Buy Wholesale?

Running a business especially in our current economic climate can be particularly difficult. The key to success is to be sure that you are getting the right goods and supplies at the right prices. Wholesale prices are really what you are looking for, but you may not know how to buy wholesale.

There are many different suppliers for wholesale products. Knowing this should give you the peace of mind to know that you will be able to find what you are looking for. However, before you go about figuring out how to buy wholesale you may want to be sure that you know exactly what you are looking to buy. Spend a bit of time looking at what your competitors are offering so that you have a clear idea of what you need. After you have done that where should you head to buy wholesale goods?

TRADE SHOWS

A trade show is really a wonderful place to look for wholesale goods. Here you can find the latest and greatest of goods at some really fantastic promotional prices. Be aware that trade shows are not for the average person so you will have to show proof that you are a business owner.

MANUFACTURER

Believe it or not many different manufacturers will offer wholesale prices to retailers. Chances are that you will need to purchase items in bulk, but with the money that you will be saving this is a great way to go. Check out there website to see if there is any information about buying wholesale, but if not do not be discouraged. Try calling the company to see if they will give you the wholesale prices that you are looking for.

DISTRIBUTORS

If you are dealing with a manufacturer who will not give you wholesale prices all hope is not lost. Ask them who their distributor is and get in touch with them. Though you will have to pay enough money so that the distributor makes a profit the prices will still be significantly lower that regular retail prices. The wonderful thing about dealing with distributors is that there is no minimum quantity that you must purchase to get the reduced pricing that the distributor offers.

IMPORTERS

Often you can find some of the best prices from companies that specialize in importing goods from abroad. Due to the global business market these importers are able to bring in goods at lower prices. However, be aware that dealing with an importer may mean that you need to complete additional paperwork or may have to wait for a longer delivery. Again a caution as not all other countries respect general labor practices, so if this is an ethical issue for you you will want to do some research.

LIQUIDATORS

If you are looking for bargain basement prices then you will certainly want to check out a liquidator. Liquidators specialize in selling off closeout collections and even damaged goods. You should deal with liquidators with a bit of caution to ensure that you are getting quality merchandise that is still functional.

Candy Store

These days, nearly everyone's feeling the pinch of today's economy, and this pinch has many aspiring entrepreneurs - such as new candy shop owners - wondering whether or not they should move forward with their new business ideas.

Fortunately, there are ways to pinch pennies and still get quality results. Listed below are five ways to save money when you open a candy store.

1. Buy your candy in bulk.

For businesses that sell a lot of one kind of product (such as candy), it only make financial sense to buy in bulk and save money.

Keep in mind that it's important to have a plan for your candy before you actually order it. How many display fixtures will you have? Where will they be located? What special considerations should you make for the candy (unwrapped candy needs more protection than wrapped candy)? These are the kinds of questions you should know the answers to before you purchase bulk candy.

2. Buy versatile display fixtures in bulk.

As mentioned above, buying in bulk helps you save money; however, buying versatile display fixtures - those that you can use for a variety of purposes - in bulk helps you save even more money.

For example, jumbo mini bins - which are already fairly inexpensive - are fantastic acrylic bins for showcasing a variety of items.

3. Sometimes, secondhand display fixtures are your friends.

Generally, the best way to get your hands on secondhand display fixtures is to keep your eyes open for owners of similar businesses who might be relocating and looking to lighten their loads or who are redecorating and need to get rid of their old, but useable, display fixtures.

Keep in mind that "inexpensive" doesn't always mean "good deal." You're trying to save money, but you're also trying to make a good impression. If the display fixtures are noticeably worn (for example, the clear plastic containers have so many scratches you can't really describe them as "clear" anymore) or not easily repairable (for example, the rolling display racks are missing wheels you'd have to spend a significant amount of time hunting for before you could replace them), you'd be better off paying for new fixtures.

4. Look for wholesalers offering special start up deals.

Many companies that sell bulk candy and bulk display tools also offer special deals for new stores. Talk with owners of similar businesses as well as search the Internet to gather a list of such companies, and then compare their start up specials and prices.

5. Don't go overboard with advertising.

Adverting is crucial, and it's especially important when you're first getting started; however, many new candy shop owners discover that when they're first getting started is when their budgets are the tightest.

Instead of sinking money into several different advertising areas, consider just a few big hitters. For example:

• Newspaper advertisements and radio mentions (as opposed to separate, lengthy radio commercials) are often fairly inexpensive and reach a broad audience.
• If you create your own graphics and write your own copy, as well as shop around for printing services that offer the best prices, you'll find that fliers can be quite inexpensive forms of advertising.
• Many community news stations and newspapers provide a community events feature to their viewers and readers. Oftentimes, getting your announcement (in this case, your candy store opening) listed in these segments or sections is completely free. You might even want to talk with reporters about a brief feature announcing the upcoming opening of your new candy store.

