The Cupboard Is Not Bare!

At this time of the year, so close to one of the two major Gift Markets, our store begins to look a little sparse.  Some of our customers show concern that the sparseness of the store is an indication that we are going out of business.  It is definitely not the case.
We used to put a banner across our front windows which said BIG SALE.  We are a bit reluctant to do that now because inevitably customers will interpret that banner as an indication that we are going out of business.
It appears we need to make something very very clear:  retailers have BIG SALES.  It is a method of scooting out the door odds and ends of wonderful merchandise and providing our customers with a bargain in order to make space for the new merchandise we will see at the Gift Market.
This particular June Gift Market is our last chance to select what we want to carry for the extremely important FOURTH QUARTER.  You've heard of Black Friday, haven't you?  That title is not a mournful title but rather it indicates that the Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally the time when consumers decide to shop for the holidays.  Their purchases begin to put retail in the Black....i.e., we seriously begin to make money.
What that means, friends, is that the last 3 months of each year are really the time that retail is in full swing and purchases are way up.  If something doesn't sell during the fourth quarter you absolutely know that you have made the wrong choice of merchandise for your customers.  Those items are the ones which go on the 75% off sale table!!
Please pass the word around to all your family and friends:  Sweet Tooth is not going out of business, but is actually making room for the candy, gift and jewelry items which will fill our store and make the aisles narrow during the fourth quarter.   (remember we have already begun to order holiday candy and there was a lot of it!!)
Summer is a great time to offer clearance bargains.  And those sales can help consumers purchase holiday gift items at reduced prices.
The storage area in our own garage has clear Rubbermaid Boxes filled with early purchases for holiday gifts.  After all, we retailers are consumers too!