Posts Tagged ‘merchandising’
Terrible. Truly.
Posted in I've been meaning to tell you, Shopkeeping talk, tagged merchandising, resale shopkeeping, starting a consignment shop on March 1, 2017| 1 Comment »
Neat and tidy, or full and cluttered?
Posted in Mailbox: 1-on-1 Advice, Shopkeeping talk, tagged display, merchandising, Thrift on February 22, 2017| 3 Comments »
How to present a store full of… well, LOTS of STUFF. Great question came into my mailbox! And it came another time too!
I have an odd question for you. Me and my assistant can’t seem to agree to people prefer a shop that’s neat and tidy or a Thrift Shop that is full and cluttered? Could you shed some light on the subject? –Kenneth Droneburg Seton Family Store, Manager, http://www.setoncenterinc.org
Hi Kenneth,
I think it depends on your price level. The higher-priced your goods (and your clientele) the neater it has to be…
THAT SAID, there are some exceptions? caveats?
* Neater / tidier does NOT mean organization: “all the ashtrays here, all the salt-and-peppers there.” Neater means clean, dusted, price tags visible.
* “Crowded” is a relative term… yes, enough space so things can be picked up and put down with breakage…. but not so much that the place looks sterile and empty.
* Any price level would benefit if they’d arrange by lifestyle: all the sea shore themed things here (sea shell encrusted frame displayed on the blue painted shabby coffee table, and the lobster-crackers there too) and all the Goth things there (brocade armchair, black enamel reading lamp, blood-red goblets) and so on.
* ALL thrifts, large or small, neat or cluttered, need to have a “Treasure Trove” corner with dead-right bargains. This could be a “man-cave” of repairable electronics and bits-and-pieces, it could be a “The Other Season” section with wrong-season clothes and knick-knacks, it could be simply a clearance corner with stuff that’s priced under a certain set limit (dollar store? Quarter Store? Five-and-dime?)
… you probably have 4 corners in your store, try ’em all!
Kenneth wrote back later:
Kind of a tricky questions for you. What’s your thoughts or suggestion of keeping a second hand shop from looking too junky or messy looking. Also do you feel second hand stores should have its shelves or racks filed to where people go to treasure hunt or to were there neatly displayed and organized??
Here’s my second answer:
Not tricky, but complicated 🙂
Here’s a start: https://tgtbt.blog/2010/10/10/whats-the-difference/ and a little mini-series starting here https://tgtbt.blog/2010/08/23/the-4-steps-to-freshen-up-a-resale-shop/ which is more about your physical plant than the placement of merchandise.
Re merchandise: Of course you’ve read in the manual about colorizing clothes on hangers. It’s AMAZING how this makes the store look better.
As for goods on shelves? I am a proponent of arranging these by “story” before “use”… e.g. all the Mid-Century sitarounds rather than all the ashtrays here and the lamps there. Reason? People are treasure hunting. Seldom come in specifically for an ashtray.
Of course, there ARE things (and sometimes times) when you’d do categories, for example small appliances all in one place, and even the toasters next to other toasters… because this is an item they WOULD specifically be hunting for, and they’ll want to see your “full range” of toasters before they decide.
The times when you’d do category before color or “story”? When you’ve received LOTS, e.g. tablecloth closeouts from a new-merchandise retailer, or someone’s collection of alarm clocks. These batches are fun as end-cap displays or 2- or 4-way presentations. (And great for Facebook photos!)
Are your regulars, well, not as regular as you’d like?
Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Shopkeeping talk, tagged merchandising, resale shopkeeping, starting a consignment shop on February 1, 2017| 1 Comment »
Are your regulars, well, not as regular as you’d like?
Could it be they’re passing your shop by when they just “don’t have the time
Kudos: Quick Merchandise Shots
Posted in Kudos: Ideas to inspire!, Shopkeeping talk, tagged display, merchandising, resale shopkeeping, social networking on January 30, 2017|
What makes a good, quick, no-fuss merchandise shot for your social media?
Take a look.
Lighting, focus, and here from Back by Popular Demand, a perfectly angled mirror shot and a bright, appealing piece of merchandise.
(What would make it even better? Branding the photo so your shop name is seen!)
Learn A Lot: Taking a Second Look
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged learn a lot, merchandising, resale shopkeeping, starting a consignment shop on January 23, 2017|
I love snapping quick photos to share with you in my Learn a Lot series. There’s so much imagination out there to inspire us all… but sometimes, even The Resale Guru needs to
take a second look.
I saw this wonderful little swing shop armoire in a vintage market and loved the signage, the tulle on the top of the (really, an old TV armoire….) and the lace and beads to emphasize the merchandise…
More on swing shops and other sizzling ways to enhance your shop: just click or tap!
but it took a closer look at my photos before I noticed the really, really, really good idea for consignment, resale, and thrift shoppers to use:
Did you catch it? Look again!
No need to rig up some sort of clothing rod inside the armoire… just plop a 2-way within and you’re good to go… that is, go nuts with your select little selection any time you want to fluff up the sales floor a bit!
(Tip: Now might be the right time to try this, and if you love the look so much you could line your shop in armoires, well take a look at my Pin here. )
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