It’s All in the Presentation… August 12, 2009

So we have all been into those stores that look amazing; even if the product sucks, the way it is displayed will actually sell the product.  I have seen this happen so many times.  I would have something displayed in the store and notice that no one was interested in the product.  I would like move the display and change the look around and it would sell out in a week.  It is all in the presentation.

Here are some helpful tips that I have discovered through many years of merchandising products:

1. More in never better.  Keep things clean and simple.   You don’t want the customer to be afraid to touch and feel the merchandise.
2. Make miny stores.  Is always looks so nice when the whole store is grouped into smaller stores, having like product alike together.  Creating little spaces that makes it feel like you are actually in a child’s room or sitting at a dinner table with friends.
3. Have backstock.  Don’t put everything out unless you didn’t buy enough.  Make the display look good and tell customers you have one in the back so they don’t have to take the display.  They also feel better because they aren’t getting the one everyone touched.
4. Buy furniture.  Displaying on hutches and tables allows you to bring the product to life.  You can also put a price tag on your displays which can also help bring in some money.
5. Don’t forget you have a ceiling.  Having product from the ceiling allows you to merchandise more product.  Use all the space you have.  Hanging ornaments and other fixtures will also help sell the product.
6. Heighth.  Heighth gives tables and hutches more dimension and gives the product a fuller look.
7. Be creative.  Merchandising is a skill.  Have fun with things.  Display things in different ways and see how your customers respond.

Roll Out the Red Carpet August 11, 2009

Until working in a casino environment, I never realized how important it is to award your VIPs.  Casinos have different colors of VIP cards depending on what “level of play” the member has.  I thought that the same principle should be applied to shoppers.  I created a database where I listed the amount of money customers spent and based upon this number, I was able to determine “their level of pay”.  I feel that stores have taken their VIPs for granted but these VIPs are especially important during an economic down time.  Here are simple ways to thank your VIPs without breaking the bank:

• Write them a genuine personalized thank you note
• Pull new product in their size so they get the first pick of the new merchandise
• Go above and beyond to get them what they want
• Give them samples and free merchandise you receive from vendors
• always greet them by name and remember what they like to purchase
• Carry their bags out to their car
• Provide drinks while they shop
• Hold private VIP parties to preview the upcoming season merchandise lines

Customer Service August 9, 2009

After working 13 hours a day 7 days a week, I have decided to write about the impact of customer service in the retail avenue.  At the beginning of the week, I was picture perfect of what customer service should be.  I greeted every guest, assisted guests in a timely manner, found an answer to all their questions, entertained drunk customers and so much more.  Good customer service and profit are something that is directly aligned.  Check out a great blog written by Robert Moment on April 1^st, 2008 titled Is Customer Service Weakening Your Business Brand at http://customerservicetrainingskills.com/blog/  This blog provides such great insight into the impact and effects of customer service. 

 Toward the end of the week, my customer service became that which is a little less than perfect to say the least.  I was short with guests, did not make eye contact, treated each customer as a mass audience, instead of an individual and did not go above and beyond to help anyone.  I realized over this excruciating week that customer service can make or break a company.  I know that I will not go to a restaurant or a store because I remember that the service was terrible.  Although I don’t remember the good stores, I will for sure remember the bad ones.  I hope that my poor customer service did not affect anyone this way.  It was a good lesson to me to know that if I am tired and cranky, the last place I should be is behind a cash register.

My experience of what good customer service looks like:

• You are acknowledged as a customer when you enter the store
• You are asked during your shopping experience if you need any assistance
• When in a small store, customers should be hands-free; take the product they are holding and start a dressing room for them or place goods on the back counter
• When the customer has a question, find an answer or find someone who does
• Make it an EXPERIENCE not a normal dinner or shopping errand
• The associate is genuine.  I hate it when I feel like I am being quoted to from a work manual

Psychology of Markdowns & Discounts August 9, 2009

Everybody loves a sale… except the store owner.  My retail team and I found a way to still please the sales rack shopper while not taking a huge hit on the books.

 We named our recent retail psychology experiment, “the price-point shoppers”.  Prior to our experiment, we had everything on the sales rack marked 50% off.  Of course, people would purchase everything at 50% off.  So I tried to mark everything 30% off and customers would say, “I’ll just wait until it goes 50% off”.  I learned quickly that there was no point in marking things 30% off and I had to find a way to change the customers’ thinking.  This was what triggered the experiment.

 We spent two days retagging the sales merchandise with the original price and then price-pointed these items.  We marked items strategically by calculating 30%, 40% and 50% off.  Instead of writing the actual percent discount, we actually wrote a new dollar amount on the tag.

 The results of our experiment proved valid.  People would see the original price and then see the new discounted price and think it was a great deal even though it was only 30% off.  Our results show that most people don’t calculate the amount.  Their eye just sees a dollar amount and that registers a great deal.  The notion of 30% off is clearly not a good deal but a $120 dress for $84 seems like a steal.

