One of the most overlooked ways to decrease overhead at your store is the use of a cardboard bailer.  Are you still throwing away (in dumpster) all the cardboard your store produces daily?  If so, your throwing away cash the store could be putting in its back pocket.  The cost of additional trash pick-ups and the labor to break everything down is typically overlooked and accepted as a cost of doing business.  Did you know there are companies that will come to your store and pick up the bails of cardboard and pay you for it?  For a couple thousand dollars you can buy a used bailer just about anywhere.  (Check the classified ads)

So think about this…. You reduce your trash pickups (savings); reduce your disposal labor (saving), your paid to get rid of the bail (savings/Gain), and you feel good about doing your part recycling (personal g...Read More

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In this movement of green or sustainable goods and services I find myself more and more confused.  According to everything I read, “green/organic” has absolutely no standards rather to leave us to decide how green something is. 
We carry “Organic” products that customer in the “know” say aren’t 100% organic.  The manufacture touts it’s organic.  Technically the cottons used in this product are organic.  It’s organic, but not 100%, what the standard?  The furniture industry can’t decide what makes furniture green or organic leaving the customer or sales person to decide.  The crib mattress manufactures all claim to have the only “true organic” crib mattress.  How do I know?  They all seem to have a good argument as to why. 
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As you may have heard a shopping mall department store (Von Maur) in Omaha, NE was the scene of a horrific shooting spree by a teenager, 9 dead, 5 wounded.  This was a random act of violence on holiday shoppers at the one place we all feel safe (shopping mall).  This has really hit home with my wife and I because we were on our way to this store when we first heard the news.  I fee very fortunate but very saddened for the victims and their families.  This should never happen!

Our Kids Stuff Omaha store location is only a few miles away yet way to close for comfort.  You have to ask if this could happen at our stores?  How can we prevent this?  I don’t think anyone really has an answer in a free society.  If this can happen at a three story high-end department store at a building with security we all have to reflect on how blessed yet vulnerable we all are even in our own stores.

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As we all geared up for the “biggest” shopping day of the year, I’m curious how successful your Black Friday was?  Did you open early and have a short sale period?  We’re people lined up outside the door?  We’re you disappointed with traffic as they all were at the shopping malls?  What would you do different?  I’m not going to tell you about our day until I hear about yours.  Lot of questions to answer….Please share.

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In the spirit of Thanksgiving I wonder how many of you are taking advantage of selling Turducken’s at your store? What’s a Turducken? According to Wikipedia: “A Turducken is a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken.” Now your wondering where I’m going with this, but think about it……. Are you packing products together to further increase value to customers and increasing your bottom line by moving more merchandise? At our store we have really focused on packaging furniture together 3pc. Or 2pc. (Crib, Combo, M...Read More

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Christmas has become the new arms race for retail shoppers pockets.  Christmas displays are in full effect at all the majors and many of them were set up before Halloween.  Anyone else think this is a little far fetched?  I have something wrong with Christmas shopping in October.  Our store will turn into a winter wonderland the day after Thanksgiving and ride it out to the first of the year.  This stretch is about all the Christmas music I can handle in the store during the season.  Am I missing out on potential customers?  Have you had any success moving the Christmas shopping season up a month at your store?  Share your thoughts.

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High winds have caused me to shift gears from retail storeowner to maintenance man today.

We are fortunate to own the property our business resides in but with that comes the responsibility of actually owning a building.  That being said, we experienced high winds that literally ripped the front door off our stores clearance center.  I’m talking about commercial grade steel/glass door you find at retail stores!  The doors metal frame is in pieces and the clearance store is shut down for now.  Funny, how things like this never happen on a slow day.  Do you have the same kind of luck?

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I have a store full of computers that truly have a mind of their own!  How is it that products registered into our POS programs for years all of a sudden disappear, change prices, or decide to quit working.  Honestly, I’m very computer literate and I have no idea why the computers insist on fighting me everyday.  I’m nice to them, reboot them, clean them, back them up, and even allow them to view my personal email.  I just want to be friends with my computers who obviously have a bone to pick.  I don’t know if you ever feel the same way?  It’s the same feeling you get when the dog looks at you than goes to the bathroom in the house ten seconds after letting them in from outside.

The battle continues…..

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For everyone with children or if you’re a child at heart, I wish you a Happy Halloween.  The sales girls are dressed up at the store today and everyone seems in happier than usual “spirits” (pun intended).  As always, I look forward to all the trick-or-treaters at the house tonight with the cute and gross outfits.  Halloween is a time to dress up, act goofy, lots of candy, and overall good times so lighten up and have a happy and safe holiday.

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I find it funny the most nightmare customers seem to always become some of our best customers.  We’ve all heard “I’m never shopping here again and I’m telling all my friends”.  Some people you won’t ever win back!  The way you handle and service an angry customer could win you a lifer who won’t shop anywhere else. If you can solve their issue (no matter how mad they are), they will always know that you’re going to look out for them.  This builds a trust during their time of despair a customer is never going to forget.  Do you find this same scenario ever in your store?

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I’m reminded of the importance of sales training as we have three different sales managers visiting today.  I always see increases in sales of the items our staff have additional “expert” training on.  That being said, why is it that so many companies fail to visit or have a training program for their sales reps or dealers?  I don’t need a sales rep that only drops off new catalogs; just send those by mail.  For manufactures I know its expensive and difficult to visit everyone but if you product require demonstration or explanation its well worth your time and investment.

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