Well, we really aren't little piggies, but we are planning to go to the Gift Market in Dallas in January.
It occurs to me that some people don't really know what the Gift Market is. So here goes.....
We purchased Sweet Tooth September 1, 1992. Somehow we found out that there was a Gift Market in Dallas and it was open for a few days in September.
Off we went with no clue whatsoever as to what we would see or what we could do. And we have been attending the Dallas Gift Market 3-4 times a year for 20 years.
The Dallas Gift Market is equivalent to the biggest shopping mall you have ever been to. The Trade Mart is now 4 stories and the World Trade Center is 14 stories, full of showrooms and booths of vendors selling to retailers.
In addition, there is a building called Market Hall where the famous Cash and Carry vendors sell.
In the Trade Mart and World Trade Center we visit approximately 10 floors of showrooms. Some showrooms represent one vendor only, but most have dozens of vendors with their wares displayed. Our job is to visit all these showrooms, talk to the sales reps there, decide if we want to place an order....how much of an order....and when we want it to ship to our store.
The January Gift Market will have merchandise for the entire year. In fact, we have already ordered some merchandise for Christmas 2013.
Each vendor establishes a minimum order for their merchandise. It can be as little as $100 (wholesale) or much higher. Sometimes vendors offer "specials". For example, order $500.00 of merchandise and receive free freight or a Net 60 payment plan. There are often a variety of ways to entice retailers to try out a new vendor.
Get out your credit card!! These days many vendors want retailers to pay for the merchandise with a credit card. Going out of style is the vendor who grants a retailer a Net30 account...30 days from shipment to pay for the order.
Going out of style also is actually attending the Gift Market. The internet has changed the way retailers do business...both on the front end, where we order and on the back end where consumers order.
It is expensive to attend the Market...travel, hotel, food and of course, the amount of merchandise we buy. We remain the retailer who wants to touch and see the merchandise before we buy it, talk to the vendors to get information on the line so that we can answer our customers' questions.
Next blog: Preparing for the Market. Stay tuned.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
What Happens to Retail After Christmas?
We have entered the waning days of 2012. You might like to know what we do in this transitional period between Christmas and Valentine's Day.
First, we have the After Christmas Sale. It is the time that we take a serious look at all of the merchandise and candy we have been carrying in our store. We have to say good bye to some of the lines we have ordered but for whatever reason, just didn't go over with our customers.
I have written about the "long good bye" retailers who cherish certain gift lines must go through. When we put the 50% signs up on our shelves and displays, we always get the question from several customers: "Are you going out of business???"
So let's put a stop to that rumor. All retailers put merchandise on sale at this time of the year. All retailers bring in new merchandise in January. All retailers look forward to seeing their stores through fresh eyes. No, we aren't going out of business. We are in the business of retail!!
Another curious thing is that no one wants to buy candy at half-price. What that means is that up until the holiday, candy is full price. After the holiday, the same candy is half price. It is always interesting to see customers reaction to half-price candy. It is the same candy as yesterday but it no longer appeals to the customer. Want a chocolate bar? Why not buy it at half-price?
How about those customers who rush in close to Christmas and tell us that what they ordered on line (1) didn't come (2) came but was damaged (3) came but was disappointing.....etc. and now they are frantically shopping locally to find a gift for people on their list? I have discussed the principle of Shopping Locally. There is nothing more to be said about that.
What about the customers who ask you before Christmas if something in your store will be on sale after Christmas? I have to admit that I occasionally chuckle when I hear that question. The answer is simple: if it is still in our store after Christmas and if it is a Christmas item, for sure it will be on sale. Take your chances that it will be here when you come in on December 27.
Soon we are off to the Gift Market, to search for all those treasures that we hope will be sold out on December 24, 2013. It is fun and exciting, but it is definitely work. There is no crystal ball in retail. We take our chances. And we recommend to our customers that if you see something you want, buy it when you see it. It may not be there when you return to the store.
Happy New Year. Our doors are open and we hope to see you often in 2013!!
First, we have the After Christmas Sale. It is the time that we take a serious look at all of the merchandise and candy we have been carrying in our store. We have to say good bye to some of the lines we have ordered but for whatever reason, just didn't go over with our customers.
I have written about the "long good bye" retailers who cherish certain gift lines must go through. When we put the 50% signs up on our shelves and displays, we always get the question from several customers: "Are you going out of business???"
So let's put a stop to that rumor. All retailers put merchandise on sale at this time of the year. All retailers bring in new merchandise in January. All retailers look forward to seeing their stores through fresh eyes. No, we aren't going out of business. We are in the business of retail!!
Another curious thing is that no one wants to buy candy at half-price. What that means is that up until the holiday, candy is full price. After the holiday, the same candy is half price. It is always interesting to see customers reaction to half-price candy. It is the same candy as yesterday but it no longer appeals to the customer. Want a chocolate bar? Why not buy it at half-price?
How about those customers who rush in close to Christmas and tell us that what they ordered on line (1) didn't come (2) came but was damaged (3) came but was disappointing.....etc. and now they are frantically shopping locally to find a gift for people on their list? I have discussed the principle of Shopping Locally. There is nothing more to be said about that.
What about the customers who ask you before Christmas if something in your store will be on sale after Christmas? I have to admit that I occasionally chuckle when I hear that question. The answer is simple: if it is still in our store after Christmas and if it is a Christmas item, for sure it will be on sale. Take your chances that it will be here when you come in on December 27.
Soon we are off to the Gift Market, to search for all those treasures that we hope will be sold out on December 24, 2013. It is fun and exciting, but it is definitely work. There is no crystal ball in retail. We take our chances. And we recommend to our customers that if you see something you want, buy it when you see it. It may not be there when you return to the store.
Happy New Year. Our doors are open and we hope to see you often in 2013!!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The History of the Candy Cane
What makes a Candy Cane a Candy Cane?
Why is a Candy Cane different from a peppermint stick candy?
There is a sketchy history of the Candy Cane which I recently saw on AOL. Here goes...
The Candy Cane did not enter into the history of the world until 1670 when the Choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany asked a local candy maker to prepare "sweet sticks" to keep the noisy children busy and quiet at the Christmas Eve service.
In order to allow children to eat candy at the service, the Choirmaster asked the candy maker to put on "hook" on the candy stick to remind the children of the shepherds who tended to the baby Jesus.
The popularity of the Candy Cane spread across Europe and became a treat passed out at Nativity plays.
The Candy Cane made its way to America, so the story goes, when a German immigrant in Wooster, Ohio decorated his Christmas Tree with Candy Canes.
No one really knows how the Candy Cane got its stripes. Initially it was a white stick, but sometime in the early 1900's the Candy Cane became red and white.
For a number of years at Sweet Tooth we have ordered Candy Canes in a variety of colors and flavors. Nonetheless, the peppermint flavor is still the favorite of our customers, followed by the red and white cherry flavor.
That, friends, is the history of the Candy Cane.
Why is a Candy Cane different from a peppermint stick candy?
There is a sketchy history of the Candy Cane which I recently saw on AOL. Here goes...
The Candy Cane did not enter into the history of the world until 1670 when the Choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany asked a local candy maker to prepare "sweet sticks" to keep the noisy children busy and quiet at the Christmas Eve service.
In order to allow children to eat candy at the service, the Choirmaster asked the candy maker to put on "hook" on the candy stick to remind the children of the shepherds who tended to the baby Jesus.
The popularity of the Candy Cane spread across Europe and became a treat passed out at Nativity plays.
The Candy Cane made its way to America, so the story goes, when a German immigrant in Wooster, Ohio decorated his Christmas Tree with Candy Canes.
No one really knows how the Candy Cane got its stripes. Initially it was a white stick, but sometime in the early 1900's the Candy Cane became red and white.
For a number of years at Sweet Tooth we have ordered Candy Canes in a variety of colors and flavors. Nonetheless, the peppermint flavor is still the favorite of our customers, followed by the red and white cherry flavor.
That, friends, is the history of the Candy Cane.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Shop Smart!!
This time of the year people who carry credit cards use them for most all their purchases. As a retailer, I have swiped thousands of credit cards, so I consider myself a "person of experience".
What I see a great deal is customers with unsigned credit cards. This has always bothered me because I think that if someone steals that card, signs the card carrier's name on the back, most of the time no one will bother to question whether the one using the card is the one who owns the card.
I am relieved to tell you that I am not alone in thinking this. One of my favorite magazines, ShopSmart which is associated with Consumer Reports has confirmed my concerns.
Over my Raisin Brand this morning I read an answer to the question: "Should I sign my credit card?"
The answer is this: Credit Card companies tell retailers to reject a credit card if it is not signed.
And for the owner of the credit card, if your card is signed and then used by someone else, you will have zero or $50 liability for fraud, as long as you contact your credit card company in a reasonable amount of time.
In other words, signing your card ratifies the cardholder agreement and puts that protection in force for you.
What about putting "See I.D." on the back of the card? I frankly don't understand why anyone would do that instead of signing their name. Most of the time when I follow the customer's instruction and ask for an I.D., the customer tells me that I am one of the few retailers who ever ask for that information. Therefore, "See I.D." isn't really providing any protection for the customer.
ShopSmart recommends carefully checking your credit card statement every month or online. You can also sign up for email alerts to monitor your transactions.
I love that magazine!! It gets to the point. Systems only work when we use them properly and when everyone participates in the system.
So get out your big black marker and sign the back of all your credit cards right now. Don't leave your financial security to others.
End of sermon.
What I see a great deal is customers with unsigned credit cards. This has always bothered me because I think that if someone steals that card, signs the card carrier's name on the back, most of the time no one will bother to question whether the one using the card is the one who owns the card.
I am relieved to tell you that I am not alone in thinking this. One of my favorite magazines, ShopSmart which is associated with Consumer Reports has confirmed my concerns.
Over my Raisin Brand this morning I read an answer to the question: "Should I sign my credit card?"
The answer is this: Credit Card companies tell retailers to reject a credit card if it is not signed.
And for the owner of the credit card, if your card is signed and then used by someone else, you will have zero or $50 liability for fraud, as long as you contact your credit card company in a reasonable amount of time.
In other words, signing your card ratifies the cardholder agreement and puts that protection in force for you.
What about putting "See I.D." on the back of the card? I frankly don't understand why anyone would do that instead of signing their name. Most of the time when I follow the customer's instruction and ask for an I.D., the customer tells me that I am one of the few retailers who ever ask for that information. Therefore, "See I.D." isn't really providing any protection for the customer.
ShopSmart recommends carefully checking your credit card statement every month or online. You can also sign up for email alerts to monitor your transactions.
I love that magazine!! It gets to the point. Systems only work when we use them properly and when everyone participates in the system.
So get out your big black marker and sign the back of all your credit cards right now. Don't leave your financial security to others.
End of sermon.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Christmas Ornaments? Where did they come from?
Have you ever wondered where the idea of hanging a decoration on a tree came from? I did, so I performed a little research and found out that the idea of adorning a fir tree with glass decorations was started in the dark ages in northern Bohemia. This idea was adopted by early Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus and what we call a "Christmas ornament" was born.
