Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Shopkeeping talk’ Category

Thinking about a blog for your shop?

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 30, 2007| 1 Comment »

You don’t have to really WRITE to have a blog, you know. You can use it to update your clientele on what’s going on in your shop, to share what’s important to know from info to your new arrivals rack, to make important announcements, and also, simply, to highlight current offerings in tempting photographs.

For that, all you need is a good digital camera, a clean spot for a backdrop, and the time it takes to choose, photograph, and post on an item or two a day. Great way to get your shop remembered by your most loyal customers…and to create new loyal customers!

Blogs are, at least the simplest ones, free, and a whole lot easier to use than MySpace…and look a whole lot better if your target clientele is older than 15.

Read Full Post »

This book by Sam Horn just POPped out at me…

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 26, 2007| 1 Comment »

I hate plane rides. So much, I bury myself in a book. So when I was getting ready to go to the NARTS Conference in San Antonio last month, I made a trip to my local independent bookstore (no Borders or B&N for me, thank you any way; big boxes are not the way to shop in my humble opinion.) for something to read.

Found 2 books to read and I just finished devouring, for the second time, POP: Stand out in any Crowd by Sam Horn. You need to read this book if (more…)

Read Full Post »

Look at it this way…

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 22, 2007| 6 Comments »

TGtbT.com wants you to ask "How much will it MAKE me?"I love quotes, don’t you? Can’t find the source of this one, but it’s worth a little mulling over:

A poor man asks, “How much will it COST me?”
A rich man asks, “How much will it MAKE me?”

That’s a vivid way of pointing out thatsome purchases are simply expenses and quickly used up, pointless, useless or gone, while other purchases are investments. Think about what you’ve bought for your business recently.

A shopkeeper I know was really proud of the incredibly low price she paid for an entire wall of shelving she bought at a going-out-of-business store. And it was cheap! Trouble was, she wanted to display shoes and the shelving was very deep. So what she got was a square-footage hog that hid, in its shadowy depths, the very merchandise she wanted to show & sell. She was so overwhelmed by how little it cost her, that she didn’t stop to think if it would make her anything (and in fact, it cost her in lost sales and wasted space.) No bargain, was it?

Another example: I just got a message left on my phone by an outraged man, who asked me how I dare sell TGtbT The Manual for $76.95.”That’s ridiculous when I want to start a store that saves people money, that you charge so much!” He was so overwhelmed that an operations manual cost more than a paperback novel, that he never stopped to think how much that investment could make him. The value of a business purchase is in its usefulness to the task at hand. In his case, learning to open, operate, and make profitable a resale shop.

So, next time you’re thinking of a purchase for your business, take a breath and think: Have I considered how much this purchase can make me, or am I simply looking at the price? Is it a bargain simply because it’s cheap…or will it help me accomplish something that is worth many times the price I have to pay? We all know, as resalers, that something useless is not a bargain at any price (well, until we resell it in our shops to another person to whom it’s a treasure! LOL)

Read Full Post »

We we we all the way home….

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on July 21, 2007| 4 Comments »

we-we-we all the way home: they NEED to know what's in it for themWe talked about WIIFM a little while back. Well, recently, I ran across two most grievous examples on resale shop web sites of WII-FM not being on your playlist.

First example: At [name deleted], we have our own unique sense of style. We know what sells in our store. Please respect our right to accept items accordingly.

Well, kiss my grits, is my reaction to the attitude expressed in those few words. No way I am going to subject myself to that mentality. In fact, I wouldn’t even shop there.

Example from another site, this time in a FAQ: How does [name deleted] decide what to sell my clothing for? Answer: …we are aware of what is currently popular with our customers. We know the market and what is in demand and what is not.

Huh? Now, maybe I’m just sensitive, but doesn’t that smack of Don’t make me get out the flying monkeys ? As in, shut up and obey?

It’s NOT all about “we.” It’s about ME. Simple, simple rewordings of these would make the client feel more welcomed, more willing to participate…and less ready to do battle.

Or they could continue to we we we all the way home…or into bankruptcy court.

Further reading on we-we-we statements

Read Full Post »

What’s a label whore?

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 12, 2007|

This entry’s title should be: So what’s the deal with label-stealing, just what’s a label whore, and why NYCers are ill-equipped to take over the world, regardless of what they think. But that’s almost as long as this entry.

Lots of resale shops have been complaining recently about consumers actually stealing, not the merchandise, but the LABELS out of the clothes. Here’s an entertaining take on just what folks are DOING with the labels: (more…)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »