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Archive for the ‘Shopkeeping talk’ Category

Consignment Mailbox: How many reusable bags does one responsible resale shopper NEED?

Posted in Mailbox: 1-on-1 Advice, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on October 28, 2009| 1 Comment »

A resale shopkeeper asked me, a while back: [I’m] thinking that we as resale shops should pay especial attention and try not to add to the litter of merchandise bags. But re-using old grocery sacks just doesn’t do a thing for my shop’s image. What can I do that’s not only eco-savvy, but will build my shop’s reputation and word-of-mouth?

Auntie Kate answers:

Oh wow am I glad you asked that! Here’s what I said here on Auntie Kate a while back: OOOHHH, let’s go GREEN… by buying more STUFF

And of course my buddies in the consignment, resale, and thrift industry could have the solution…and a fund-raiser and a great PR angle…at their fingertips. A way to (more…)

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Cash for Clothing Clunkers: Dare you?

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on October 26, 2009| 5 Comments »

clunkerI kept waiting for one of the resale or consignment shops who send out broadcast emails to send one entitled

“Cash for Clothing Clunkers.”

Thought it would be a good subject line for a message about (more…)

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Excuse me, but is your save-the-earth bag full of germs?

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged on October 24, 2009|

091024pier1What with Target finally “going green” with reusable shopping bags (and taking a tip from consignment and resale shopkeepers who’ve been giving a nickel “rebate” for years!) and CVS getting a dollar cash and four trips in out of you to give you a dollar store credit (weird, I know. Think it’ll fly?)  and people in Priuses (Priusi?) glaring at your empty arms as they tote their eco*conscious bags into Publix, now might be the time to ask:

Is your bag CLEAN?091024greenbag

Sure, you pile your purchases in your own bag, whether that’s a chic print bag or a political statement. Day after day, week after week, you’re doing your bit.

But are you making yourself…and (more…)

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Email, coupons, and pondering customer response

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on October 21, 2009| 5 Comments »

E-mailMany consignment and resale shops send out terrific broadcast emails. I got one the other day. Made me sit up and take notice.

Print out this email and get 30% off everything…and EVERYthing.

Heck, who could resist that? So I dutifully printed out the email, tucked it in my purse, and went shopping.

The store’s nice. The folks there are nice. But alas, I didn’t happen to find anything I needed, even with that 30% off .

So: they got a customer IN due to the email, even though I didn’t have an opportunity to use the coupon. But they never knew it.

I left thinking that the shop might have gotten a clearer reading of how effective their email had been at driving traffic IF they’d provided for my situation: wanted to use the coupon; regretfully didn’t find anything.

How could they have done this? Perhaps by saying, in their email, Even if you DON’T find anything today (and we are pretty sure you WILL) hand us this coupon for a free… anything. Earrings? Spot removal stick? Coupon for an item next month? Doesn’t really matter what you’d offer. What matters is learning that the email worked…but no purchase was made. Important customer information.

Heck, if I worked there I’d even ask the presenter of the coupon 2-3 questions such as Why didn’t you find something today? What would have thrilled you to find…what selection are we lacking?

Valuable opinions to get, personal interaction, the customer feeling you’ve listened to her. That’s worth a “consolation prize”, isn’t it, to get that kind of feedback?

Try it, next time you send out an email coupon. You may be surprised!

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Top Ten Resale Shop Sites 2009 Version

Posted in Kate's Must-Sees, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , on October 19, 2009| 11 Comments »

As you can imagine, I see a LOT of resale, consignment and thrift shop web sites. And I’m always on the lookout for good ideas and designs, and most of all, functionality, on these sites.

So here’s the Top Ten as seen this year, in my opinion. Take a look…then VOTE! Please notice that I restricted my choices to (more…)

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