For centuries the Germans dominated the production of ornaments, mostly blown glass ornaments, a process they learned from Venetian traders . Families would also decorate trees with candles, food items, nuts and other sweets. Sometimes small toys were placed in trees.
This brings me to the question of how to judge the weight and size of an ornament and whether it is going to fit well on a tree. We often get this question at our store, which is why our selection of tree ornaments tends toward the smaller, lighter weight ornament.
It wasn't until after World War I that British and American companies began making tree ornaments. And certainly the technology which produced plastic added all sorts of possibilities to the Christmas ornament design.
So many other products have been manufactured with the Christmas ornament in mind. There are the specialty storage boxes, the ornament hanger, bubble wrap and tissue paper to keep our ornaments from breaking and the narrow ribbon to tie the ornament to the tree's branch.
And of course there is the whole area of who collects what sort of ornament? Is it a Santa Claus ornament collector? a Snowman ornament collecter? an ornament with the year's date collector? a Coca Cola ornament collector? a Disney ornament collector? a Hallmark ornament collector? There is no end to the catagories of collectors.
The concept of ornaments on trees from the dark ages has certainly "illuminated" our contemporary Christmas shopping experience and the beauty that a wonderfully decorated tree adds to a home. As families open ornament boxes and begin decorating their tree, I can imagine that they tell stories about each ornament, they live their family history over again and it makes the decorating of the tree an experience of memory and fun.
The birth of the ornament in the 1500's lives on today. This year at Sweet Tooth we have a new group of ornaments called Bead It. With a snowman or Santa head, you can add the hats, the bodies, the little spacer beads with sayings like "Grandma" and make your own personal ornament. I'd like to think that the one you make and give will provide annual comments, laughter and wonderful memories to the Christmas holiday experience.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Where is the Complaint Department?
Let's get right to the point: what happens when a customer complains about something which has happened in our store?
I need you to know that we rarely get complaints.....and that is because our staff is top-notch, committed to customer service and to making all our customers feel welcome, at home and treated well.
Yet sometimes something goes wrong. It is usually a miscommunication or a misunderstanding which, with a little effort, can be turned around and the problem solved.
A critical aspect of making things right is listening to what our customer has to say and not working up an excuse while the customer is complaining. Believe me, that can sometimes be difficult. It seems personal, even though it isn't usually so. The complaint can be hurtful, can bruise our egos and we have to learn to separate the complaint from our personal feelings.
Now, a little secret...one us folks in retail don't like to admit. Sometimes a customer is simply in a bad mood, crabby, and gruff and when he or she comes into the store, that customer is looking for a reason to complain. And how do I know that? Cuz sometimes I am just that sort of person, too. Every day is not always the best for all of us and when things go wrong, and we are walking around with a black cloud over our heads, we can haul off and get upset about the least little thing.
Occasionally we forget that the person on the other side of the counter is not to blame for our bad mood. And sometimes we forget that the person who is ringing up our purchases is equal to us in every way. There is a kind of hierarchy in the retail world which may place the worker at a less important level than the customer.
In reality, we are all customers of some store. We all want to be treated respectfully. We all want to get the best assistance possible. We all want compliments and praise for the choices we make.
In our case, as a local retail store, there is no far away corporate office. There is no CEO somewhere in a highrise building we can email or write to with our complaints. We are onsite everyday. So when there is a problem, we are right on it, to solve it and put things in their proper place.
In this holiday season, when we are under a little stress, when there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done, when we don't know if we are coming or going, we can be a little gruff. Take a deep breath and put that smile on your face. It means a lot to the person behind the register.
I need you to know that we rarely get complaints.....and that is because our staff is top-notch, committed to customer service and to making all our customers feel welcome, at home and treated well.
Yet sometimes something goes wrong. It is usually a miscommunication or a misunderstanding which, with a little effort, can be turned around and the problem solved.
A critical aspect of making things right is listening to what our customer has to say and not working up an excuse while the customer is complaining. Believe me, that can sometimes be difficult. It seems personal, even though it isn't usually so. The complaint can be hurtful, can bruise our egos and we have to learn to separate the complaint from our personal feelings.
Now, a little secret...one us folks in retail don't like to admit. Sometimes a customer is simply in a bad mood, crabby, and gruff and when he or she comes into the store, that customer is looking for a reason to complain. And how do I know that? Cuz sometimes I am just that sort of person, too. Every day is not always the best for all of us and when things go wrong, and we are walking around with a black cloud over our heads, we can haul off and get upset about the least little thing.
Occasionally we forget that the person on the other side of the counter is not to blame for our bad mood. And sometimes we forget that the person who is ringing up our purchases is equal to us in every way. There is a kind of hierarchy in the retail world which may place the worker at a less important level than the customer.
In reality, we are all customers of some store. We all want to be treated respectfully. We all want to get the best assistance possible. We all want compliments and praise for the choices we make.
In our case, as a local retail store, there is no far away corporate office. There is no CEO somewhere in a highrise building we can email or write to with our complaints. We are onsite everyday. So when there is a problem, we are right on it, to solve it and put things in their proper place.
In this holiday season, when we are under a little stress, when there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done, when we don't know if we are coming or going, we can be a little gruff. Take a deep breath and put that smile on your face. It means a lot to the person behind the register.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Shop Locally Day in Tulsa!!
Somebody, somewhere has declared that Saturday, November 24 is "Shop Locally Day".
Hey, I am all for that and yet I find it sort of strange that we have to declare a day set aside for patronizing our local merchants.
Yes, it is true that occasionally I order a book or cd online. In defense of myself I do this because local stores aren't carrying the book or cd I am looking for.
But since I am a local merchant I am tuned into shopping locally.
I also remember the day when only the Sears catalogue was used to order merchandise. I remember C.R. Anthony's, Renberg's, Borden's Cafeteria and the Golden Drumstick. I remember a time when everyone shopped locally and Tulsa had many local merchants. So it comes naturally to me to look around my hometown for clothes or shoes or accessories, books, music, etc. and purchase these items in local stores.
I am not a grump about the internet or the web or catalogues that come through the mail. This is our world and it is a great big open place to live in.
Hey, even today I sent a text message to a friend who is in Israel and then I sat back and admired how wonderful it was to do that.
Yet I still think it is a bit strange that all of us need to be reminded to look around Tulsa and patronize our local merchants. Hopefully the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, our elected officials, our local newspapers and magazines are always promoting Tulsa merchants. People say that small business is the back bone of our country.
My back bone occasionally gets a little sore when friends and customers tell me they bought something on line when I know for a fact they could have purchased it at a store in Tulsa.
I suppose the day is coming when purchases made online will be taxed just like purchases made locally. What do you think might happen then? Will there need to be a campaign to support local merchants or does it really matter to most of us if we pay tax or not?
We could talk about where all that tax money goes....that's a subject for another time and place.
I say: get out on Saturday and stop at all the local merchants you can. Spend a little of your holiday money in their stores. We'll be looking for you at Sweet Tooth.
Hey, I am all for that and yet I find it sort of strange that we have to declare a day set aside for patronizing our local merchants.
Yes, it is true that occasionally I order a book or cd online. In defense of myself I do this because local stores aren't carrying the book or cd I am looking for.
But since I am a local merchant I am tuned into shopping locally.
I also remember the day when only the Sears catalogue was used to order merchandise. I remember C.R. Anthony's, Renberg's, Borden's Cafeteria and the Golden Drumstick. I remember a time when everyone shopped locally and Tulsa had many local merchants. So it comes naturally to me to look around my hometown for clothes or shoes or accessories, books, music, etc. and purchase these items in local stores.
I am not a grump about the internet or the web or catalogues that come through the mail. This is our world and it is a great big open place to live in.
Hey, even today I sent a text message to a friend who is in Israel and then I sat back and admired how wonderful it was to do that.
Yet I still think it is a bit strange that all of us need to be reminded to look around Tulsa and patronize our local merchants. Hopefully the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, our elected officials, our local newspapers and magazines are always promoting Tulsa merchants. People say that small business is the back bone of our country.
My back bone occasionally gets a little sore when friends and customers tell me they bought something on line when I know for a fact they could have purchased it at a store in Tulsa.
I suppose the day is coming when purchases made online will be taxed just like purchases made locally. What do you think might happen then? Will there need to be a campaign to support local merchants or does it really matter to most of us if we pay tax or not?
We could talk about where all that tax money goes....that's a subject for another time and place.
I say: get out on Saturday and stop at all the local merchants you can. Spend a little of your holiday money in their stores. We'll be looking for you at Sweet Tooth.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
What is Shopping Music?
For several years now, Jeff and I have had conversations about the music we play in the store. The debate was on the subject of "What is Shopping Music?"
Years ago, just because Jeff is still a theatre techie at heart, he thought it would be fun, for example, to play Sound Effects at Halloween. You know, creaking doors, ghosts flying, squealing, etc. Somehow I felt that such "sounds" would send people straight out the door. I couldn't imagine that Sound Effects would put people in a shopping mood.
At Christmas time, Jeff liked to find the most unusual holiday music. It might be lyrics of a humorous type put to familiar Christmas music. It might be some sort of jazzed up version of "O Holy Night". It might be dogs barking to the tune of "Jingle Bells" or cats meowing in the spirit of "Here Comes Santa Claus".
Holy cow! This music would really grate on my nerves.
I spoke up...not unusual for me...and told Jeff that these tunes were not "Shopping Music".
To me, music to shop by are melodies and even lyrics that are familiar to most people. Shopping Music is songs that cause people to hum the tunes or even quietly sing along under their breath. Of course, my generation is more likely to remember 50's and 60's rock and roll, which to our parents was music that was quickly turned off when it came on the radio.
In fact, I remember when KBEZ on Tulsa radio played only music, no lyrics. That was my Mom's favorite station.
Someday I suppose Rap and Alternative and Whatever will worm their way into "Shopping Music" and in some stores now those tunes are perfectly acceptable.
Just the other day I was working at the Gift Register at Sweet Tooth. I noticed a woman walking around, shopping. Pretty soon I could hear her humming to the music playing in our store.
Hoorah! I had triumphed!! Here was the living proof that my definition of Shopping Music had won over Sound Effects and crazy Christmas lyrics.
And just one more thing. Have you ever been in a store where NO MUSIC is playing? It is totally weird, causing me to turn into myself, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (did I spell that word right?). We are just too accustomed to having our lives accompanied by sound to live in a completely soundless world. And as for shopping...I'll take that lady humming to the music any day over the store where quiet is so overwhelmingly loud!
Years ago, just because Jeff is still a theatre techie at heart, he thought it would be fun, for example, to play Sound Effects at Halloween. You know, creaking doors, ghosts flying, squealing, etc. Somehow I felt that such "sounds" would send people straight out the door. I couldn't imagine that Sound Effects would put people in a shopping mood.
At Christmas time, Jeff liked to find the most unusual holiday music. It might be lyrics of a humorous type put to familiar Christmas music. It might be some sort of jazzed up version of "O Holy Night". It might be dogs barking to the tune of "Jingle Bells" or cats meowing in the spirit of "Here Comes Santa Claus".
