As a small retailer the last thing you need is another responsibility, like say running an ecommerce store. But if you take the challenge the pay off can be quite rewarding. Even in a down economy online sales will continue to nab offline sales. Check out this forecast for starters.
From Danny Brown
Published: January 31, 2009
I’ve had this blog up for a few months now. Initially I thought it would be a place for me to share my totally random experiences of being a new father. Little did I realize that being a new father leaves very little time to write about it. Then I thought about posting pretty much random events, artists, and thoughts but I haven’t been motivated to do so. Yesterday I realized why. I realized that my best writing, my best efforts, my knowledge, isn’t wrapped up in unique art installments, social media, or local graffiti artists (You should stream, torrent, netflix, or rent ‘Bomb it’ a documentary on the birth and proliferation of graffiti art, it’s very cool) it lies in retail. Indie retail to be precise.
So from here on you’ll find posts and articles on Indie retail from the retailer’s, manufacturer’s and customer’s perspective. Among other things I’ll be discussing development, merchandising, buying, hiring, training, managing, and secret shopping… and the occasional random post because all retail all the time is a bit much.
Thanks for checking this out. Please feel free to leave questions for me in the comments. I’ll be happy to answer them.
All the best,
Danager
“Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and, in this, hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman..” - John Berger
In times like these we’re being given a dose of perspective, something the american consumer has been sorely needing over the past decade. Retailers across the country are/have been discounting merchandise earlier and deeper than anytime in our adult lives, with little to show for it. With tactics like these it’s becoming a question of who can absorb the biggest cuts in profit or even losses, not about beating LY but surviving. This is no way to run retail. Boom or bust a retailer should always be wary of their inventory levels while remembering quality is less risk than quantity.
It’s time to rethink our shopping habits. It’s time to look around at the things you own and realize they own you. Ask yourself a few more questions before you purchase any product. How will I benefit from owning this product? Do I really need this now? Does a deeper discount at any store really make this affordable? How will this affect my family’s health? Will my community benefit from my shopping here?
Since the advent of the main street store retail has mushroomed into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Giant chains of stores, some with their own economic gravitational pull, have risen up all across the country. However now we see the kinks in the armor, now we see that in essence many of these businesses were expanding at unsustainable rates. Circuit City and Linen’s n Things have already filed for bankruptcy this year. Many more are soon to follow.
While the American economy’s financial contraction becomes clearer there has been and always will be a place to go shopping: Your local retailers. It’s hard sometimes to remember them. They’re placed in not so convenient places (read: not at the mall), they’ve had a reputation of being ‘more expensive’ than competing national stores which can be true for particular items but rarely for the entire store catalog and they have a smaller selection of product on hand. But what they may lack in size is made up for with higher quality more personal customer service, friendly knowledgeable staff and management who have the advantage of keeping on top of inventory levels. This isn’t to say that some or many are not suffering declining sales along with the rest of the retail industry, but their existence offers you the customer a choice to shop locally and support your local economy. Taxes from your purchases go directly into your community and profits are shared by local business owners who have every reason to support their customer base. Customers (all of us) are the energy that turns the wheel.
So with the holiday shopping season upon us, with record discounts and other marketing schemes flooding tv, print and radio, please remember that your local economy is directly affected by your shopping choices. Chose to shop only at local stores this holiday season. It’ll been fun discovering great gifts lurking in out of the way shops all around town, while getting introduced to your community through the efforts of local shop owners, their staffs and local customers who rave about their favorite stores. Everything you’ll ever really need will always be in your own backyard. Happy Holidays.
Dear Jr,
Tough Luck Cowboy.
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