Do you make potential shoppers and suppliers jump hurdles to make you money?
Some do. You may, if you haven’t taken a good look at your business lately.
I took some items in to a new consignment shop a few months ago. At that point, the business was less than 3 months old, so I wasn’t expecting much.
After the employee (owner not present) selected what she would accept, I asked for a receipt.
“We don’t do that. You can come back in a few days if you want one.”
(Mind you, what I really wanted was an itemized, priced receipt, but didn’t want to cloud the issue at this point.)
“Well then,” I said in my most reasonable consignor voice, “since it’s a trip for me to return, could you email my receipt?”
“We don’t do that.”
Okay, so they don’t. I’m not happy, but what the heck.
Time passes. After the consignment period is over, I stop in and ask if I have any money. “You got paid $X in June.”
“No, I’ve never gotten any communication from you.”
Fluff of shoulders. Sigh.
They don’t mail checks. “We don’t do that.” Reaches under counter. Hands me a check from an expandable file, been sittin’ there 3+months, full of consignors who are HOT LEADS to mail a nice note and their check to.
“May I have a final receipt?”
Guess what the answer was. This time I put my foot down. Got one. With a smirk.
Do you have hurdles like this? Or like “we don’t accept consignments in the last hour before we close” or “you must have an appointment” or “we close early on Saturday” or “we don’t accept checks” or “we’re full, no consignments until we catch up”?
You might want to think about how difficult it is for your consignors, sellers, donors, and buyers to deal with you. After all, that’s what you’re in business to do.
As for that “we don’t do that” shop? Not only will I never again consign there, I would be loath to even shop there. One could say
I won’t be touching that business again with a ten-foot pole.
(Forgive the pun… couldn’t resist.)
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
How can you expect anyone to leave their possessions with a stranger or PAID professional(?) without some type of written receipt? I keep a generic receipt book, record the number of items left by consignor, make it out like a check & sign it, and give a promise to provide an itemized inventory list within 5 business days. My POS software enables me to email the list, or they can stop back by for a cup of coffee and first picks on new stuff. I also include an option to donate to noted charity or bulk box sell upon contract expiration. This clarifys the how long and what next up front.
I have been open for slightly over a month, and I’m finding that most of my consigners are surprised and pleased when I give them an itemized receipt if they are willing to wait for it, or that I email it if they don’t have the time, or I mail it if they do not have an email address, as quite a few older customers don’t want to fool with the computer. It doesn’t cost me much in time or postage, and gives the customer transparency into what we are doing–and I’m hoping reduces the opportunity for misunderstandings. Well, a girl can hope.
Auntie Kate, I wonder, did they give you an agreement/contract? Did it have any of the information in it, like they don’t contact consignors, don’t email receipts, don’t well just don’t?
I believe we should be as easy as possible to do business with, however, our consignors are getting a service also. They should be responsible for a few simple ideas to make processing their goods fast and simple. Everyone wins that way. And everyone makes money.
Before I computerized, I used carbon paper and a clipboard to make sure my consignors had an itemized list with prices.
Hi Ruth, The issue wasn’t whether they gave me a contract, and I never wasn’t “responsible” nor did I expect, ask for, even DREAM of asking for any deviation from their procedures. That is not what this post is about.
It is about how comfortable, how valued, their procedures made me feel as their “partner”… and I’m here to tell you, I felt like something they’d wipe off their shoe… like it was too much trouble for them to treat me as half the equation in their business. “Here, hand over some stuff we can sell and shut up and get the heck OUTA my store.”
Hi In order to give a itemized and priced receipt. Do you know of a software I would have to use to have these prices in the system as standards.
Hi Sandra, I believe several of the consignment software vendors have something called “smart pricing” whereby you can enter your own “standard” pricing. Have you tried the demos offered by each? (See the TGtbT.com Links Page for their URLs.)
But of course, you know that “standards” are a pipe dream… if you’ve been in business for more than a few months, you’ve learned that there are so many variables from size to color to how early/late in a selling season something arrives, that I highly, highly, highly, DISrecommend setting “standard” prices for ANYthing (well, except maybe for onesies!) For more info on pricing with confidence, see the Manual (of course!) and our best-selling Money-Wise Guide to Accepting & Pricing