Holy cow! This music would really grate on my nerves.
I spoke up...not unusual for me...and told Jeff that these tunes were not "Shopping Music".
To me, music to shop by are melodies and even lyrics that are familiar to most people. Shopping Music is songs that cause people to hum the tunes or even quietly sing along under their breath. Of course, my generation is more likely to remember 50's and 60's rock and roll, which to our parents was music that was quickly turned off when it came on the radio.
In fact, I remember when KBEZ on Tulsa radio played only music, no lyrics. That was my Mom's favorite station.
Someday I suppose Rap and Alternative and Whatever will worm their way into "Shopping Music" and in some stores now those tunes are perfectly acceptable.
Just the other day I was working at the Gift Register at Sweet Tooth. I noticed a woman walking around, shopping. Pretty soon I could hear her humming to the music playing in our store.
Hoorah! I had triumphed!! Here was the living proof that my definition of Shopping Music had won over Sound Effects and crazy Christmas lyrics.
And just one more thing. Have you ever been in a store where NO MUSIC is playing? It is totally weird, causing me to turn into myself, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (did I spell that word right?). We are just too accustomed to having our lives accompanied by sound to live in a completely soundless world. And as for shopping...I'll take that lady humming to the music any day over the store where quiet is so overwhelmingly loud!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Delivering the Goods!!
Sweet Tooth has entered that time of the year when retailers either make it or break it. You've heard of Black Friday, haven't you? The Friday following Thanksgiving day? Traditionally this is the first day of the year when retailers move from being "in the red" to being "in the black".
Of course it isn't always the case but the 4th quarter is truly the best time of the year for retailers. Manufacturers and vendors work all year long to court and woo retailers. In this case, retailers are the customers and manufacturers and vendors work hard to encourage us to purchase their products to sell during 4th quarter. They begin in January to point us retailers in that direction.
We can talk about how American culture has turned the 4th quarter into a shop and drop season. We can also talk about how much fun it is to purchase a gift for family and friends which truly puts a smile on their faces and warms their hearts.
Through all the pressures of holiday shopping, there is often that moment when we find pure pleasure in knowing that we have found just the right gift for that person who means so much to us. Personally, I like making my shopping list. I like reviewing it to see if it is balanced and authentic, if it represents how I feel about those who are on the list. I like purchasing the gifts and putting them in our Gift Tub and then one day bringing that Tub into the house for the final wrapping and taping the gift tag on each package.
At Sweet Tooth, we joke a lot about all the glitter that ends up on the carpet in the store during the 4th quarter. Occasionally pieces of glitter are there for months afterwards. We talk about how the "aisles" in the store get smaller at this time of the year. We worry about whether we have room for all the candy and gifts we have stored in our garage and now need to find just the right place in the store.
But nothing compares to the fun we have when our customers begin searching Sweet Tooth for just the right gift. Actually we have already sold 3 boxes of Ribbon Candy to a customer who came in last week to see if that wonderful candy had arrived. It was our first sale of the season! And as he walked out the door, I think I saw a little satisfied smile on his face...just the right thing for him.
So come on Black Friday. There is nothing better than seeing a customer leave our store with a smile and a wave goodbye. We are doing our job....who says there is no Santa? We have made our list early in the year, for all those people who count on Sweet Tooth and even without a sleigh and Rudolf, Sweet Tooth is delivering the goods.
Of course it isn't always the case but the 4th quarter is truly the best time of the year for retailers. Manufacturers and vendors work all year long to court and woo retailers. In this case, retailers are the customers and manufacturers and vendors work hard to encourage us to purchase their products to sell during 4th quarter. They begin in January to point us retailers in that direction.
We can talk about how American culture has turned the 4th quarter into a shop and drop season. We can also talk about how much fun it is to purchase a gift for family and friends which truly puts a smile on their faces and warms their hearts.
Through all the pressures of holiday shopping, there is often that moment when we find pure pleasure in knowing that we have found just the right gift for that person who means so much to us. Personally, I like making my shopping list. I like reviewing it to see if it is balanced and authentic, if it represents how I feel about those who are on the list. I like purchasing the gifts and putting them in our Gift Tub and then one day bringing that Tub into the house for the final wrapping and taping the gift tag on each package.
At Sweet Tooth, we joke a lot about all the glitter that ends up on the carpet in the store during the 4th quarter. Occasionally pieces of glitter are there for months afterwards. We talk about how the "aisles" in the store get smaller at this time of the year. We worry about whether we have room for all the candy and gifts we have stored in our garage and now need to find just the right place in the store.
But nothing compares to the fun we have when our customers begin searching Sweet Tooth for just the right gift. Actually we have already sold 3 boxes of Ribbon Candy to a customer who came in last week to see if that wonderful candy had arrived. It was our first sale of the season! And as he walked out the door, I think I saw a little satisfied smile on his face...just the right thing for him.
So come on Black Friday. There is nothing better than seeing a customer leave our store with a smile and a wave goodbye. We are doing our job....who says there is no Santa? We have made our list early in the year, for all those people who count on Sweet Tooth and even without a sleigh and Rudolf, Sweet Tooth is delivering the goods.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Chocolate Covered Edamame
I'm really not trying to be a Scrooge or a whiner. But Halloween always brings out the stories about the dangers of eating too much candy from Trick or Treating.
Nutritionists are called into play and even a recent article in the Tulsa World gave a list of candy which is TOO bad for your kids to be eating.
Of course the candy on that list is what we refer to as "junk candy". Most studies on the world wide consumption of candy show that lots of folks prefer to spend a little more to eat a better, finer brand of chocolate or candy while at the same time relishing the good candy over handfuls of junk candy.
Halloween is, after all, a one day holiday. When I was a kid, it was one of the most fun days of the year. People actually made popcorn balls and candy apples and cookies to give as treats. We were never afraid of eating candy and our parents didn't have to go through our treat bags to see what we had been given. Nutrition wasn't part of the picture and after a few weeks, all the candy was either old or gone and we didn't have to worry about what it was going to do to us.
Then came the days of the Halloween scare. People were putting razor blades and glass in candy, or opening packages and tainting the candy. Parents stopped wanting their kids to go Treat or Treating. And there was good reason for that.
Families, churches and groups started having parties on Halloween so that kids wouldn't be out in the neighborhood facing what could possibly be a dire consequence.
Now comes the days of the Nutrition Question. How good is it for kids to have candy? I am not advocating that parents turn their kids loose, letting them eat and eat until they are sick. But it seems to me that every day of the year we all should be balancing our eating habits with a reasonable approach to veggies vs. sweets.
And how come we aren't overwhelmed with articles about the nutritional quality of candy on other holidays? Christmas is by far the biggest candy holiday, closely followed by Valentine's Day. But those holidays don't produce such articles. It's just the kids' holiday that calls into question how and why kids should be rescued from candy.
Okay. So I am a little bit of a whiner. Afterall, I have a store which sells candy. But Sweet Tooth avoids a lot of the "junk stuff" in favor of manufacturers who take pride in the ingredients they use to make their sweets. We work to bring the best Sugar Free chocolates to our store for those who need to avoid sugar. We are on the look out for possible new candies which are organic, are gluten-free and aren't made in factories which also use nuts.
Our staff knows how to check ingredients and to find answers to the nutrirional value of the candy we sell.
There are responsible ways to incorporate a little sweetness into our lives. And by the way, the latest candy item on the market is chocolate covered Edamame....so the day of mixing veggies and chocolate is already here!
Nutritionists are called into play and even a recent article in the Tulsa World gave a list of candy which is TOO bad for your kids to be eating.
Of course the candy on that list is what we refer to as "junk candy". Most studies on the world wide consumption of candy show that lots of folks prefer to spend a little more to eat a better, finer brand of chocolate or candy while at the same time relishing the good candy over handfuls of junk candy.
Halloween is, after all, a one day holiday. When I was a kid, it was one of the most fun days of the year. People actually made popcorn balls and candy apples and cookies to give as treats. We were never afraid of eating candy and our parents didn't have to go through our treat bags to see what we had been given. Nutrition wasn't part of the picture and after a few weeks, all the candy was either old or gone and we didn't have to worry about what it was going to do to us.
Then came the days of the Halloween scare. People were putting razor blades and glass in candy, or opening packages and tainting the candy. Parents stopped wanting their kids to go Treat or Treating. And there was good reason for that.
Families, churches and groups started having parties on Halloween so that kids wouldn't be out in the neighborhood facing what could possibly be a dire consequence.
Now comes the days of the Nutrition Question. How good is it for kids to have candy? I am not advocating that parents turn their kids loose, letting them eat and eat until they are sick. But it seems to me that every day of the year we all should be balancing our eating habits with a reasonable approach to veggies vs. sweets.
And how come we aren't overwhelmed with articles about the nutritional quality of candy on other holidays? Christmas is by far the biggest candy holiday, closely followed by Valentine's Day. But those holidays don't produce such articles. It's just the kids' holiday that calls into question how and why kids should be rescued from candy.
Okay. So I am a little bit of a whiner. Afterall, I have a store which sells candy. But Sweet Tooth avoids a lot of the "junk stuff" in favor of manufacturers who take pride in the ingredients they use to make their sweets. We work to bring the best Sugar Free chocolates to our store for those who need to avoid sugar. We are on the look out for possible new candies which are organic, are gluten-free and aren't made in factories which also use nuts.
Our staff knows how to check ingredients and to find answers to the nutrirional value of the candy we sell.
There are responsible ways to incorporate a little sweetness into our lives. And by the way, the latest candy item on the market is chocolate covered Edamame....so the day of mixing veggies and chocolate is already here!
Monday, October 22, 2012
It's Getting Close to Turkey Time
I am thinking about Thanksgiving which is only a few weeks away.
I was flipping through the November Southern Living magazine. Looking at the recipes in the magazine, I began to wonder what ever happened to down home Thanksgiving food? Like yams with marshmellows on top or my least favorite Thanksgiving food: green beans with those canned French Fries? One friend wasn't satisfied unless she could see the ridges which formed on the jelly cranberry sauce in the can!!
Everything now is a gourmet twist on holiday food. If you don't put something spicy in your beans or potatoes or you don't dolly up your cransberries and your stuffing, then you are really out of step with the rest of the world.
I always thought that holiday meals gave us the opportunity to relive memories of holidays past. We could sit around the table and tell the story of how my Dad thought it was okay to give our 10 month old daughter some pumpkin pie, with all those spices. The result of that taste of pumpkin pie created some interesting diaper moments.
We always looked forward to that special Turkey. Years ago we didn't eat turkey during most of the year. It was a dish we saved for Thanksgiving and my Mom's turkeys were always the best. Our Dad loved the neck and the giblets...no one dared touch any of those pieces without his permission.
Pumpkin pie didn't appear on an everyday menu either. What about mince meat pie.....ugh! we thought, who would eat that mess? but it was always on the dessert table. When I finally got up the nerve to try it, I had to admit that mince meat wasn't so bad afterall.
