Monday, November 25, 2013

Who IS Doctor Who?

This year's biggest hit is Doctor Who mugs, ornaments and scarves.
Who IS Doctor Who?
Thank goodness Sabrina clued me in on this whole thing, since I have attempted to watch one episode a few months ago and was totally lost.
All I know at this point is that the final actor is playing the final Doctor Who and those who are big fans are following every little thing which happens.  There were some marathon t.v. shows this past week on BBC television and since we don't get that channel, I couldn't take a look to see if I could figure out Doctor Who is.
My friend's son is a big fan and when we went to the June Market, she told me that her son wanted me to look around for Doctor Who items. 
As we were walking around at the Market, I did attempt to find any Doctor Who items, but it wasn't until I got back home and was checking out a catalogue from a large Christmas ornament company, that I saw "the light":  the Doctor Who Tardis and Dalek ornaments from this company were numbers 1 and 2 most popular ornaments being ordered for this Christmas.
As a contrast, I asked my sales rep from this Christmas company about Downton Abbey ornaments....me being a big fan of that series.  I was told that us mid-Westerners were not big Downton Abby followers....in our neck of the woods Doctor Who is out numbering Downton Abbey.
What I did, of course, was put in a substantial order for Doctor Who mugs and ornaments.  My mom didn't raise a fool....as someone says....and I didn't order Downton Abbey anything.
But next year...watch out!!  It could be the year of D.A. and I, for one, will NOT be asking Who is Downton Abbey?
Can't wait until January for that series to return!!  30 days until Christmas.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Are We Going To Be Black Or Red?

34 days and counting until Christmas.  And only 9 more days to purchase your Advent Calendar if you are a follower of that tradition and don't want to gobble down 5 pieces of chocolate because you started your Advent Calendar on December 5.  Of course there are those people who would adore gobbling down a bunch of chocolate!!
We are winding down from our Obsidian Trunk Show and our 2 day Holiday Party.  And at the same time, we are gearing up for holiday gift baskets and other gifting ideas which our customers bring to us.
The days actually go by so quickly that we hardly realize how time slips by when you are busy and thinking about a dozen things at a time.
In the middle of the night I am liable to wake up and remember something I need to do, or a person I need to call, or an email which didn't get sent.  If there is no piece of paper on my night table, I repeat over and over to myself what I need to remember.  Do I always remember it in the morning?  Who are we kidding?
Somehow though one of our staff reminds me of what needs to get done.  What would I do without the constant interchanges with our staff?  I have found that delegating is the very best way to assure myself that everything will get done and will look perfectly wonderful.
Guess what?  We are also receiving phone calls from sales reps whose holiday selling is done and they are ready to sit down and look at Valentine's Day or Easter or just the new collections of gifts or candy which are coming out the minute we hit January 1.
Some of the clever sales reps, realizing that there is no time in December for retailers to think ahead to the spring, take their vacations, their cruises or simply their time off during December.  
You might wonder about personal time?  There isn't a lot of that to be had at this time of the year.  You  know, that is a good thing....it means that our end of the year will be black and not red!.



Monday, November 11, 2013

Have You Heard About Thanksgivukkah??

This year the first day of Chanukah and Thanksgiving are on the same day ...November 28.  This coincidence will not occur again for 70,000 years.  Wow!
Since the date of Chanukah is based on the Jewish calendar, a lunisolar calendar, the days of Chanukah seem to jump around every year.  Yet Chanukah is always on the same lunisolar calendar date each and every year.
Because of the coincidence of these 2 holidays some vendors are having a wonderful time thinking of how to combine the symbols of each holiday into one symbol.
What we have is a new name for this occasion:  Thanksgivukkah.  There will be lots of turkeys on spinning dreidles, new holiday greetings like Gobble Tov (which means Good Gobble) and a semi-feeble attempt to mix turkey and dressing with potato latkes and sour cream.
I just point this out not only for your edification but just to let you know that retailers are hustling to figure out what to do about all of this.  This is exactly what retail is always doing.  I think these 2 holidays coming together has caught many retailers off guard.
In addition, we are now at 43 days until Christmas.
Sweet Tooth will be attempting to provide some fun goodies for all 3 holidays.  Check out our Facebook page or come into the store and see what's cooking!!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

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.