So retailers, next time you mark items on sale, try my new tactic.  It is awesome.  The customer is happy and your books are happy.

Help! I am Addicted to Shopping! August 7, 2009

When people think of addictions, they usually think of drinking and drugs, but many people are now coming to realize that shopping has the same implications as do other addictions; families get ruined, houses get forclosed and people lose everything all because they have found thier outlet or relief through shopping.  Shopaholism is a serious problem and the term has now been identified in different levels and types.  The different types of behaviors are compulsive shoppers, co-dependent shoppers, trophy shoppers, bulimic shoppers, image shoppers, collector shoppers and bargain shoppers.

I personally suffer from being a bulimic shopper.  Basically, I go binge shopping and spend tons of money; this provides me with the gratification of getting to buy stuff.  About a week later, I go and return about 90% of what I bought because then I feel better because I get money back.  Of all the types of shopaholism, I am glad I have this one.  Listed below are ways I started knowing that I had problems.

You know you’re addicted when…

1)  your underwear cost more than your cell phone bill.

2)  you are willing to risk the $35.00 overdraft fee.

3)  the magnetic strip on your credit card has worn out within a month.

4)  you have to split your purchase among 3 major credit cards.

5)  your closet is filled with clothes that still have the tag on it.

6)  they know your name at the perfume counter.

7)  you have it in all the colors.

8)  you race to the mailbox to get the credit card bill before your husband.

9)  you buy it even though it is not your size.

10)  you’ve seen the QVC re-runs.

 If you do three or more of these, then you are probably addicted to shopping.  Although I made light of this, if you truly have a problem, please contact Shopoholics Anonymous in your area.

How to Know if Your Coach Bag is Real August 2, 2009

My boyfriend just bought me a Coach handbag and everybody at work kept asking me if it was real.  I would assume it was real but decided to find out how one would know if their Coach handbag was real.  Here is some clues to know if you got a fake:

 1.  The signature fabric showing the “C” pattern will be crooked.  The “C’ should line up horizontally and vertically.

2.  Coach does not make sloppy products.  The construction of the bag will look poorly done if the product is not real.

3.  The majority of Coach bags have a serial number that is stamped on a leather square patch that will be sewn into the lining.  The serial number will typically contain a series of numbers and letters.  The last 4-5 digits of the serial number will be the style number of the handbag.

4.  Coach puts money into their zippers as well.  They only use high quality zippers that has stamped on them “YKK”. 

5.  Look at the bag your Coach bag comes in.  It will always come in a brown bag with a red drawstring.  If it comes in anything else, you got a fake.

If you are still having trouble determining if your Coach is fake, go online and compare your handbag with one from the Coach website.  Hopefully it’s real!

Style Through Life Cycle August 2, 2009

            Prior to my promotion as retail buyer, we had a buyer that was in her late 50’s and style was the last thing she knew about.  She purchased clothing that she liked and what she thought her age should dress, especially since the majority of our clients are in their 40’s and 50’s.  During this buyers reign, we watched our sales slip down a slippery slope everyday.  Customers complained that the clothes were “so old lady”.  Although these clothes were picked with their age in mind, I came to realize that women and men like to dress 10-20 years younger then they are. 

            This new fashion is being called “10 years younger syndrome” according to Anne Metz in her article Do you dress your age? This term refers to men and women that tend to dress like someone 10 years younger than them.  My mom actually visits my closet daily for her wardrobe and she actually looks better in some of my clothes than I do.  This would have never have happened when my mom was my age.  It would have been outrageous for my grandma to wear my mother’s clothing.

            Part of this new fashion trend is that women are looking more and more young every year.  Classifying a women into a distinct fashion age group just does not apply anymore.  According to The Times article Dress for your age, “The idea that a style, an aesthetic or a single item of clothing should become out of bounds simply because you cross an invisible Rubicon was always suspect but nowadays, when women keep their looks longer than any previous generation, it’s absurdly simplistic”.

            With all that said, ones style should continue to change as they go through stages of their life.  Not dressing your age can actually age a women or man more, so it is important to dress what fits your life style and where you are at in your path of life.

Stay tuned for more…

A Simple Girl in the Fashion World August 2, 2009

I never really cared about what the fashion magazines were saying I should be wearing or whether my top was “so last season”. I might actually say that I still don’t care about it personally, but my job requires me to stay on top of what the fashion industry is saying. I have every shopping girls dream job. I am paid to go shopping for a living and I don’t have to spend one dime of my own money. If I do want to spend my own money, I get a super good deal on products that most women will never get.
With all that said, I am going to start writing fashion blogs about what the current trends are, how to shop on a budget and what I see coming up in the fashion world. My advice for fashion is that one should wear what they feel comfortable in and what flatters their body type while still following the fashion trends. I will always show the new trends, but also make sure my readers know if this is an outfit for them or just for the runway.
Please stay tuned for my next blog on if we really dress our age…