Around the store we always chuckle about Thanksgiving questions from our customers. It's just like St. Patrick's day....not a candy holiday. Chocolate makers have attenpted to get into that market, but for Thanksgiving the most we can do is sell foil covered chocolate turkeys or the Big Mr. Tom Turkey which weighs 3 pounds!
Nonetheless pumpkin has become an addition to Fall chocolates...pumpkin malt balls, pumpkin caramels, pumpkin bark and pumpkin truffle. When Thanksgiving is past, we will still have customers ask for one of these pumpkin candies.
People complain that retailers skip over Halloween and Thanksgiving in a rush to put out the Christmas offerings!! There is some truth to that comment..our society has definitely over-commercialized winter holidays. Looking at the situation from the retailers point of view, though, it is the 4th quarter of the year which makes the entire year financially successful.
So give us retailers a little slack...shopping locally will insure that our doors will be open year around.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
You may not know this, but the gift industry is very involved with charitable causes. HIV/Aids and Breast Cancer are 2 important causes which are extremely important to retailers, manufacturers, sales reps and other vendors.
Every trip to the Dallas Market is highlighted with signage about supporting a cure for HIV/Aids and lots of manufacturers donate funds from their sales to support research on Breast Cancer.
Yesterday late afternoon we looked south on Harvard and saw the pink police car parked in the Kiddlestix parking lot, lights flashing and people coming to talk to the officers, cars driving by honking their support.
It made me think about one of my most favorite gift lines which we have carried for years, since we met Meredith Baxter (actress and Breast Cancer fundraising supporter) at the Dallas Market
Meredith Baxter was promoting the sale of CAREN Products, a wonderful, luxurious line of lotions, scientifically developed to give your hands, your body and your feet a source for dealing with dry skin. Caren Products have light scents which don't interfer with perfumes or colognes, while still having the effect of reducing dry skin.
I personally love this lotion and use it every day. In fact I carry around the little sample jar which we have given out to our customers and refill it religiously so that I am never without a soothing scoop of that hand cream.
But most important is that Caren has formed a partnership with Breast Cancer Alliance and has also been a supporter of Enable of Georgia, Inc. which supports adults with developmental disabilities to live meaningful and active lives.
In 2009 Caren Products made a $130,000 donation to flood victims in the Atlanta area as well as other groups, by donating thousands of bath and body products to those people challenged by the flooding in that area.
Now when I reach into my pocket for a little scoop of hand lotion, or doctor my feet at night before bedtime, I can also feel just a little bit better that I am using a product whose developers and owners put their money where their mouth is.
Every trip to the Dallas Market is highlighted with signage about supporting a cure for HIV/Aids and lots of manufacturers donate funds from their sales to support research on Breast Cancer.
Yesterday late afternoon we looked south on Harvard and saw the pink police car parked in the Kiddlestix parking lot, lights flashing and people coming to talk to the officers, cars driving by honking their support.
It made me think about one of my most favorite gift lines which we have carried for years, since we met Meredith Baxter (actress and Breast Cancer fundraising supporter) at the Dallas Market
Meredith Baxter was promoting the sale of CAREN Products, a wonderful, luxurious line of lotions, scientifically developed to give your hands, your body and your feet a source for dealing with dry skin. Caren Products have light scents which don't interfer with perfumes or colognes, while still having the effect of reducing dry skin.
I personally love this lotion and use it every day. In fact I carry around the little sample jar which we have given out to our customers and refill it religiously so that I am never without a soothing scoop of that hand cream.
But most important is that Caren has formed a partnership with Breast Cancer Alliance and has also been a supporter of Enable of Georgia, Inc. which supports adults with developmental disabilities to live meaningful and active lives.
In 2009 Caren Products made a $130,000 donation to flood victims in the Atlanta area as well as other groups, by donating thousands of bath and body products to those people challenged by the flooding in that area.
Now when I reach into my pocket for a little scoop of hand lotion, or doctor my feet at night before bedtime, I can also feel just a little bit better that I am using a product whose developers and owners put their money where their mouth is.
Friday, October 12, 2012
We Know Your Name!!
This past Wednesday evening Sweet Tooth had a special guest. We easily referred to him as "Michael" but in fact he is the President of Trollbeads USA. He came to Oklahoma from Princeton, NJ to travel this territory with our new Trollbeads sales rep, Myra and he especially wanted to visit with us.
Our staff gathered around the Trollbeads case, snacking on grapes and cheese and listened to Michael talk to us about the new USA organization of Trollbeads, a company headquartered in Denmark.
Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Well, for quite some time our store has been the outpost for Trollbeads. There is no other store in Oklahoma which carries this wonderful bead line, artisan based and uniquely created.
I imagine Michael wanted to know what has kept us going all these years, with the revolving door of showrooms and sales reps which have never stayed long enough to really become a partner to Sweet Tooth.
Our answer to that question is that we respect this line, its beauty, the jewelry artists who work to create it and the Denmark family which has owned and operated the company for many, many years.
These days it is necessary for retailers to wade through all the knock offs, all the mediocre gift lines and jewelry lines to find those special manufacturers whose mission and goal is to put their customers and collectors first.
The USA Trollbeads group is such a manufacturer and our customers who purchase Trollbeads know that they are wearing jewelry which really does stand out above the many other bead lines which from a distance are pretty and shiny but upon close inspection are simply uninspired copy cats of a lot of other bead lines on the market.
And what makes Sweet Tooth different in this regard? We do not want to be cashiers who ring up sales but have no real knowledge and commitment to the items we are selling. Boring!!
We like hearing Michael's insider stories. We enjoy being the first to know what is coming up in the future. We want to be the store where everyone who works here can tell our customers something special about what we sell.
You hear lots of talk about customer service, but where do you really find that sort of approach? Is it at the department store where you have to search for a sales person because the company she works for doesn't think it important to have staff on hand to serve you?
Is it standing in line at the grocery and having to listen to the conversations of one employee with another, while you are practically ignored or have to interrupt their conversation to get your questions answered?
I'm not saying Sweet Tooth is perfect in this way, but I am saying that we strive to put our customers first and get their questions answered.
Sweet Tooth's goal is to be a "home away from home", a place where people feel wanted and comfortable. We want to be the place where it is fun to shop and just like in that great sit com "Cheers", we know your name!!
Our staff gathered around the Trollbeads case, snacking on grapes and cheese and listened to Michael talk to us about the new USA organization of Trollbeads, a company headquartered in Denmark.
Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Well, for quite some time our store has been the outpost for Trollbeads. There is no other store in Oklahoma which carries this wonderful bead line, artisan based and uniquely created.
I imagine Michael wanted to know what has kept us going all these years, with the revolving door of showrooms and sales reps which have never stayed long enough to really become a partner to Sweet Tooth.
Our answer to that question is that we respect this line, its beauty, the jewelry artists who work to create it and the Denmark family which has owned and operated the company for many, many years.
These days it is necessary for retailers to wade through all the knock offs, all the mediocre gift lines and jewelry lines to find those special manufacturers whose mission and goal is to put their customers and collectors first.
The USA Trollbeads group is such a manufacturer and our customers who purchase Trollbeads know that they are wearing jewelry which really does stand out above the many other bead lines which from a distance are pretty and shiny but upon close inspection are simply uninspired copy cats of a lot of other bead lines on the market.
And what makes Sweet Tooth different in this regard? We do not want to be cashiers who ring up sales but have no real knowledge and commitment to the items we are selling. Boring!!
We like hearing Michael's insider stories. We enjoy being the first to know what is coming up in the future. We want to be the store where everyone who works here can tell our customers something special about what we sell.
You hear lots of talk about customer service, but where do you really find that sort of approach? Is it at the department store where you have to search for a sales person because the company she works for doesn't think it important to have staff on hand to serve you?
Is it standing in line at the grocery and having to listen to the conversations of one employee with another, while you are practically ignored or have to interrupt their conversation to get your questions answered?
I'm not saying Sweet Tooth is perfect in this way, but I am saying that we strive to put our customers first and get their questions answered.
Sweet Tooth's goal is to be a "home away from home", a place where people feel wanted and comfortable. We want to be the place where it is fun to shop and just like in that great sit com "Cheers", we know your name!!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
I Want Some More...
Last night a friend asked me "what is the latest trends in candy?". I was literally stumped for a minute, trying to flip through the long list of candy items in my mind and see if several of them actually constitute a "trend".
My response, at last, was kosher salt and spicy ingredients mixed with chocolate.
Not being completely sure that I was giving an authentic answer, I clicked on Google today and put in the words "candy trends". The Google meter indicated that there are 58,500,000 results to those words. Wow! Let's try to narrow that search..
So I put in the words "U.S. candy trends"....only 43,000,000 plus results under that title. Finally I put in "Oklahoma candy trends" and what came up was a number of candy stores in our state.
Not really having the time to read even 100 results on Google, I decided to rely on my own impressions of what is happening in the Mid-west. Here goes:
Kosher salt on chocolate...whether it is in a bar, on a truffle or on a cream, kosher salt is showing up all over the chocolate industry. So is spicey combinations of pepper and chocolate.
Artisan: that seems to mean candy which is hand crafted and local. Of course there are lots of small candy stores which make incredibly delicious candy and many people are willing to pay the cost of an individually produced, hand crafted chocolate. And yet, most stores don't really carry that kind of candy....I suppose the demand is not yet strong enough to support the cost.
Reinterpreted Retro Candy is another category. I can swear to that trend, since at Sweet Tooth we do get lots of folks who oooh and aaahhh over Clark bars, Bit O Honey, Neccos and Nik L Nip, to name a few. This trend is fueled by parents wanting to introduce their children to the favorite candies from their childhood.
Recent concern about obesity in the U.S. has created a trend in itself. Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water!! Candy is a snack, not a replacement for a meal. And judging by the annual increase in sales of good candy (and I'm not talking about the junk stuff you find at the convenience store!), people are finding the means to purchase a treat which has a more meaningful flavor and greater value.
And judging by those gummi vitamins I take every night, even a candy store owner works hard to combine nutrition and chocolate. It's sort of a "S'more approach"....and I want some more.
My response, at last, was kosher salt and spicy ingredients mixed with chocolate.
Not being completely sure that I was giving an authentic answer, I clicked on Google today and put in the words "candy trends". The Google meter indicated that there are 58,500,000 results to those words. Wow! Let's try to narrow that search..
So I put in the words "U.S. candy trends"....only 43,000,000 plus results under that title. Finally I put in "Oklahoma candy trends" and what came up was a number of candy stores in our state.
Not really having the time to read even 100 results on Google, I decided to rely on my own impressions of what is happening in the Mid-west. Here goes:
Kosher salt on chocolate...whether it is in a bar, on a truffle or on a cream, kosher salt is showing up all over the chocolate industry. So is spicey combinations of pepper and chocolate.
Artisan: that seems to mean candy which is hand crafted and local. Of course there are lots of small candy stores which make incredibly delicious candy and many people are willing to pay the cost of an individually produced, hand crafted chocolate. And yet, most stores don't really carry that kind of candy....I suppose the demand is not yet strong enough to support the cost.
