Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged merchandising, starting a consignment shop, success on November 2, 2008| 5 Comments »
It’s time to get serious. You can’t afford to fail now. Plus, with all the interest the media is fostering, folks are ready to explore consignment, resale, and thrift shops. A multi-episode blog entry.If you’re depending only on (more…)
Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged competition, display, merchandising on December 29, 2007| 7 Comments »
If there’s one thing that I wish every Too Good to be Threw resaler, heck, every RETAILER, would resolve to do in the upcoming year, it’s to polish up their shop so that it razzle-dazzles their clientele.
Shopping used to be a joy. It was FUN. They made jokes about the ladies in the department stores squirting perfume. They ohhed-and-ahhed over the fantasy Toyland at Macy’s. Women looked forward to (more…)
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged christmas, merchandising on September 24, 2007| 5 Comments »
One of the most exciting things about secondhanding, for shopkeeper and shopper alike, is the incredible ebb and flow of goods. Sometimes this is due to style and fashion (what housewares shop hasn’t experienced too many George Forman grills?), sometimes it’s season (too many coats in November, too many shorts in April), and sometimes it’s holiday.
Managing to properly present
of a category is an ongoing duty of the shopkeeper. We owe our best selling attempts on both sides of a bulging intake.
As an example, take the holiday goods that the not-for-profit consignment shop, Woman’s Exchange in Sarasota FL, has dealt with recently. Since I volunteer as Merchandiser there, let me tell you how I managed. The shop started accepting Christmas on October 1st. The final deadline was November 30.
My first duty, as these items started hitting the floor, was to find a spot for them. Now, holiday goods are highly desirable for a very short period of time… about October 15 until about December 10. So we had goods coming in a bit early, then we had things arriving only days before the season-selling would grind to a halt. Christmas selling is not only time-delimited, but it’s also very lucrative for the shop so it needed to be in a prominent area. The area closest to the front door, visible from the cashier’s line, was chosen.
At first, we didn’t have enough to make a nice, fully-stocked merchandising splash. I selected goods to “pad” out the area. Remember: you cannot sell ANY of a few little things… they look pitiful. Customers want to feel they have a good selection. So I added merchandise like red glass vases, green goblets, angel statuettes, damask napkins, crystal candlesticks to create a true holiday section.
(A side note: if you want more suppliers to bring in more of a category, let them see it… thus the “padding” of the department not only sells what’s there, but what will be there in the near future!)
As more and more holiday-specific goods came in, I gradually retired unsold “fillers”. The green goblets went back into the glassware area so I had room for reindeer-decorated china.
Then, as you can imagine, the area started to overflow. The stuffed penguins and the Christmas teddy bears had to have their own area. Poinsettia centerpieces migrated onto tabletops. By mid-November, there was Christmas everywhere you looked in our 12,000 sq ft, but still (somewhat!) categorized. Dickenesque cottages on a mahogany sidetable. Angels got their own department near the garden decor. We even had a “decorate-a-tree” subsection with ornaments, garlands, and tree-toppers.
Then (thanks, I like to think, to my merchandising efforts) things started selling like mad. As they did, categories and selections had to be rethought. By about December 1st we were “selling down”. The categories started looking a little skimpy. For a week or so, I could make do: I filled in the Christmas stuffed animals with some Garfields and macaws; the cottages that had become picked-over were snuggled next to the dinnerware with turn-of-last-century farm scenes. I added non-specific twig wreaths to the trim-a-tree area. That worked for another week or so.
But finally, I had to pull in all the tendrils. The remaining silk poinsettias filled the bottom shelves so the mugs and music boxes still could be clustered abundantly on the shelves above. We recruited the angels back and even stuck in some little cupids. Gold-rimmed champagne flutes and silver serving pieces add sparkle to what otherwise might look bare.
As I write this, there are eight more Woman’s Exchange shopping days until Christmas. I’m on my way in to the shop to further fluff out the remaining goods. I want to sell them, so I’ll need to make them appealing even this late by adding more “selection.” Wonder if I can “persuade” shoppers that those red kitchen canisters are a good holiday buy? Maybe if I glom a few green stick-on bows onto them…
Posted in Mailbox: 1-on-1 Advice, Shopkeeping talk, tagged consignment, customers, merchandising, resale shopkeeping on May 11, 2007| 4 Comments »
Here’s Chris’ rear room. It’s part of her selling floor, but she can’t seem to get browsers to explore the room no matter what merchandise she features there. Chris asked for help.
Here’s a few solutions Chris might try. We want to engage all the senses of her browsers to tempt them into exploring this area.
To use sight to lure them in, increase the level of lighting, making the room actually brighter than your front room. This might be tricky, since we’re assuming that display windows add to the intensity in your main room. If there’s no way to get enough light into the rear room without the heat and expense going too high, try “washing” that back wall with track lighting.
Another appeal to sight: Mount mirrors so the reflection is seen from the main room. That will make the back room look larger, so it won’t look cramped or crammed. Cheap version of this: have LOTS of for-sale mirrors hung on that blue slatwall, even if you have to go BUY them and sell them for ZERO profit (you know me, it’s impt to have as few “not-for-sale” items in your shop as possible!)
Touch: Install, probably in the right front corner of the rear room, an oscillating fan to move the air (in addition to the ceiling fan you already have…read on:). Doesn’t need to be a big one, but just enough to “tinkle” a small wind chime set in the path of the air. So customers will hear something going on back there. (A small CD player with quiet instrumental music so as not to conflict with the music you play in the main room, is another way to charm people into the room.)
And there’s smell: A barely-noticeable scent of orange or vanilla influences people’s browsing. Have it subtle enough that people do not remark on it.
The final sense is taste. Maybe you could put a coffee pot or a slow cooker of apple cider back there? 😉
I notice that the flooring seems to change as you step over the threshold? If it does, think about using a runner to bridge the change. People won’t even notice they’re entering another room!
And last: no matter how crowded your shop may be, do not infringe on the width of that door way. It can seem claustrophobic to many. Leave the doorway totally open and all pathways within the room circular, so shoppers do not come to dead ends.
For more good ideas on getting the most out of every inch you have, see The Essential Guide to Using All Your Space, a Too Good to be Threw Product for the Professional Resaler.
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Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 