The display window you didn’t know you have.

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

Why Consignment & Resale Shops Shouldn’t Give Up the (Christmas) Ghost

I hope you’re knee-and-elbow deep in Christmas (Holiday, Hanukkah, Winter 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

Stop Giving Cash Off in your Consignment Shop NOW

No 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

How many costumes have you received this week?

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

5 things rich consignment & resale shopkeepers do differently than poor shopkeepers.

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

Pumpkins all put away? Ready for a Merry Recycled Holiday?

For 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!

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

No, 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

Consignment Mailbox: How many reusable bags does one responsible resale shopper NEED?

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

Cash for Clothing Clunkers: Dare you?

I 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

Excuse me, but is your save-the-earth bag full of germs?

What 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?

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

Porn for resale and consignment shopkeepers

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

Email, coupons, and pondering customer response

Many 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.

Top Ten Resale Shop Sites 2009 Version

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

Store Brands Resource for Consignment & Resale Shopkeepers

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.

Love these calendar downloads!

It’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