Reinterpreted Retro Candy is another category. I can swear to that trend, since at Sweet Tooth we do get lots of folks who oooh and aaahhh over Clark bars, Bit O Honey, Neccos and Nik L Nip, to name a few. This trend is fueled by parents wanting to introduce their children to the favorite candies from their childhood.
Recent concern about obesity in the U.S. has created a trend in itself. Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water!! Candy is a snack, not a replacement for a meal. And judging by the annual increase in sales of good candy (and I'm not talking about the junk stuff you find at the convenience store!), people are finding the means to purchase a treat which has a more meaningful flavor and greater value.
And judging by those gummi vitamins I take every night, even a candy store owner works hard to combine nutrition and chocolate. It's sort of a "S'more approach"....and I want some more.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Hats off to Gary!!
Here's what I was doing on Tuesday. I have been doing this same thing over 40 times in the last 20 years.
The first time I did this was in our original Sweet Tooth store right after we bought the store in September, 1992 and I have been doing the same thing 2 times a year since then.
It's no secret that I have a special relationship with our candy sales rep, Gary. We first sat down together at Sweet Tooth #1 to order candy for Christmas, 1992. Our back room which served as office and storage was so tiny that the back of my desk chair was up against the bathroom door. And I worked alone for those first few months, so sitting down to order candy was a real challenge.
It used to take about 8 hours to order Halloween/Christmas or Valentine's/Easter. We have gotten that time down to around 5 hours, 5 intense and sometimes humorous hours.
Gary brings his big catalogue binders and samples of candy. He spreads out the samples on the counter and we tenderly hold each one, while at the same time judging whether this candy item is going to sell in the store.
We go through our last year's seasonal order, telling Gary which items sold well and which were a big mistake. It is amazing that Gary is able to keep every comment in his head and remind me when I lose track of what happened a year ago.
We joke about some of the candy experiences we have had. We hem and hah and occasionally Jeff and I differ in our opinions. Just to be frank, I usually win the debate. Or sometimes when we each have such differing opinions we joke that one of our names is going on that item and if it sells, we get the credit. If it sits on the shelf and has to be put at 50% off after the holiday, then that person gets the ribbing and the blame.
The real trick, though, is that we have to think at least 6 months ahead. We are just getting into the Halloween season, but we are ordering candy for Valentine's and Easter/Spring. How do we really know what the trends and tastes will be 6 months from now??
For the past 20 Easter seasons we have ordered the same item every year: I call it DUCK WITH A HAT. It is a foil covered chocolate duck wearing a hat and it used to be the first Easter candy to sell out. Now my favorite duck sits quietly on the shelf, not attracting much attention anymore. It doesn't sell out, but there is a special sentiment attached to that Duck and we will keep ordering it until it is no longer made.
There is no crystal ball. There is no survey of candy favorites. There is no history of what sold which could guarantee us that certain candies will sell again. We pretend that what happened last year will happen again or be even better next year. And most of the time we get it right. But we couldn't do any of this without Gary whose years of experience, conversations with other retailers, sales meetings in Dallas and his own "gut feeling" that really counts the most as we go through each seasonal order.
So hats off to Gary, to the real work of ordering candy, the sampling (of course!!) and to 2013 when we will find out if we were right when we sat down on October 2, 2012 to place our seasonal candy order.
The first time I did this was in our original Sweet Tooth store right after we bought the store in September, 1992 and I have been doing the same thing 2 times a year since then.
It's no secret that I have a special relationship with our candy sales rep, Gary. We first sat down together at Sweet Tooth #1 to order candy for Christmas, 1992. Our back room which served as office and storage was so tiny that the back of my desk chair was up against the bathroom door. And I worked alone for those first few months, so sitting down to order candy was a real challenge.
It used to take about 8 hours to order Halloween/Christmas or Valentine's/Easter. We have gotten that time down to around 5 hours, 5 intense and sometimes humorous hours.
Gary brings his big catalogue binders and samples of candy. He spreads out the samples on the counter and we tenderly hold each one, while at the same time judging whether this candy item is going to sell in the store.
We go through our last year's seasonal order, telling Gary which items sold well and which were a big mistake. It is amazing that Gary is able to keep every comment in his head and remind me when I lose track of what happened a year ago.
We joke about some of the candy experiences we have had. We hem and hah and occasionally Jeff and I differ in our opinions. Just to be frank, I usually win the debate. Or sometimes when we each have such differing opinions we joke that one of our names is going on that item and if it sells, we get the credit. If it sits on the shelf and has to be put at 50% off after the holiday, then that person gets the ribbing and the blame.
The real trick, though, is that we have to think at least 6 months ahead. We are just getting into the Halloween season, but we are ordering candy for Valentine's and Easter/Spring. How do we really know what the trends and tastes will be 6 months from now??
For the past 20 Easter seasons we have ordered the same item every year: I call it DUCK WITH A HAT. It is a foil covered chocolate duck wearing a hat and it used to be the first Easter candy to sell out. Now my favorite duck sits quietly on the shelf, not attracting much attention anymore. It doesn't sell out, but there is a special sentiment attached to that Duck and we will keep ordering it until it is no longer made.
There is no crystal ball. There is no survey of candy favorites. There is no history of what sold which could guarantee us that certain candies will sell again. We pretend that what happened last year will happen again or be even better next year. And most of the time we get it right. But we couldn't do any of this without Gary whose years of experience, conversations with other retailers, sales meetings in Dallas and his own "gut feeling" that really counts the most as we go through each seasonal order.
So hats off to Gary, to the real work of ordering candy, the sampling (of course!!) and to 2013 when we will find out if we were right when we sat down on October 2, 2012 to place our seasonal candy order.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing
In the morning, getting ready for work, I listen to KWGS, the NPR radio station housed at the University of Tulsa. I'm not the sort who wants to know the weather for the day. I have taken care of getting that information the night before on the 10:00 p.m. news.
I do like knowing what is going on in the world. So KWGS gives me enough of a taste of world events and Tulsa events in the 30 minutes or so I have to listen in the morning.
This week I found out on KWGS about Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing. Who knew?
A guy down in Florida is hosting Gator Parties (for a fee) for kids' birthdays. Can you believe it? The idea is that kids come for a party, the owner of the alligators tapes the gators' mouths closed and kids can "play" with the alligators. Oh my gosh! I just don't know what to say about that, but I hope people come to their senses and go back to cake and ice cream and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!!
Now about Vanity Sizing. This is a clever, manipulative method for making all of us, men and women, believe that we are a size 8 when we are really a size 12 or as the reporter telling the story....was he really a size 36 waist or something like a 40 waist?.
It works like this. Clothing manufacturers have tagged clothes with smaller size tags although the piece of clothing itself is actually manufactured with larger patterns. The news story did not say which companies are doing this and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I want to know. Talk about vanity!! I have my share of it.
Being in the retail business, I am not certain whether I should praise the creativity of Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing or stand aghast at how clever entrepreneurs can pull the wool over all of us.
I just want to assure you that when you come to Sweet Tooth and you try on a Kameleon Ring or we weigh out a pound of candy, we are not "Vanity Sizing" your purchase. And Gator Parties are not going to become the latest and greatest theme for our Candy Buffets.
I am now in the midst of researching one other news story I heard this week. What do you know about Doc McStuffins...a "doctor" doll which talks and diagnoses your symptoms. Where is House when we need a reality check on the world of medicine? When is a doll just a doll?
I do like knowing what is going on in the world. So KWGS gives me enough of a taste of world events and Tulsa events in the 30 minutes or so I have to listen in the morning.
This week I found out on KWGS about Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing. Who knew?
A guy down in Florida is hosting Gator Parties (for a fee) for kids' birthdays. Can you believe it? The idea is that kids come for a party, the owner of the alligators tapes the gators' mouths closed and kids can "play" with the alligators. Oh my gosh! I just don't know what to say about that, but I hope people come to their senses and go back to cake and ice cream and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!!
Now about Vanity Sizing. This is a clever, manipulative method for making all of us, men and women, believe that we are a size 8 when we are really a size 12 or as the reporter telling the story....was he really a size 36 waist or something like a 40 waist?.
It works like this. Clothing manufacturers have tagged clothes with smaller size tags although the piece of clothing itself is actually manufactured with larger patterns. The news story did not say which companies are doing this and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I want to know. Talk about vanity!! I have my share of it.
Being in the retail business, I am not certain whether I should praise the creativity of Gator Parties and Vanity Sizing or stand aghast at how clever entrepreneurs can pull the wool over all of us.
I just want to assure you that when you come to Sweet Tooth and you try on a Kameleon Ring or we weigh out a pound of candy, we are not "Vanity Sizing" your purchase. And Gator Parties are not going to become the latest and greatest theme for our Candy Buffets.
I am now in the midst of researching one other news story I heard this week. What do you know about Doc McStuffins...a "doctor" doll which talks and diagnoses your symptoms. Where is House when we need a reality check on the world of medicine? When is a doll just a doll?
Sunday, September 23, 2012
It's a Hard Knock Life
One of the biggest moments in retail is when an order of merchandise arrives at the store. That moment is so full of promise, unless, as you know, we have to "break up" eventually and put the merchandise on sale.
This past week we had at least 60 or 70 boxes of merchandise arrive at the store. That was a mountain of a project.
We had everyday candy, we had Halloween candy (from 2 distributors), we had Halloween gift items, Kelly Rae Roberts new merchandise, Halloween, everyday and Christmas Embellish Your Story and Lindsey Phillips shoes.
After getting over the quantity of arrivals, you might just want to know "What's the big deal?"
Among other things, retailers like Sweet Tooth are more than just purveyors of merchandise.
We also qualify to be Quality Control Managers.
When merchandise comes into the vendor, their staff simply logs it in and then their warehouse fulfills orders for stores like ours. Generally speaking, no one at the vendor ever opens a box to inspect the new merchandise.
So when it arrives at Sweet Tooth, we become the people who guarantee that the merchandise is in good condition, its quality is excellent and there are no defects or damages. We don't just slap a price on the items and put them out for sale. We inspect each piece for any problems. We want our merchandise to stand up to the quality which we would purchase ourselves if we were shopping in another store.
Sometimes the headache of following up with vendors who send us defective or damaged merchandise is really a pain the in the neck. I won't even go into what amount of patience that takes to get everything straightened out.
On the other hand, being the Quality Control Manager for a candy shipment is not such a bad job.. We take our job seriously. After all, if we don't like the candy we can't really stand behind it and sell it to customers. So we need to taste a bit of every candy to be able to answer that age old question: "Is this candy any good?" Or our other favorite inquiry, "Is this candy fresh?".
There's always the customer who says, "I couldn't work in this store....I would (1) gain so much weight (2) My whole pay check would go to buying everything in sight or (3) How do you all stand being around all this candy?"
Now you know: it's a Hard Knock Life having to assess the quality of gift items, jewelry and especially candy. But we can't think of a place which is sweeter and a whole lot of fun!
This past week we had at least 60 or 70 boxes of merchandise arrive at the store. That was a mountain of a project.
We had everyday candy, we had Halloween candy (from 2 distributors), we had Halloween gift items, Kelly Rae Roberts new merchandise, Halloween, everyday and Christmas Embellish Your Story and Lindsey Phillips shoes.
