the hunt, the serendipity of discovery. Not to mention that there could be, easily, double (well okay maybe a third) more donations on the sales floor for people to buy. Why doesn’t she hear the “haven’t found anything in the last three visits” comments that I heard when I was there for a consultation?
There’s a place I seldom go out of my way to shop in because I literally don’t know where to look. There seem to be, in this otherwise nice consignment shop, 3 or 4 areas for each type of garment…tops here and here and here and here. And who knows, there’s probably another couple of areas that I’ve missed. Honestly, it’s exhausting. I’m tired before I am even done and for sure before I’ve found something I love. The owner knows me…why hasn’t she ever asked why I seldom find anything to buy?
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
we have consignors who drop off stuff every weekend but never buy anything – how do I nicely say that, while we appreciate their consignments it would be nice if they bought something once in a while, too?
You don’t. There are folks who would never buy used. These suppliers are way too valuable to you (I assume!) to risk embarrassing them.
On the OTHER hand… what can you do to wordlessly TEMPT them? What items do you have to offer that they might love? Find them, and put them in these consignors’ path thru the shop. A Hermes scarf for only $229? A shiny crystal table lamp for $45? A Dooney & Bourke crossbody, bright red and brand-new, for $29?
We do a annual survey via email. We make sure that it is completely anonymous to ensure that we get honest feedback. After all, what good is a survey if you’re not learning the good, the bad and the ugly! We have about 6,000 on our email list and every year we get over a 40% response rate which if you know anything about email marketing that rate is unheard of! I think the reason for the high response is that people love to express their opinions without being identified. They can let lose and pound us or tell us how great we are, either way we learn what we’re doing right and wrong, at least in the eyes of our customers and consignors (we are a women’s consignment store).
Over the years this survey has help us become a growing and profitable store. We’ve seen many stores come and go but we stay focused on our core values and continue to thrive. So, think about doing a survey (we use Constant Contact, but Survey Monkey is good too) and don’t be afraid to learn “the good, the bad and the ugly” about your store. You’d be surprised which people really think!
That’s amazing, Jody, that you get 40% of your email list to fill out the survey… it’s even amazing that 40% of them open the email! Congratulations!
A few customers have complained when we moved around sections of the store….i.e. dresses from one side of store to another or our “collections” rack from the front to the back of the store. We like to move things around….but do customers really prefer that we keep the layout the same???
Ah, Debra… people don’t like change, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good for them (and, incidentally, your business). Everyone likes things to stay familiar… but familiarity breeds contempt, and contempt, in retail, means they get tunnel vision and end up only seeing a portion of your merchandise. So change up your shop to keep interest high, and to keep stock moving through your business. Same-old same-old means no growth, no excitement for them and for you. Both sides will be excited when she says, “Hey, I never knew you carried…” when you always did, just in another area of the store.
Of course you have to watch the S-P-A-N layout of the shop, as in the Manual, but you probably already have psyched out the most productive areas and traffic patterns of your shop and intuitively know where and when various categories need to get more attention! (And you also know that no matter WHAT you do, “a few” aren’t gonna like it.)
Thanks for visiting Auntie Kate!
We got a complaint type message on our FB page this week from a lady I rang up a couple days ago. In the sore she seemed happy, but on our FB page she complained that our air fresheners were too strong for her. We had just replaced them so I replied to her comment and apologized. You just don’t know what they’re saying about you unless you pay attention. Good point Kate
And I’ll bet you learned a good lesson, too, Kitty… that perhaps having your air-freshener replacement schedule staggered might be good practice! Isn’t it great to learn from our clientele? If they’re loath to complain face-to-face, you’re right… we need to monitor social media closely. It’s not pleasant being called on the metaphorical carpet in public, but it’s valuable feedback, so we have to school ourselves to respond and to reply in a polished manner.
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My point is – you can’t be influenced by “opinions”.
As I said – if criticism is increasing, but so is the revenue – DON’T LISTEN TO IT.
Do you get my point?
Gotcha! It was that competitor remark in the first paragraph that threw me 😉
Well, sure, we all know those folks who think change is bad, who think kvetching is conversation, who wonder where the cheap stuff went… but still, opinions do matter, because they influence outcome.
If your sales figures sustain growth when you do something, then that something was right…I agree!
Kate Holmes
Thanks, Sgtmom… and your point is?
I hear plenty of negative feedback about our competitor, the most successful consignment store in the state. “Too much new stuff”.
People ALWAYS complain about it – but they vote with their dollars, and he does VERY well bringing in new stuff…
When I first came to work for my current store, customers complained when I began to clean up, declutter, merchandise attractively, and stop accepting low rate stuff.
Revenues began to rise in spite of the complaints. I decided rightly or wrongly, that the complainers were worried prices would go up (they did) and the store would become more upscale, main stream, and popular (it did).
For what it’s worth – The owner repeatedly asked me to stop, but I could go to the numbers and show her I was right – and the complainers were wrong.
Thanks Alli for your thoughts… I hope you will label and promote your in-store box with something that will really make them think, like “What can we do better?” or “Tell us where we could improve your experience”…
And then, of course, when you have acted on suggestions, PLAY IT UP: “Now, teen styles in their own area…because you wanted it!” …and of course tout that customer feedback is helping you make your shop better, everywhere, from banners to FB to your blog.
Hope to see your shop soon on http://HowToConsign.com !
hello katie !! love ur blogs – they always keep me thinking ! Im going to make an suggestion box… and keep little post its and a pen next to the box… in the back…i think more people will write their thoughts..when its not on the counter where I can see them writing. Im going to start this up in February.. thanks for the inspiration as usual ! – Alli at Pre Loved Boutique – NJ