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Posts Tagged ‘small business’

Do you have a problem with “no problem”?

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on August 28, 2010| 8 Comments »

Do you have these in another size?

Is it just me, or (more…)

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Step 4: Now that your resale shop is freshened up, let’s freshen up the till, shall we?

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , on August 26, 2010| 2 Comments »

Here’s the pay off in Freshening up your shop, after you’ve managed Step 1 and Step 2 and Step 3.

Sell it!

Time to celebrate in your consignment shop!

Now that you've done all the work of stomping on the grapes, it's time to celebrate with a little bubbly and a whole lot of shoppers!

Once a new manager, new sales team, or new owner feels like there’s some significant upgrading of the consignment, thrift, or resale shop visible and working,

it’s time to sell the shop

… as in sell it to potential customers/ suppliers. This will involve not only advertising and social media outlets (you have been (more…)

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Weekend Warrior

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, Weekend Warrior, tagged , , on July 30, 2010| 3 Comments »

The Consignment Warrior needs some stretching this weekend!

Read past Weekend Warrior posts.

This weekend’s Warrior assignment is to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your thinking about how to draw people into your shop…

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people who might otherwise never ever enter a store full of used stuff.

Since it’s BTS time (yes it is I don’t care what you say!) here’s an idea to get your little grey cells working. College-student tweet-worthy.

And some Riffs on Recycling I gathered: would these attract previously-unmotivated people into your shop? Or maybe some previously-passed by New Year’s Resolutions might now fill the bill of filling your shop with thrilled new folk?

How could your store, with its unique merchandise, its specific location, and the target audience you would like to attract, draw brand-new faces in your doors?

And then, how will you convert these folks into buyers, fans, friends, and advocates for your business?

Photo from martialsmarts.com

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Being cheap where it counts…against you.

Posted in I've been meaning to tell you, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , on July 10, 2010| 3 Comments »

Such style this NYC shop has…Tokyo Rebel!… and their overhead expenses I am sure would cause most consignment, resale, thrift shopkeepers to break out into a rash. Just the framed poster (more…)

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1 Week ’til NARTS Consignment / Resale / Thrift Conference

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on June 17, 2010|

Getting ready for a great resale industry conference!

Some friends-of-long-standing (that’s how to get around calling them OLD friends)

Just one week until NARTS Conference and consignment, resale, and thrift shop owners and managers are excited!

For those attending it’s gonna be an exciting and profitable trip. And to those who can’t make it, we’ll take notes, we promise!

Here’s what to do right now.

♥ Make sure you have enough business cards (100-200) to hand out and that they have complete info. Add your city, state, area code, email address if you forgot it before printing.

♥ Gather your questions. Write down what you want to find out about. Pull out the index card you’ve written them on several times a day and ASK someone. Gather your answers, too. Got a great source for gift items? Really learn a lot from a book or web site? Write down the specific info so you can help others.

♥ If you’ll be attending my workshop on How to Get the Good Stuff in YOUR Shop, you’ll get more out of it if you prepare: Read Accepting and Pricing about how to make sure you treat the good stuff right. And be sure to study up on Using ALL your Space too, ’cause you’ll need it if you follow my plan! The TGtbT Shop has both and you can get them PDQ!

♥ Bring CASH MONEY. And your ATM card to replenish your cash. It’s easiest on the time-pressed bus tour, and with cash you are not making your resale peers pay credit-card fees. It’s the friendly, considerate thing to do. And you all know how we love friendly considerate customers!

♥ Print out 5 or 6 copies of TGtbT’s PDQ booklet, Visiting Other Resalers, to get the most out of every shop on the Bus Tour. No sense just SHOPPING on the bus tour when you could be learning at the same time!

♥ Decide on clothes. Remember 2 things: Layers (rooms start out chilly, warm up once we get all fired up!) and pockets. In your right pocket you will carry your business cards to hand out; in your left, you will stash the card of people you meet.

♥ Swear the following:

  • I will NOT sit with the one what brung me.
  • I will make a point of switching seats on the bus and everywhere so I meet someone new every chance.
  • I will forget that really I am shy and I will chat with everyone. Especially Auntie Kate. She does want to hear all about you and your shop.

♥ Make up a few SASEs: self-addressed stamped envelopes. When you ask a breakfast buddy to send you a copy of that great bag-stuffer she’s talking about, hand her a ready-to-use SASE, penciling on the back “your Pick a Pair flier” to remind her what she promised to send.

♥ Check the TGtbT Shop to decide what you need. Then: order what you need now.  PDQ files are more earth-friendly and by pre-reading and thinking you’ll be able to ask Auntie Kate and others, in person, for more insight on something you’re planning.

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