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diesel empty door

Big black hole. What a waste!

If you have a glass entry to your shop, you have one more display window than you realize.

Look at all that empty display area, just waiting to be filled last thing before you leave every evening!

Why not give after-hours strollers something to look at, something to admire and covet…or even something to tell them a bit more about your shop?

It’s not hard to do. It can be as simple as Continue Reading »

I hope you’re knee-and-elbow deep in Christmas (Holiday, Hanukkah, Winterchristmasghost Solstice etc) planning this weekend. I hope your expectations for the holiday selling period in your consignment (resale, thrift etc) shop are great.

But I suspect they are not. And worse, I suspect that your very expectations are going to be self-fulfilling.

If you do not Continue Reading »

STOP giving cash away in your shopNo more $5 off a $35 purchase or $10 off a $50 purchase or whatever you have been doing; STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Really.

At least for now.

Here’s what you do instead:

You give Continue Reading »

sweeping up the profits from Halloween

Consignment & resale shopkeepers can clean up on costumes year 'round!

Did you let your consignors*, your sellers, or your donors know that you want those Halloween costumes now?

No?

Then do it forthwith! (That means make it snappy!)

Why? Because, yes, you can make money from costumes of all sorts the whole year ’round. Read on, for an article from a past issue of our print newsletter, which we no longer publish.

Sell costumes year ’round

Looking to build your business? Have you considered costume sales and/ or rental?

Dressing up in Continue Reading »

upchart

Everything is looking up for the rich shopkeeper. She makes SURE it does.

They plan ahead.

Do you have every event, every ad, every blog message, website change, consignor letter and bag-stuffer….even every display window theme, between now and the end of the year planned out? Know when and how you will let your prospective audience know about the events? If so, you may be a rich-shopkeeper-in-the-making.

 

They seize the opportunities.

If you look Continue Reading »

post it need itFor Consignment and Resale and Thrift Shops, a special Product for the Professional Resaler: Find out how to make November and December months that you’ll love!

holiday274

Click to find out how YOU can make the holidays shine in your shop

 

Yes, you can have as great a gift-buying, celebration-supplying business as the “real” stores. Read about:
Preparing for the Holidays
Ad heads/ email subject lines
Themes and decor ideas
Dress the window ONCE
Selling & Gift Certificates
BEST Promo: Help a Charity

Get Holidays in Resale directly to your computer NOW.

The IT Issue

apost itsNo, IT doesn’t, in this case, stand for Internet Technology. It’s that little word, “it,” that we all know by its cute little appearance. See? Isn’t IT cute? <<<<<

And then, there’s Continue Reading »

A resale shopkeeper asked me, a while back: [I'm] thinking that we as resale shops should pay especial attention and try not to add to the litter of merchandise bags. But re-using old grocery sacks just doesn’t do a thing for my shop’s image. What can I do that’s not only eco-savvy, but will build my shop’s reputation and word-of-mouth?

Auntie Kate answers:

Oh wow am I glad you asked that! Here’s what I said here on Auntie Kate a while back: OOOHHH, let’s go GREEN… by buying more STUFF

And of course my buddies in the consignment, resale, and thrift industry could have the solution…and a fund-raiser and a great PR angle…at their fingertips. A way to Continue Reading »

clunkerI kept waiting for one of the resale or consignment shops who send out broadcast emails to send one entitled

“Cash for Clothing Clunkers.”

Thought it would be a good subject line for a message about Continue Reading »

091024pier1What with Target finally “going green” with reusable shopping bags (and taking a tip from consignment and resale shopkeepers who’ve been giving a nickel “rebate” for years!) and CVS getting a dollar cash and four trips in out of you to give you a dollar store credit (weird, I know. Think it’ll fly?)  and people in Priuses (Priusi?) glaring at your empty arms as they tote their eco*conscious bags into Publix, now might be the time to ask:

Is your bag CLEAN?091024greenbag

Sure, you pile your purchases in your own bag, whether that’s a chic print bag or a political statement. Day after day, week after week, you’re doing your bit.

But are you making yourself…and Continue Reading »

Dream away…and maybe plan a bit? Make out your letter to Santa?

E-mailMany consignment and resale shops send out terrific broadcast emails (if you don’t, I recommend it. *)

I got one the other day. Made me sit up and take notice. Continue Reading »

As you can imagine, I see a LOT of resale, consignment and thrift shop web sites. And I’m always on the lookout for good ideas and designs, and most of all, functionality, on these sites.

So here’s the Top Ten as seen this year, in my opinion. Take a look…then VOTE! Please notice that I restricted my choices to Continue Reading »

Know your Store Brands Update:

Robin Caldwell, back last spring on her blog Luxe Redux, listed many store brands, and lots of consignment and resale shopkeepers lauded her. She promised…and now she’s DONE! and update with more brands. Many thanks, Robin!

My original post, where you’ll find the link.

091017decor8blogIt’s a ritual, with me, picking out the calendar for the next year. It has to be JUST right. For the last 2 years, I’ve chosen a calendar that has photos of paths… wonder what that says about this part of my life?

So for 2010, I am going to pretend, just pretend, that I have arrived at my destination. Which makes the choice of a calendar particularly crucial.

Is the design of a calendar as important to you? Wouldn’t it be great to give a download like this out to your customers, like tire companies and Coca-Cola used to?

The calendars featured on decor8 are downloadable. How great is that?

And if YOU were to Continue Reading »

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