Savvy Store Solutions
Veteran retailer Carol Schroeder shares her experience and perspective on the ups and downs of being a gift retailer.
Is Foursquare for You?
Shopping can be fun, so why not make it a game? The latest trend in social media is location-based services such as Foursquare in which that consumers use their iPhones or other smartphones to explore their city. Foursquare lets users "check in" to a place when they're there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they've been and who they've been there with. Busines... Read More
Comments (0)Savvy Scheduling
One of the benefits of interviewing potential new employees is finding out a bit about their previous jobs. If they've worked in retail, we often learn something about how their last employer handled issues such as scheduling, job duties and pay rates. These topics come up because they are frequently among the reasons that the employee quit.Take last week's applicant, who has worked for a major bo... Read More
Comments (0)The Doctor is In
Some twenty years ago Bob Phibbs decided to brand himself as the Retail Doctor, complete with a registered trademark sign. His credentials may not include any actual academic recognition (understandable, since no one offers an R.D. degree), but his knowledge of the retail business has earned him the respect of those in the field.This year Bob Phibbs published a book entitled The Retail Doctor's G... Read More
Comments (1)Accessible to All
This summer marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which seems like a fitting time to review whether shoppers of differing abilities have access to all areas in your store.When the act was made law in 1990, the movement towards "reducing barriers" was already in progress across the country. Shops like ours were realizing that steps, high checkout counters and... Read More
Comments (0)Getting a Winning Deal
"Is this the best price I can get?" is the one question that Gary Darwin suggests that all buyers be encouraged to ask when placing an order. I had asked Gary, now vice president at Zrike, for advice to include in my book Specialty Shop Retailing. And frankly, his answer surprised me — because even as a seasoned buyer, I'm shy about negotiating for price and terms. That may be because o... Read More
Comments (0)Training New Hires for Retail Success
There is a scene in Freeman Hall's memoir Retail Hell that does at least sound like Retail Purgatory. He is being trained, together with a group of other newbies, to use the cash registers at the store he calls "The Big Fancy" (a thinly disguised Nordstrom). Here is Brandi, the store's operations manager, providing the new hires with register training after starting their day off with a... Read More
Comments (0)Special Events under $40
If someone were to ask you "what's happening?" at your store, would the answer be "not much"? If so, it shouldn't surprise you if sales are slow. You need to give shoppers a reason to come in and shop -- and you don't need to spend a lot of money to make that happen. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter, coupled with permission-based e-mail marketing, make it possible to... Read More
Comments (0)Lending A Hand
We all face many challenges in operating a small business, especially in today's economy. (I'm really looking forward to the day when I no longer have to use that phrase!) And few shops are so flush with capital that they always have enough money on hand for expenses and inventory. So you may think it odd that I am going to suggest that you help finance someone else's store - but I hope you'll be... Read More
Comments (0)Every Day is Independents Day
The buy local movement has been a great boon to independent retailers and restaurants during a time when small businesses need all the help they can get. Are you doing all you can to take advantage of the positive impact of this movement?One new way to help brand yourself as an independent that has just made its debut. Jack Ellerkamp, who is part of the second generation of the family-owned pack... Read More
Comments (0)Making Your Business Grow
A catchy name for your store can take you far, and a catchy name for a non-profit can help it stand out in this crowded field. Instead of referring to their organization by its proper name, Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, this organization uses the "Make Mine a Million" slogan that catches everyone's attention. The competition to be selected as a business to be helped to t... Read More
Comments (0)Time for a Break
Summer is here, and I hope you're going to get a chance to get away from your store for at least a short vacation. And no, that buying trip to Atlanta doesn't count — unless you extend it by a few days and go hike nearby Stone Mountain, or visit the University of Georgia college town of Athens. (Better practice saying "Go Dawgs" before you go.) We all need a break from retailing in orde... Read More
Comments (0)Setting the Stage
We went to a concert last night by a chamber music group with the unusual name of Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. (Their name isn't the only unconventional thing about this group, an ensemble of talented musicians willing to take risks with everything except their exceptionally high performance standards.) One of the things that B D & D S does that sets it apart from most other classical musi... Read More
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