A consignment chain has published a press release which will not endear them to Continue Reading »
Posted in Shopkeeping talk | Tagged advertising, resale shopkeeping | 5 Comments »
It amazes me that some consignment, resale, and thrift shops don’t manage small expenditures with a
petty cash fund.
It’s by far the easiest way to do so. Here’s how:
Establish A Petty Cash Fund
Designate an individual and a backup person as custodian of the fund. In this case “many hands do not make light work” . This fund is used for minor and unanticipated expenses where a check can’t be written or the amount is so small that you don’t want to write a check. Some examples include buying pizza for the staff, postage stamps, minor office supplies, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. A pre-numbered voucher or ticket should be filled out and approved for each expenditure. When the balance in the fund becomes low a check from your regular bank account should be issued and cashed to replenish the fund and the expenses recorded in your accounting records. Surprise counts of petty cash should occasionally be done to make sure that employees are not “borrowing” from this source of cash. Counting the fund is very easy. The total amount of the tickets and the cash on hand should equal to the fund’s established balance.
from The Bean Counter
Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged buy-outright, consignment, daily operations, Thrift | 1 Comment »
How is your consignment, resale, thrift business going to use Small Business Saturday to advance your success?
What they don’t mention, of course, is what you as a merchant who does not accept American Express (many small merchants don’t, which is probably the motivating force behind their promotion) can do to take advantage of the media attention Small Business Saturday will receive.
Let’s hear some ideas.
I’ll start. You know all that info about contests as a promotion? (See the section starting on page 7 of 229 Promotional Events for Resale & Consignment Shops.) How about a contest for the best drawing of your business area, a poetry contest with the theme “small”, a scavenger hunt where participants have to “find” something specific (and preferably local!) in your small-business neighbors. Depends on your clientele, your shopping area, even how much you want to invest, time- and energy-wise. But
it would be very short-sighted not to take advantage of this (small) opportunity.
So tell us… what will you be doing to become one of those “small businesses” that welcome shoppers as touted in the media and the AmEx ads? To stand out from the crowd? To tempt folks who simply don’t think about where their dollars go to explore your business? Comment below.
Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged advertising, sea of sameness, shop local | 1 Comment »
The holidays are all about giving, right?
And as a consignment, resale or thrift store, you Continue Reading »
Posted in Deja Vuesday, Not-for-Profit Resale, Shopkeeping talk, Used Stuff in the News | Tagged christmas, holidays, promotions |