After getting over the quantity of arrivals, you might just want to know "What's the big deal?"
Among other things, retailers like Sweet Tooth are more than just purveyors of merchandise.
We also qualify to be Quality Control Managers.
When merchandise comes into the vendor, their staff simply logs it in and then their warehouse fulfills orders for stores like ours. Generally speaking, no one at the vendor ever opens a box to inspect the new merchandise.
So when it arrives at Sweet Tooth, we become the people who guarantee that the merchandise is in good condition, its quality is excellent and there are no defects or damages. We don't just slap a price on the items and put them out for sale. We inspect each piece for any problems. We want our merchandise to stand up to the quality which we would purchase ourselves if we were shopping in another store.
Sometimes the headache of following up with vendors who send us defective or damaged merchandise is really a pain the in the neck. I won't even go into what amount of patience that takes to get everything straightened out.
On the other hand, being the Quality Control Manager for a candy shipment is not such a bad job.. We take our job seriously. After all, if we don't like the candy we can't really stand behind it and sell it to customers. So we need to taste a bit of every candy to be able to answer that age old question: "Is this candy any good?" Or our other favorite inquiry, "Is this candy fresh?".
There's always the customer who says, "I couldn't work in this store....I would (1) gain so much weight (2) My whole pay check would go to buying everything in sight or (3) How do you all stand being around all this candy?"
Now you know: it's a Hard Knock Life having to assess the quality of gift items, jewelry and especially candy. But we can't think of a place which is sweeter and a whole lot of fun!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
You know, one of the most difficult things a retailer has to do is face the facts about a line of merchandise which isn't really selling or has somehow slowed to a snail's pace.
There are all sorts of retail scientific theories which tell us how long we should have a line of merchandise in our store before the axe falls. Some say 3 months, some say differently.
The real problem is that we get very attached to that merchandise and we just can't face the fact that our customers are (1) tired of that line (2) never liked it in the first place (3) think it is too expensive (4) all the above and more.
On the other hand, we are married to that merchandise line...it is so close to us, we loved it the minute we saw it in the showroom or the catalogue. We are happy to see it in our store every day. It appeals to our taste. We would even consider putting in our home.
And then reality sets in and it is now up to us to decide to put the merchandise on sale. Sometimes that is all that it takes. 25% or 50% off is just the right price for our customers. If they have waited to see if we would bring the price down, they are now ready to snap it up for a discounted price.
If only we knew from the beginning that this merchandise we truly love isn't going to make it in the store, we could have saved ourselves the anguish of letting it go.
Occasionally we pick through the shelves and find those special little pieces that most appeal to us. Where do they go? Well, usually they go home to the garage, stay in their boxes for year after year until we finally face the fact that we don't even have a space for them or (ugh?) we don't really like that stuff anymore!!
So, breaking up with an inanimate object like a figurine or a piece of jewelry is just about as hard as breaking up with a person.....cuz that person we are breaking up with is our old self that bought the stuff in the first place!!
There are all sorts of retail scientific theories which tell us how long we should have a line of merchandise in our store before the axe falls. Some say 3 months, some say differently.
The real problem is that we get very attached to that merchandise and we just can't face the fact that our customers are (1) tired of that line (2) never liked it in the first place (3) think it is too expensive (4) all the above and more.
On the other hand, we are married to that merchandise line...it is so close to us, we loved it the minute we saw it in the showroom or the catalogue. We are happy to see it in our store every day. It appeals to our taste. We would even consider putting in our home.
And then reality sets in and it is now up to us to decide to put the merchandise on sale. Sometimes that is all that it takes. 25% or 50% off is just the right price for our customers. If they have waited to see if we would bring the price down, they are now ready to snap it up for a discounted price.
If only we knew from the beginning that this merchandise we truly love isn't going to make it in the store, we could have saved ourselves the anguish of letting it go.
Occasionally we pick through the shelves and find those special little pieces that most appeal to us. Where do they go? Well, usually they go home to the garage, stay in their boxes for year after year until we finally face the fact that we don't even have a space for them or (ugh?) we don't really like that stuff anymore!!
So, breaking up with an inanimate object like a figurine or a piece of jewelry is just about as hard as breaking up with a person.....cuz that person we are breaking up with is our old self that bought the stuff in the first place!!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Listen to the Retail Beat
Sometimes Jeff and I have a conversation about the music we play in the store. Sometimes I tell him that a few of his selections are not "walkin' around, shopping music". I think I have finally gotten through to him on this point.
Have you ever been in a store, ready to shop and all of a sudden you notice that something is missing? And what is often missing is MUSIC.
When that happens, I begin to feel a little wierd, like the air is stale, people are watching me, I don't feel "upbeat" and I sort of want to leave the store.
We are so accustomed to having a little white noise in our lives that when we find total silence, we just seem to be out of our element. The same thing happens when you are in the movie theatre and all of a sudden, there is no soundtrack. You begin to notice all the little people noises around you and it becomes very distracting.
Selecting "shopping music" is really a part of our job. It can't be music which is too somber and slow. It can't be music unfamiliar to most people. It has to be music that sounds familiar, occasionally makes you want to sing along, kind of puts a skip in your walk and the world seems brighter and happier.
There is one time of the year when music becomes a little intrusive. Holiday time, holiday music, right? And if stores start playing holiday music before "the right time", then we notice that someone has jumped the gun on holiday music.
And there are those holiday tunes that sort of get on your nerves. You've heard them over and over until you want to use ear plugs. Those are the lyrics and melodies that roll around in your head even hours after you have been shopping.
Jeff has the largest collection of Christmas music I have ever seen. He can't pass at $5.95 rack of Christmas C.Ds without stopping. We literally have to forbid him from buying any more Christmas C.Ds.
So when you are out shopping the next time, tune into the tunes playing in the store. Check the music against your own play list and see if that store has scored a few points with their choice of music.
At Sweet Tooth we are always trying to refine the Retail Beat!!
Have you ever been in a store, ready to shop and all of a sudden you notice that something is missing? And what is often missing is MUSIC.
When that happens, I begin to feel a little wierd, like the air is stale, people are watching me, I don't feel "upbeat" and I sort of want to leave the store.
We are so accustomed to having a little white noise in our lives that when we find total silence, we just seem to be out of our element. The same thing happens when you are in the movie theatre and all of a sudden, there is no soundtrack. You begin to notice all the little people noises around you and it becomes very distracting.
Selecting "shopping music" is really a part of our job. It can't be music which is too somber and slow. It can't be music unfamiliar to most people. It has to be music that sounds familiar, occasionally makes you want to sing along, kind of puts a skip in your walk and the world seems brighter and happier.
There is one time of the year when music becomes a little intrusive. Holiday time, holiday music, right? And if stores start playing holiday music before "the right time", then we notice that someone has jumped the gun on holiday music.
And there are those holiday tunes that sort of get on your nerves. You've heard them over and over until you want to use ear plugs. Those are the lyrics and melodies that roll around in your head even hours after you have been shopping.
Jeff has the largest collection of Christmas music I have ever seen. He can't pass at $5.95 rack of Christmas C.Ds without stopping. We literally have to forbid him from buying any more Christmas C.Ds.
So when you are out shopping the next time, tune into the tunes playing in the store. Check the music against your own play list and see if that store has scored a few points with their choice of music.
At Sweet Tooth we are always trying to refine the Retail Beat!!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
You Say It's Your Birthday
September 1, 1992: the day we bought Sweet Tooth. It was really my sister's idea. We already owned laundromats and why was that? Our dad started his own business and somehow once upon a time we thought it would be good for us to learn how to own and run a business. We are first generation Americans and America for our family was a "golden land".
After a few years of laundry, my sister thought we should buy another business....something near to where we both lived. At the time we lived on either side of Sheridan, about 2 blocks from each other. Sweet Tooth was in the Farm Shopping Center which was close to both of us. The asking price was right and we simply went ahead and did it.
The owner at the time was moving to Houston. She had taken over the store from the original owner who had put the first Sweet Tooth in the back room of Baskin Robbins. She was a gourmet cook and the store had both candy, some greeting cards, a few gifts and a section of gourmet cookware.
We knew nothing about gourmet cooking so the next summer, during the sidewalk sale, we put all the cookware on sale and began a journey into the "Gift Industry".
You should have seen us at our first gift market that September of 1992. We wandered around in the Dallas Trade Mart and World Trade Center without a clue as to what we should do. Our first few years of purchasing gifts had both hits and misses.
We stayed with the candy, though, and with our first sales rep, Gary who sat with me in the tiny back room of Sweet Tooth, my chair up against the door to the bathroom and helped me order candy. The one line of candy we have carried for 20 years was already in the store....Sweet Shop Truffles. They remain to this day the very best chocolate for the price and our customers would pitch a fit if we decided to switch.
I really love Sweet Tooth...at this point I don't know what I would do without the store. It gives us the opportunity to meet new people, to hire good staff who are dedicated and knowledgeable and it is an outlet for whatever small amount of creativity I have.
On Saturday, September 1 we had a number of people come in to shop who remember the 2 stores we had in The Farm. They are all treasures to us because no matter where we are, they are still with us.
When we had the laundries we tried to make them the sort of place we would like to come to. And with Sweet Tooth, we have tried to create a home away from home for our customers. In your home, aren't you always re-arranging the furniture, buying new decorations, adding good food, greeting your friends and family? Well, that's what we do at Sweet Tooth.
You say it's your birthday....yep, our 20th and more to come!!
After a few years of laundry, my sister thought we should buy another business....something near to where we both lived. At the time we lived on either side of Sheridan, about 2 blocks from each other. Sweet Tooth was in the Farm Shopping Center which was close to both of us. The asking price was right and we simply went ahead and did it.
The owner at the time was moving to Houston. She had taken over the store from the original owner who had put the first Sweet Tooth in the back room of Baskin Robbins. She was a gourmet cook and the store had both candy, some greeting cards, a few gifts and a section of gourmet cookware.
We knew nothing about gourmet cooking so the next summer, during the sidewalk sale, we put all the cookware on sale and began a journey into the "Gift Industry".
You should have seen us at our first gift market that September of 1992. We wandered around in the Dallas Trade Mart and World Trade Center without a clue as to what we should do. Our first few years of purchasing gifts had both hits and misses.
We stayed with the candy, though, and with our first sales rep, Gary who sat with me in the tiny back room of Sweet Tooth, my chair up against the door to the bathroom and helped me order candy. The one line of candy we have carried for 20 years was already in the store....Sweet Shop Truffles. They remain to this day the very best chocolate for the price and our customers would pitch a fit if we decided to switch.
I really love Sweet Tooth...at this point I don't know what I would do without the store. It gives us the opportunity to meet new people, to hire good staff who are dedicated and knowledgeable and it is an outlet for whatever small amount of creativity I have.
On Saturday, September 1 we had a number of people come in to shop who remember the 2 stores we had in The Farm. They are all treasures to us because no matter where we are, they are still with us.
When we had the laundries we tried to make them the sort of place we would like to come to. And with Sweet Tooth, we have tried to create a home away from home for our customers. In your home, aren't you always re-arranging the furniture, buying new decorations, adding good food, greeting your friends and family? Well, that's what we do at Sweet Tooth.
