49 Days Until Christmas

Here's what I am thinking about.  49 days until Christmas.  49 days to get everything done that a retailer wants to get done during the 4th quarter.
Why, you ask?  Because the 4th quarter in retail either makes or breaks the year. So much of what happens in the next 49 days is due to the consumer's interest in what we have, to the choices we make for publicity and marketing, to the possibility that we are missing some critical trendy item, to the overall confidence in the economy......in other words, it is a partnership between the retailer, the consumer and the economy.
If I had to pick out the "trendy item" I would point to the Dr. Who ornaments, mugs, watches and scarves we have this year.  And I really know nothing much about Dr. Who except what my daughter tells me.
If I had to pick out the best marketing and publicity for the store, I'd have to say the great relationship we have with the people at Tulsa People magazine.  Our latest "My Happy Place" ads which have featured Connie Cronley, Eric Himan, Teresa Miller, and for our December pin up, Karl Krause as Scrooge have really taken off.  The staff at Tulsa People have given us such great feedback and turned our ads into glorious color and fun.
Picking out what the consumer's interest will be is a lot harder.  Each year we have some definite repeats, particularly in the Candy Section of the store.  But if a manufacturer decides not to produce last year's best seller, we are really out on a limb about that.  What sells big in our store may not be the best seller nationally.  And just to let you know, sometimes the candy biz has trouble recruiting candy makers.  Candy manufacturing, although industrialized, is still a hands on business and less people these days are into being craft people.  As we always tell our customers, seasonal candy and gifts are just that:  SEASONAL and no one down the line in the retail business wants to be left with seasonal stuff.
As for the economy, it is locally an election year and believe me, that effects people's buying patterns.  In addition, what is going on nationally eventually finds its way to Tulsa.
Stay tuned for the On The Spot Reporter...ME...to find out what happens during the next 49 days.