Boutique Clothing

Boutiques are more popular than ever because of the unique and custom designed clothing that they sell. Boutique owners need to find interesting and unique ways to showcase their clothing to stay ahead of the competition. Promoting and merchandising are a little different for boutiques because of the cutting edge ways in which they need to go about it to work on their brand image.

First, consider the feel of your store. The atmosphere is set in many ways, but for boutiques, it's all in the details. Your lighting alone should showcase certain areas of the store and set the tone and mood. Customers should feel a certain way as soon as they walk in. Using lighting to calm or excite is one way to start out. Many boutiques use drop down decorative spotlights and lamps to keep things highly illuminated without resorting to harsh overhead lights.

Think about what customers will see when they come in, as they walk around, and as they look through your clothing racks. They should initially see varied textures and displays at different heights. Use tables, garment racks, and interesting things to hang from, such as antique armoires or hat racks. You can even hang art or abstract items on hooks from the ceiling to accent different areas of the store.

Make sure that your displays are always kept orderly and neat. In a boutique, there are often a lot of unique items that don't fit into categories. These can be showcased in a lot of different ways, just make sure that you don't make any one area cluttered, or people won't feel like sifting through. Many boutiques effectively maintain an orderly disorder and it adds to the charm of the boutique.

Details come in many forms. Think about what details you want to add from floor to ceiling. The floor may call for interesting rugs. Be careful not to put rugs in heavily trafficked areas where people might trip over the edges. Hopefully customers will be looking at the merchandise and not the floor! Use rugs in small areas where you have seating or larger items that sit on the floor so that they don't become a liability.

Your garment racks themselves can be interesting. There are many on the market that are designed for boutiques. They have decorative details and designs that entertain as they display. You can also use other things, like dressers and tables to display so that it doesn't end up looking like a regular retail store. Avoid a lot of circular or really long racks. It doesn't do much for the eye and will end up being ignored for more interesting displays.

Have your tags and hangers custom designed. Many wooden hangers can be embossed with your logo, a saying, a picture or a brand. Wood hangers also add to the charm and sophistication of the boutique. Plastic hangers may be cheap, but they'll say something about the quality of your clothes and are much more likely to damage your inventory. Wood hangers exude the sense of quality and strength. They also come in a lot of different styles, like shirt hangers, skirt hangers, and dress hangers. The specialty hanger sizes and styles are well suited to the custom clothing that you carry.

Retail Staff

Here is some straight talk on problem employees. This tip might not be easy to take, but believe me it can change your professional life!

Do you have a person (or two, or three) in your company who is making life miserable for you, negatively affecting the morale of your staff, and maybe even giving bad customer service? And yet thing they can get away with the bad attitude?

Maybe they have been working with you for years, maybe they are a relative, or maybe they have specialized knowledge about your business. They think that you do not have the guts - or the ability - to let them go.

Someone who is not contributing, does not care, will not adhere to your set standards, and thinks you will not do anything about it is "holding you hostage".

DO NOT LET ANYONE HOLD YOU HOSTAGE.

As a business owner or manager you CANNOT let this happen. It ruins the morale of those who want to do a good job, it adds enormous frustration and stress to your life, and ultimately takes away from the quality of the experience your customers get from your business.

Your challenge is to take the bull by the horns and go toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball with the guilty party. Make sure they understand that their attitude changes, or they can find employment elsewhere.

And, if they do not change you MUST replace that person. Do not give it to you automatic reaction: "I can not replace her - she is the only one who can..." or I can not replace him - he has been with me forever." Everyone can be replaced.

Remember, your first obligation is to your business and your customers. Anyone who is not contributing in a positive way needs to be replaced with someone who will.

2009 Christmas Retail Sales

Is the retail sector of the stock market overbought? That is to say, were investors expecting a bigger Christmas rush during this 2009 season? Did they pump up the retail stocks in advance thinking that this year the consumers and customers would come back and spend, after having been cooped up for well over a year, watching their pennies?

Apparently, the Christmas retail sales are not completely down and out, but they certainly are breaking any speed records, and no one is surprised with the results so far. Indeed, we might expect a little bit of sell off in the retail sector due to the underwhelming sales. Black Friday was not quite as spectacular as many had hoped for, although similar to what was expected, and the equivalent online retail sales were decent, but they were not all that great.

So, one has to ask has the consumer completely done a 180 on their buying behavior? It appears so, and it seems that many people are just not out shopping like they used to; have they forgotten how? Or are more people laid off, and have the credit card companies tightened so much, that the consumers are without the spendable income that they are used to?

In other words, it could be a combination of factors of a changing buying behavior, a paradigm shift in savings ratios, more people laid-off with no income, and all the credit card companies tightening their belt, and limiting balances. If this is the case, we should not expect to have a last minute rush in the 2009 Christmas retail season. Therefore, we should not expect the retail stock prices to be doing back flips. Indeed, I hope you'll please consider all this.