You say it's your birthday....yep, our 20th and more to come!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Let's Talk Trunk Shows
At Sweet Tooth we are entering THE retail season of the year....it's called 4th quarter. Along with all the new merchandise, we are planning lots of events at our store, including what we call TRUNK SHOWS.
My one and only daughter thought folks might be interested in hearing about what sort of planning goes into a Trunk Show....so here goes.
No, a Trunk Show does not involve cars or lockers or big trunks. But once upon a time, trunk shows often did involve salesmen carting around trunks, opening them up for customers to pick through and find what they wanted. And in England I read that people pay a fee to get into an event where they do open their car trunks and sell whatever they have brought. It's like our flea markets, in a way.
At Sweet Tooth, a Trunk Show involves planning to bring in merchandise that we might not ordinarily carry in our store, making it available for a few days so that customers can see a greater range of items in a particular line. In our case, it is usually a Jewelry Trunk Show, but we have shown other merchandise lines.
We invite a representative from the company to be on hand, to talk to customers, answer questions, take special orders and generally represent the merchandise line.
And of course at our Trunk Shows, we MUST have yummy treats, sometimes even a glass of wine, occasionally a special order from our Sweet Shop Truffle company to "fuel" our customers who attend the Trunk Show.
We always have special offers, a gift with purchase, a drawing for an item from the gift line. Sometimes we have a Preview Day so that current customers of that line get a chance to see the Trunk Show first..
How early do we need to start planning? Most of the time we begin 6 months or so out from the date of the Trunk Show. Ordering the merchandise, designing, ordering and mailing the invitations, taking ads in monthly magazines, putting a "crawl" line on our television ad, getting refreshments and so on take lots of extra time.
In addition, retailers are always several seasons ahead of their customers. We began ordering Christmas and Chanukah candy and gifts in January. Very soon we will order Valentine and Easter/Passover. Why so early? Manufacturers need those orders so that they can produce and ship to their distributors and those distributors can ship to us retailers.
So if we greet you with a "Happy Valentine's Day" just know that we are already beginning our planning for spring 2013.
And if you see Sweet Tooth is having a Trunk Show, we hope you will attend. No special invitations are ever needed and we promise there is no arm twisting to purchase. You simply have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Trunk Show line, our sales representative and our staff. And YOU might just be the one who wins the drawing for a wonderful free gift!!
Mark your calendar: Elly Preston Jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday September 29!!
My one and only daughter thought folks might be interested in hearing about what sort of planning goes into a Trunk Show....so here goes.
No, a Trunk Show does not involve cars or lockers or big trunks. But once upon a time, trunk shows often did involve salesmen carting around trunks, opening them up for customers to pick through and find what they wanted. And in England I read that people pay a fee to get into an event where they do open their car trunks and sell whatever they have brought. It's like our flea markets, in a way.
At Sweet Tooth, a Trunk Show involves planning to bring in merchandise that we might not ordinarily carry in our store, making it available for a few days so that customers can see a greater range of items in a particular line. In our case, it is usually a Jewelry Trunk Show, but we have shown other merchandise lines.
We invite a representative from the company to be on hand, to talk to customers, answer questions, take special orders and generally represent the merchandise line.
And of course at our Trunk Shows, we MUST have yummy treats, sometimes even a glass of wine, occasionally a special order from our Sweet Shop Truffle company to "fuel" our customers who attend the Trunk Show.
We always have special offers, a gift with purchase, a drawing for an item from the gift line. Sometimes we have a Preview Day so that current customers of that line get a chance to see the Trunk Show first..
How early do we need to start planning? Most of the time we begin 6 months or so out from the date of the Trunk Show. Ordering the merchandise, designing, ordering and mailing the invitations, taking ads in monthly magazines, putting a "crawl" line on our television ad, getting refreshments and so on take lots of extra time.
In addition, retailers are always several seasons ahead of their customers. We began ordering Christmas and Chanukah candy and gifts in January. Very soon we will order Valentine and Easter/Passover. Why so early? Manufacturers need those orders so that they can produce and ship to their distributors and those distributors can ship to us retailers.
So if we greet you with a "Happy Valentine's Day" just know that we are already beginning our planning for spring 2013.
And if you see Sweet Tooth is having a Trunk Show, we hope you will attend. No special invitations are ever needed and we promise there is no arm twisting to purchase. You simply have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Trunk Show line, our sales representative and our staff. And YOU might just be the one who wins the drawing for a wonderful free gift!!
Mark your calendar: Elly Preston Jewelry Trunk Show on Saturday September 29!!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Happy Birthday Gene Kelley
I have started walking again after work with Jeff. You'd think that a retailer would get lots of exercise, restocking candy with heavy boxes, checking in new merchandise with heavy boxes and standing up most of the day helping customers.
All that is true, but when you split it up among several people, in a season which isn't really busy, it turns out that vacuuming is the only real exercise you can get.
Now I am not the sort of person who enjoys exercising. I don't dislike it, but I find it hard to get into the habit. Once I get going, walking is an okay form of exercising, particularly when you can watch other people or check out how they are keeping up their yards or their houses.
Sometimes we walk around the second level at Tulsa Promenade, but that can get a little tedious if the window displays in the store aren't changed often enough.
My all time favorite "exercise" was the tap class several friends and I took a few years ago. Our teacher, Robin was the perfect teacher...no pressure, lots of patience, full of stories about her life and no recital!! . You know, Mary Jane tap shoes are feminine and attractive, but the real professional look is the lace up shoes which bend easily when you need to do certain tap steps.
The sound of taps on a wooden floor is thrilling and sparks a real sense of pleasure. Learning tap routines is probably a lot easier if you are younger, but when you "get it" and the tap sounds are working and you are moving across the floor, it is just a great feeling.
I miss tap class. I miss Amy, Jan and Sabrina and some of the other ladies I would see each week. I miss talking to our customer Dee who has been in a tap class for years and has stories about going to New York City and tapping on the streets of Manhattan. I miss the sound of tapping. Sometimes I just get out my tap shoes and give them a good look and imagine that there will be a tap class again in the future.
By the way, Happy 100th Birthday to Gene Kelley, one of the greatest tap dancers in the world!!
All that is true, but when you split it up among several people, in a season which isn't really busy, it turns out that vacuuming is the only real exercise you can get.
Now I am not the sort of person who enjoys exercising. I don't dislike it, but I find it hard to get into the habit. Once I get going, walking is an okay form of exercising, particularly when you can watch other people or check out how they are keeping up their yards or their houses.
Sometimes we walk around the second level at Tulsa Promenade, but that can get a little tedious if the window displays in the store aren't changed often enough.
My all time favorite "exercise" was the tap class several friends and I took a few years ago. Our teacher, Robin was the perfect teacher...no pressure, lots of patience, full of stories about her life and no recital!! . You know, Mary Jane tap shoes are feminine and attractive, but the real professional look is the lace up shoes which bend easily when you need to do certain tap steps.
The sound of taps on a wooden floor is thrilling and sparks a real sense of pleasure. Learning tap routines is probably a lot easier if you are younger, but when you "get it" and the tap sounds are working and you are moving across the floor, it is just a great feeling.
I miss tap class. I miss Amy, Jan and Sabrina and some of the other ladies I would see each week. I miss talking to our customer Dee who has been in a tap class for years and has stories about going to New York City and tapping on the streets of Manhattan. I miss the sound of tapping. Sometimes I just get out my tap shoes and give them a good look and imagine that there will be a tap class again in the future.
By the way, Happy 100th Birthday to Gene Kelley, one of the greatest tap dancers in the world!!
Monday, August 20, 2012
"No matter where you go, there you are."
At Sweet Tooth we've been thinking about Back to School. Normally our store doesn't have much to offer for Back to School, but this year we brought in a line called Locket Lookz---accessories both decorative and functional to put in a school locker. It has been fun for us.
But Back to School used to mean something different. When my daughter started a new school year, we thought a lot about "change": how we deal with it and what it will mean.
Of course we always took the "First Day of School Picture"---you know, the one where our daughter was dressed in her new outfit (this was before uniforms), standing with her hand on the front door knob, purse or lunch bag in hand and maybe a notebook to write down all the stuff we were going to shop for after school!
Change didn't have anything to do with new clothes or school supplies. Change represented the unknown, the possibility of failure or rejection (especially in middle school!).
Couldn't we look on the sunny side of change?--new opportunities, new friends, new things to learn, new challenges which we would conquer?
Change pulled us in both directions and even the promise of success couldn't completely eliminate thoughts of failure.
Thinking about Back to School and "change", I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes which can be found on Mary Engelbreit calendars, notepads and flags:
"No matter where you go, there you are."
I still haven't thoroughly understood the meaning of that quote but I feel that it pretty well describes everyone's journey through life.
But Back to School used to mean something different. When my daughter started a new school year, we thought a lot about "change": how we deal with it and what it will mean.
Of course we always took the "First Day of School Picture"---you know, the one where our daughter was dressed in her new outfit (this was before uniforms), standing with her hand on the front door knob, purse or lunch bag in hand and maybe a notebook to write down all the stuff we were going to shop for after school!
Change didn't have anything to do with new clothes or school supplies. Change represented the unknown, the possibility of failure or rejection (especially in middle school!).
Couldn't we look on the sunny side of change?--new opportunities, new friends, new things to learn, new challenges which we would conquer?
Change pulled us in both directions and even the promise of success couldn't completely eliminate thoughts of failure.
Thinking about Back to School and "change", I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes which can be found on Mary Engelbreit calendars, notepads and flags:
"No matter where you go, there you are."
I still haven't thoroughly understood the meaning of that quote but I feel that it pretty well describes everyone's journey through life.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Truly Trudy
I never set out to be a retailer. Thanks to my sister we have owned Sweet Tooth Candy & Gift Co. for almost 20 years. First we had 2 locations in The Farm Shopping Center and for the last 10 years we have been at 38th and Harvard.
The most important thing about owning Sweet Tooth has been the many people we have met over the years. We have had terrific employees, enthusiastic and loyal customers and some really great sales reps who have partnered with us to make Sweet Tooth a home away from home.
We spend about 50 hours a week at the store. We are the original Mom and Pop. Our role models are the peddlers of yester year, who knew their customers and brought them items to purchase which those peddlers knew their customers would need and want.
Every day brings routine and surprises. This past Wednesday most of the day was dedicated to working with one of our devoted sales reps. This brings me to Truly Trudy.
We have followed Trudy around the Gift Market since we first met her. Wherever she went, we went because Trudy is just the sort of person whom you want to know and work with.
On Wednesday, for example, she nudged us into restaging our Embellish Your Story section of the store. This is Trudy's line of creative magnetic artwork which we have carried for about 3 years.
Trudy spent her entire day, 8 hours of her personal time reworking that space in our store.
What's the deal with Truly Trudy? Well, she wants us to be a successful store. She is a rare breed of sales rep who thinks about what will work for us and then goes about implementing it in our store.
