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Archive for the ‘Shopkeeping talk’ Category

Before & After: Sure-fire WOM

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on December 9, 2012| 3 Comments »

Forlorn into For sure!Everyone loves Before-&-After photos, right? They love them SO much, they forward and share and retweet this category more than any other (well, besides embarrassing photos of celebs.) Fat to skinny. Plain to beautiful. Shabby to chic.

You name it, they love it. Their eyes dart back and forth and they think “I can do that!”

Before-&-Afters awake the dreamer in all of us.

So why not try a before and after series on your consignment shop site, blog, or even Facebook?

What, you say? We don’t fix stuff?

The heck you don’t.

Didn’t you, just today, turn a laundry basket of out-grown toddler clothes into a rack full of irresistible outfits? Or make a neutral couch (boredom city) into a showpiece in a vignette by selecting side tables, throw pillows, lamps that enhanced it? Or help a clothes maven clear her closet and (might as make the B-&-A double-barreled!) fill her purse?

So why not talk about it? Snap some Before-&-After shots? It’s

fun to do,

fun to read about,

and makes your fans feel like they’re a true part of your shop.

Photo from Apartment Therapy.

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Giving away the farm, err, store

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on December 7, 2012| 4 Comments »

Confused consignment customer cowThought I’d send along this email received from a consignment shopkeeper. The email is from a while back, but I thought you’d like to see it, after the “price slashing” some businesses did for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Hope you don’t recognize yourself in it.

Hey Kate,
Thought I’d send you this for blog inspiration. I have a competitor who opened 6 weeks ago. Initially I gave her some general advice about the children’s market in [our city], etc. Obviously, she didn’t hear a word I said. In fact, when she read on a local online forum that shoppers found her store “too expensive” she posted that all they had to do was ask for a discount because she wanted to make sure everyone could afford her products.
Anyway, here’s the text from her latest ad, about her grand opening weekend.

All Weekend
Strollers 20% off
All Clothing 25 % off
Accessories 10 % off
Fancy dresses 60% off
Discount rack 50% off
Baby bottles 20-50% off

Friday Blow Out Specials!!
Tommy Hilfiger 40% off
Crib sets and accessories 40% off
Pink chicken dresses 30% off

Saturday Blowout Specials!!
Tommy Hilfiger 40% off
Snowsuits 20% off
Fall jackets 35% off

Monday Blowout Specials!!
All footwear 10-50% off
Diaper bags 20% off
Yoga wear 35% off
Cloth diapers and accessories 30% off

Thanks for sending this example in to me here on the Auntie Kate blog. As a shopper, I’d be thinking Wow! I’m AFRAID to shop there… ’cause

I’d be a chump for buying it today when, obviously, it’ll be cheaper tomorrow.

And as a consignment consultant, my reaction is

How’s that for giving away the store?

Even if such a shop were “splitting” the price reduction with their consignors (not a practice I recommend), there will be little to zero profit in selling like this… and great damage to the shop’s reputation for fair pricing either.

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Staff Gift Exchange Ideas

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on December 6, 2012|

Now’s the time of year that consignment and resale shopkeepers are concerned about

making the holidays bright for their staff.

Try a gift-exchange idea to up the fun. Some ideas from (more…)

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Stalk the designers.

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , on December 5, 2012|

Fashion industry folk, for consignment shopkeepers to followHave I shown you this? It’s the Twitter URLS for women’s fashion brands, stores, designers, (more…)

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Borrow their voice.

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2012|

Too Good to be Threw loves ban.doJust found a web site merchant to admire. Not because of their products (although I covet quite a few of them) but because of their voice.

What’s “voice”? It’s a literary thing:

“the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character”

and man, this merchant has voice to spare! It’s ban.do. Read their about page. And their Facebook and their blog and tweets…for the VOICE.

Don’t you love them? Just feel you could be besties?

For example, if you click on one of their items and it’s sold, they don’t say “sold” they say

Sorry, somebody beat you to this one!

And here’s a quick selection of their Facebook posts, each (well almost each) written to make you want to click through to see what’s up:

Just for fun:

thumbs up if you think rainbow sprinkles make everything taste better!

we can’t stop debating who was the best dressed at the emmys last night. what do you guys think?

To sell stuff… their FB post always leads to specific product info on their web site or blog:

getting into a little bit of trouble has never looked so glamorous.

we hate to pick favorites, but we did it anyways. (leading to their % Faves, something they do on a regular schedule.)

whoever said anything about having to wearing boring colors during the fall?

and for their clearance sale: out with the old, in with the new.

And how about these? Wouldn’t you simply have to click through to their message?

we’re hiring, you want in on all the fun?

as you well know: a good secret is hard to keep. well, this secret is out!

Ready for some “voice” lessons? Cruise around their various web presences.

Are there voices YOU hear? Add in the comments, other sites/ blogs that you think do a really good job.

Save

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