Trudy has become a friend too. Sometimes we just sit and talk about our lives and what we want for ourselves. We have shared good times and difficult times. There is no one better than a person like Trudy who is a true sales person and a true friend.
That's our Truly Trudy!!
The most important thing about owning Sweet Tooth has been the many people we have met over the years. We have had terrific employees, enthusiastic and loyal customers and some really great sales reps who have partnered with us to make Sweet Tooth a home away from home.
We spend about 50 hours a week at the store. We are the original Mom and Pop. Our role models are the peddlers of yester year, who knew their customers and brought them items to purchase which those peddlers knew their customers would need and want.
Every day brings routine and surprises. This past Wednesday most of the day was dedicated to working with one of our devoted sales reps. This brings me to Truly Trudy.
We have followed Trudy around the Gift Market since we first met her. Wherever she went, we went because Trudy is just the sort of person whom you want to know and work with.
On Wednesday, for example, she nudged us into restaging our Embellish Your Story section of the store. This is Trudy's line of creative magnetic artwork which we have carried for about 3 years.
Trudy spent her entire day, 8 hours of her personal time reworking that space in our store.
What's the deal with Truly Trudy? Well, she wants us to be a successful store. She is a rare breed of sales rep who thinks about what will work for us and then goes about implementing it in our store.
Trudy has become a friend too. Sometimes we just sit and talk about our lives and what we want for ourselves. We have shared good times and difficult times. There is no one better than a person like Trudy who is a true sales person and a true friend.
That's our Truly Trudy!!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
It Was Meant To Be
I've got a story for you and it starts with the expression "it was meant to be".
The story starts a week ago Friday when we were asked to deliver some food to an older woman who lives alone. We called her several times on that Friday but she did not answer. So we left a message telling her why we were calling and asking her to return the call.
Exactly a week later the woman called to say that she would be home at 6:00 pm and we could come by for a visit.
About 6:30 p.m. we turned onto her street, looking for her house. A block or so ahead of us we saw a fire truck, lights flashing and excitement gathering. Looking at each other, we thought the same thing: is the fire truck stopped at the home we were about to visit?
You guessed it!! Smoke was coming out of her house and she was standing on the driveway, arms locked with 2 men who had stopped to help her and had called the fire station. Soon there were at least 5 or 6 fire trucks, about 12-15 firemen in and out of her house. The water hose was hooked up to the hydrant in her yard and the firemen were working to save her house. There was a tremendous amount of noise...from the fire hose, from the fan which was drawing smoke out of her house and from the general but very organized hubbub in her yard.
Because we sort of knew the woman we became the go-between, speaking a little bit on her behalf to find her family and people to help her.
It was meant to be....if we had reached her the week before, we would not have been there to help her when she needed it most. There was a lot of damage inside her house, but she was safe and well and determined to go back home.
How do I feel about all this? I guess I do believe that there are moments in life when people are brought together to help each other. It is both a strange but exhilarating experience to be where you are meant to be.
And my reward? A kiss on the cheek from the woman and a brief word of thanks. That kiss meant a lot to me.
The story starts a week ago Friday when we were asked to deliver some food to an older woman who lives alone. We called her several times on that Friday but she did not answer. So we left a message telling her why we were calling and asking her to return the call.
Exactly a week later the woman called to say that she would be home at 6:00 pm and we could come by for a visit.
About 6:30 p.m. we turned onto her street, looking for her house. A block or so ahead of us we saw a fire truck, lights flashing and excitement gathering. Looking at each other, we thought the same thing: is the fire truck stopped at the home we were about to visit?
You guessed it!! Smoke was coming out of her house and she was standing on the driveway, arms locked with 2 men who had stopped to help her and had called the fire station. Soon there were at least 5 or 6 fire trucks, about 12-15 firemen in and out of her house. The water hose was hooked up to the hydrant in her yard and the firemen were working to save her house. There was a tremendous amount of noise...from the fire hose, from the fan which was drawing smoke out of her house and from the general but very organized hubbub in her yard.
Because we sort of knew the woman we became the go-between, speaking a little bit on her behalf to find her family and people to help her.
It was meant to be....if we had reached her the week before, we would not have been there to help her when she needed it most. There was a lot of damage inside her house, but she was safe and well and determined to go back home.
How do I feel about all this? I guess I do believe that there are moments in life when people are brought together to help each other. It is both a strange but exhilarating experience to be where you are meant to be.
And my reward? A kiss on the cheek from the woman and a brief word of thanks. That kiss meant a lot to me.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Becoming the Homecoming Queen
I read fashion magazines.
Well, I can't really say I "read" them. Rather I flip through these magazines and study the pictures.
When I was a teen, nothing was better than the monthly "Seventeen" magazine. Now that was a magazine where reading the articles was even more important than the pictures.
After all, I just had to know the rules for being the coolest girl. I wanted to look like the models and follow all the advice in the magazine.
I wasn't in with the "social circle". I was more on the fringe looking in. I wasn't intimated, I didn't yearn to be with that group. I simply was curious to know what it was like to be the Homecoming Queen or the class secretary.
When I look at the fashion magazines now it's to try to figure out the next hot trend -- the new color -- the next great jewelry line.
After all, knowing that is homework for a retailer. If only we retailers knew the secret formula for retail success, it would be like being the Homecoming Queen!!
Well, I can't really say I "read" them. Rather I flip through these magazines and study the pictures.
When I was a teen, nothing was better than the monthly "Seventeen" magazine. Now that was a magazine where reading the articles was even more important than the pictures.
After all, I just had to know the rules for being the coolest girl. I wanted to look like the models and follow all the advice in the magazine.
I wasn't in with the "social circle". I was more on the fringe looking in. I wasn't intimated, I didn't yearn to be with that group. I simply was curious to know what it was like to be the Homecoming Queen or the class secretary.
When I look at the fashion magazines now it's to try to figure out the next hot trend -- the new color -- the next great jewelry line.
After all, knowing that is homework for a retailer. If only we retailers knew the secret formula for retail success, it would be like being the Homecoming Queen!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Remembering Alicia and Her Candy Buffet
Sunday Sweet Tooth had a booth at the Tulsa Wedding Show. We've been a part of that show for a number of years, introducing prospective brides to the fun and the purpose of having a Candy Buffet at their wedding reception.
Toward afternoon's end, our booth was visited by Nicolas Stolusky, Event Sales Manager for the Tulsa Zoo. Tulsa Zoo can host all sorts of events at their facility. Meeting Nicolas took me back to one of the first Candy Buffets we did for a wedding reception. It was at the Tulsa Zoo.
I am remembering Alicia and Jeff who wanted their wedding reception to be a joyful experience for their guests. They decided to have a Candy Buffet and they picked all their favorite candies, including Chocolate Gummi Bears which Alicia loved.
I am remembering the absolute joy they expressed the night of their wedding...the dancing, their friends, their family all crowding around the Candy Buffet.
I am also remembering Alicia, a heart transplant survivor who died too young and left me thinking how the Tulsa Zoo and the Candy Buffet and her love for Jeff has left a handprint on my heart.
It was something as simple as Alicia's idea for a Candy Buffet that demonstrated to me what real joy people can bring to each other.
Toward afternoon's end, our booth was visited by Nicolas Stolusky, Event Sales Manager for the Tulsa Zoo. Tulsa Zoo can host all sorts of events at their facility. Meeting Nicolas took me back to one of the first Candy Buffets we did for a wedding reception. It was at the Tulsa Zoo.
I am remembering Alicia and Jeff who wanted their wedding reception to be a joyful experience for their guests. They decided to have a Candy Buffet and they picked all their favorite candies, including Chocolate Gummi Bears which Alicia loved.
I am remembering the absolute joy they expressed the night of their wedding...the dancing, their friends, their family all crowding around the Candy Buffet.
I am also remembering Alicia, a heart transplant survivor who died too young and left me thinking how the Tulsa Zoo and the Candy Buffet and her love for Jeff has left a handprint on my heart.
It was something as simple as Alicia's idea for a Candy Buffet that demonstrated to me what real joy people can bring to each other.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Post Two: Peanut Brittle and Bill
Have you ever associated a certain candy with a person you know?
Recently a very nice man, enthusiastic about his Catholicism, his life, his dog, his birds and the circus died at the age of 95 years. I associate Bill with peanut brittle and not the fancy gourmet type. In fact he preferred the inexpensive box of peanut brittle at the local drugstore.
I associate my teen years with Bit o Honey bars. Somehow I thought chocolate would make me gain weight but Bit o Honey was just healthy candy. Honey, right?
I'm going to miss my peanut brittle friend, but at Christmas time when we have gourmet peanut brittle in the store, I'll recommend it to all peanut brittle lovers because it is the best.
I might even grab a Bit o Honey bar from the shelf for myself. I'll think about my teen years at Edison and I'll be missing Bill too.
Recently a very nice man, enthusiastic about his Catholicism, his life, his dog, his birds and the circus died at the age of 95 years. I associate Bill with peanut brittle and not the fancy gourmet type. In fact he preferred the inexpensive box of peanut brittle at the local drugstore.
I associate my teen years with Bit o Honey bars. Somehow I thought chocolate would make me gain weight but Bit o Honey was just healthy candy. Honey, right?
I'm going to miss my peanut brittle friend, but at Christmas time when we have gourmet peanut brittle in the store, I'll recommend it to all peanut brittle lovers because it is the best.
I might even grab a Bit o Honey bar from the shelf for myself. I'll think about my teen years at Edison and I'll be missing Bill too.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Post One: Out of Smoke Came Perfection
Here I am, my first ever blog. It has been a few weeks since I knew I was going to do this. I have spent some time thinking what to say. And then on Saturday eve I had an experience which seemed a good place to begin.
Along with others, I went to the Majestic in downtown Tulsa to see Eric Himan in the "Queen" show he put together with Noah Spiegel and a group of great musicians and singers. We are hoping Eric will do this show again somewhere.
Anyway, bars are smokey and when we got home all our clothes were smoke-filled along with my Stephanie Dawn purse which we sell at Sweet Tooth. Stephanie Dawn is a great line of fabric, quilted purses and accessories and advertises that all the pieces are washable.
What the heck? right? So we took the cardboard insert out of the purse and I washed it on handwash, along with my other smokey clothes. It came out Perfectly!! No color bleeding, no shrinking, no change at all.
It will probably take several days to dry but it will look just like the day I got the purse.
Success stories....inspirational and just plain fun.
Along with others, I went to the Majestic in downtown Tulsa to see Eric Himan in the "Queen" show he put together with Noah Spiegel and a group of great musicians and singers. We are hoping Eric will do this show again somewhere.
Anyway, bars are smokey and when we got home all our clothes were smoke-filled along with my Stephanie Dawn purse which we sell at Sweet Tooth. Stephanie Dawn is a great line of fabric, quilted purses and accessories and advertises that all the pieces are washable.
What the heck? right? So we took the cardboard insert out of the purse and I washed it on handwash, along with my other smokey clothes. It came out Perfectly!! No color bleeding, no shrinking, no change at all.
It will probably take several days to dry but it will look just like the day I got the purse.
Success stories....inspirational and just plain fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)